The University of New Mexico's soccer team beat the Air Force Academy Falcons in their first home conference match 2-1. The Lobos improved to a 1-1-2 conference record and 4-2-4 record overall.
The Lobos were resilient; they were outshot 13-11 and were down 1-0 at halftime but two second-half goals from Sofia Roberts and Paris Dalton won the match.
The game was tied 1-1 when Dalton scored the game-winning goal on a free kick.
25 mph wind was a major factor in the match. The ball was constantly carried and led to unpredictable movement. The Lobos took advantage of this, choosing to play with the wind at their backs for the second half. This also led to the Falcons only getting two shots off in the second half.
UNM dominated the possession battle early. They had their first corner kick at the one minute mark and another shortly after. Presley Devey got two shots off towards the middle of the net but both were caught by Falcons goalie Sydney Davis.
Nicole Anderson earned a yellow card for unsporting activity at the 29 minute mark but Falcon Mia Otero's kick was over the net.
35 minutes into the match, the Falcons worked their way open for Ava Carpentier to pass to Addie Doyle who scored a goal with a kick to the lower left of the net.
The half ended with the Lobos down 1-0. UNM had a strong start, but after the Falcons' goal, the Air Force kept up the pressure – outshooting the Lobos 11-5. After their yellow card, UNM only got one more shot off.
UNM started out aggressive in the second half. Kennedy Brown attempted a deep shot but it just barely flew over the goal. Clarke followed it up at the 53 minute mark with a shot that hit the crossbar.
The Lobos had back-to-back close scoring opportunities; Natalie DeGagne had a shot towards the middle of the net that was blocked by a leaping Davis. It led to a corner kick for the Lobos that was blocked by Davis once again.
Nicole Anderson received a pass from midfield and outmaneuvered the Falcons to pass the ball right in front of the net for Sofia Roberts to score with a kick to the left side. Lobos tied the game 1-1 70 minutes into the match.
Falcon Reagan Wilson was called for a yellow card, which set up a free kick for Dalton. At the 76 minute mark, Dalton punted the ball to the back of the net, over the top of Davis to put the Lobos up 2-1, which was the final score of the game.
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After the match, Head Coach Heather Dyche talked about how she is proud of the team for breaking through for a conference win.
"I'm proud of our team,” Dyche said. “I think we have been in a lot of games where we should probably get a result and we're not. I think they showed a lot of heart to come back from 1-0 at the half."
The Lobos next play against Utah State in Albuquerque on Thursday, Oct. 5.
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
