ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. --- The University of New Mexico men's soccer team dropped a close, 2-0 contest to No. 24 Washington on Monday night at the UNM Soccer Complex despite holding the Huskies scoreless throughout the first half. The loss marks the first of the season for UNM.

"This was a team that you couldn't give openings to, they are disciplined defensively, they're good on the counter and we can't five up transition and set pieces," head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "That early goal in the second half really hurt us, hats off to Washington. I wish we had been at our best tonight but we weren't."

Prior to the contest, former Lobo standout Jeff Rowland, current associate head coach at Washington, was honored in front of excited fans for his future induction into the UNM Hall of Honor. 

The Lobos (1-1-0) and the Huskies (2-0-0) battled throughout the first period with Washington registering just six shots, and no corner kicks, while the Lobos shot twice but collected a pair of corners. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half and the squads went into the locker room scoreless.

Washington exploded out of the locker room and redshirt-senior Kyle Coffee notched the first goal for the Huskies just 2:46 into the period, shutting down UNM's energy early in the frame.

The Lobos racked up five more corner kicks in the second half but weren't able to convert and Washington struck again in the 71st minute off the foot of redshirt-senior Scott Menzies to seal the 2-0 victory.

The Lobos were led offensively by senior Antoine Vial and sophomore Nick Taylor who posted a pair of shots apiece. Junior Aaron Scott, senior Simon Spangenberg, redshirt-freshman Bailey Letherman, freshman Erik Virgen and freshman Omar Grey each added one for a total of nine on the night. UNM did not fire a shot on goal in 90 minutes of play.

Redshirt-junior Ford Parker started his second regular-season match of his career on the night and spent all 90 minutes between the posts, collecting four saves. One of his saves included an outstanding play with 30 minutes left in the second half when a header off a corner threatened to find the top of the net, but Parker leaped up and blocked the shot just under the crossbar.

The Lobos will take on their next three opponents on the road starting with CSUN on Friday, August 31 followed by Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, Sept. 2 and capped with a matchup on Friday, August 7 at Tulsa.

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