Late Goals send Pacific past Lobos 2-1
Moraga, Calif. --- Up 1-0 with just over 12 minutes left, the Lobos were feeling good about getting a road win, but Pacific struck shockingly for a pair of goals, the last with 1:34 remaining, and the Tigers defeated the Lobos 2-1 at the Saint Mary’s Classic.
Everything looked good for New Mexico after Alyssa Coonrod and Madisyn Olguin hooked up at the 15:48 mark for a goal. On a UNM corner kick, Coonrod sent a spinning ball that curled towards the six, and Olguin, who has been solid in the air throughout her two-year career, elevated and sent a head past a helpless Tashia Long for a 1-0 lead.
The lead stayed that way through halftime, and Olguin nearly made it 2-0 14 minutes into the second half. On a free kick just outside the box, Alexi Leyba put a deft touch on the kick, lofting it over the wall to Olguin, who flicked it over Long, but just over the net. That near miss would come back to haunt UNM.
Things started getting hectic with 22 minutes left when Brittni Beeman hit the crossbar on a header off a corner kick. Beeman would take a free kick with just under 12 minutes to go and send a ball into the box, and Alex Hussar redirected it with her head into the upper back corner of the net for a 1-1 tie.
UNM then took control again, and got shots from Olguin and Ashley Espinoza, but both were handled fairly easily by Long. Then with under two to go, Maricela Padilla passed a ball back Beeman, who let go a rocket from 30 yards out. The shot found the lower left corner past a diving Ulrich for a 2-1 Pacific lead.
Despite just 94 seconds remaining, UNM earned a pair of corner kicks and nearly got the tying goal from an unlikely source, as Ulrich, who pushed forward, got off a shot that was saved by Long. Ashley Espinoza had one last gasp shot in the box, but it was blocked out of bounds.
The Lobos were outshot 16-9, including 10-5 in the second half. Ulrich finished with eight saves, the second-most in her career, and Long had four. The Lobos, who dropped to 2-6-0, return home to face UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis on Friday and Sunday in the Jack in the Box Classic. Texas Tech is the fourth team in the Classic. On Friday, Texas Tech and UC Davis play at 2 p.m. and UC Santa Barbara and the Lobos play at 5 p.m.
NOTES: New Mexico again pitched a first half shutout for the 34th time in the last 40 matches … Of UNM’s six goals this season, five are directly from set pieces (two corners, three free kicks).
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