Women’s soccer match ends in tie

The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team played the San Jose State University Spartans on Sunday, Oct 9, ending in a tie. The Lobos have a record of 4-3-6 and are 2-1-2 in conference play, which makes them tied for third in the Mountain West conference.

It was a frustrating game for the Lobos, as they had six shots hit the goal post; had they gone in, they could have easily flipped the outcome of the match. The Lobos put up 20 shot attempts whereas the Spartans only had 11 —  only three for UNM were credited as shots on the goal.

Jadyn Edwards had UNM’s only goal and put up six shots. Karlee Maes had an assist on Edwards’ goal and played the full 90 minutes. Goalie Alli Davis gave up one goal but had solid play throughout.

The match started with the Spartans having possession. Maes fouled Taylor Phillips and she was awarded a free kick. Her kick was caught by UNM’s goalie Davis.

Philips had a foul on Lobo Natalie DeGagne which led to Edwards getting a shot on the goal that was off target and went out of bounds. On the other end of the field, Philips had a shot that was blocked and the ball landed out of bounds. The Spartans corner kick was caught by Davis.

Spartan Bella Flocchini's kick was off target and was followed by a Tiana Cello shot attempt that was blocked by Davis. Edwards was fouled in front of the goal, but her free kick attempt was too high and missed the net.

Edwards had a shot that hit the side of the net and landed right in front of her on her next attempt. San Jose goalie Bente Pernot blocked her shot, though. The Lobos immediately got possession and Edwards had another shot attempt that hit the crossbar.

At the 32-minute mark, San Jose had a shot go into the goal but were called for offsides saving the Lobos from falling behind. Lobo Leilani Baker ran the ball up the field, shaking multiple defenders, but her shot was too high and missed the goal.

Spartan Kiana Miyazato was called for a yellow card which led to Edwards scoring the first goal of the game, tapping it in right past Pernot; it was assisted by Maes. The Lobos were now up 1-0 at the 37-minute mark.

Edwards was subbed out for Mackenna Havenor to applause from the crowd. UNM’s Presley Devey then had a kick blocked before it could reach the goal. The first half ended with UNM up 1-0.

At the 46-minute mark, Spartan Cynthia Flores scored a goal that was assisted by Philips to tie the game at 1-1. Lobos Brynn Boeyink and Myah Isais were called for a yellow card within four minutes of each other, but UNM kept fighting.

Boeyink had a corner kick for UNM which led to a Maes kick that again hit the goal. Baker had a free kick which hit the goal post for the fifth time of the game.

At the 76-minute mark, Spartan Sabrina Weinman fouled DeGagne, setting up a free kick that led to Maes getting a shot — it was off target and she missed.

With just one minute to go in the game, Jaelyn Hendren took a shot toward the top center of the goal, but Pernot reached to swat the ball down and prevented the Lobo win. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

After the game, Edwards was honored for playing in 88 games — the most in the program’s history. She received a signed soccer ball from her teammates.

Edwards went on to call the game frustrating and felt they could have had a win. She also talked about her 88 games and how she feels about her time at UNM.

“I think as a team, we outplayed them. It’s definitely frustrating, but looking back at some other games that we had, I think we played a lot better as a team … It’s an honor to be able to play for this club, for this school for 88 games and being able to be in every single one — grateful for no injuries and (things) like that. Every award is a team award. I’m always playing as a team and not for myself. I’m grateful for sure,” Edwards said.

Head coach Heather Dyche talked about the shots blocked by the crossbar and the player’s frustration that can come from that.

“I don’t think I’ve been part of a game as a player or coach where you hit it six times in one game like that; pretty crazy, but that’s all good. You do the right things and you hope it goes your way and sometimes, it does; sometimes, it doesn’t … It’s frustrating if you’re doing the right things and creating the right options … but it’s what you do with that frustration that matters,” Dyche said.

UNM women’s soccer next play against The University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Albuquerque.

Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10

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