UC Santa Barbara 2, New Mexico 0 (Match Report)

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It seems like a running theme, but the University of New Mexico outshot its opponent and held the run of play, only to give up a pair of goals on only two shots on net, and the Lobos fell for a fourth consecutive game, this time 2-0 to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at the UNM Soccer Complex.

 

The loss dropped the Lobos to an uncharacteristic 2-7 on the year, and 1-3 at home.  UC Santa Barbara won its fifth straight, all by shutout, and improved to 6-2-1 overall.

 

The Gauchos got on the board first on a broken play off a corner kick.Geneve Dromensk hit a low corner kick that found Allie Ariniello in the box.  Her volley attempt was shanked off her plant leg, and the ball richocheted to Angelisa Cortez, who turned and poked it into the lower right corner for a 1-0 lead at the 16:22 mark.

 

The game stayed 1-0 through halftime, and it looked like UNM hit it tied in the 61^st minute when Elba Holguin laid a ball off the Brooke Ellison at the top of the box.  Her shot hit the right post, banked off keeper Beth Ritter, and just out of the reach of the onrushing Dylann O’Connor.

 

UCSB then got an insurance goal when India Mead sent a ball from the left flank into the box, and Cristina Polini was able to settle it and knock it home with 15:53 left in the contest.  UNM again pressed and nearly got on the board twice in the final five minutes.  With just under five minutes to go, it looked like UNM had halved the deficit when Ruth Bruciaga chipped one past Ritter, and with the ball in the air at the line it was somehow cleared away, although the reactions from the Briciaga and the UNM bench told a different story. 

 

Barely a minute after that, O’Connor sent a left-footed rocket that beat Ritter, but it clanged flush off the crossbar and ricocheted safely out of harms way.  The Lobos would end the night with a 16-5 advantage in shots, and 4-2 on net (not counting the two off the frame).

 

Scoring Summary

 

 Goals by period               1              2              Tot

 UC Santa Barbara            1              1              2

 New Mexico                     0              0              0

 

 SCORING SUMMARY:

 1             16:22     UCSB     Cortez, Angelisa (2) (Ariniello, Allie;Dromensk, Geneve)

 2             74:07     UCSB     Polini, Cristina (1) (Mead, Indiana)

 

 Shots: UC Santa Barbara 5, New Mexico 16

 Saves: UC Santa Barbara 4 (Ritter, Beth 3; TEAM 1), New Mexico 0

 

Lineups

New Mexico Starters: Ulrich (GK), O’Connor, Viola, Leyba, Nare, Holguin, Webster, Ellison, Espinoza, Coonrod, Olguin.

First Half Subs: Guice (20:08), Martinez (23:51) and Wheeler (31:58)

Second Half Subs: O’Connor (54:28), Bruciaga (54:28) and Martinez (79:34)

UC Santa Barbara Starters: Ritter (GK), L. Gankema, Cortez, McGrath, Mead, Fuertes, Ariniello, COrnejo, P. Gankema, Dromensk, Gehring

First Half Subs: Beckley (25:55), Griggs (31:02), Francis (37:32) and Polini (40:55)

Second Half Subs: P. Gankema (54:28), Griggs (55:58), Beckley (60:59), Polini (60:59), Mead (63:55), McGrath (69:07), Dromensk (77:35), Ariniello (78:45), L. Gankema (79:34), Beckley (87:37), Griggs (87:37)

 

Quotable

“Our team has incredible integrity, heart and determination, but we gave them two opportunities and they scored two goals.”

 

“We created numerous opportunities and the ball just isn’t going in the back of the net.” – UNM Head Coach Kit Vela.

 

Notes

*New Mexico has lost three at home this season, after going 24-3-4 over the previous four seasons.

*This was the first loss this year by more than one goal.

*New Mexico has now hit the crossbar or post four times in the last two games.

 

Next Up

New Mexico will host UC Davis on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.  UC Davis suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 19 Texas Tech in the first game of the Jack in the Box Classic.  Texas Tech and UC Santa Barbara will play on Robertson Field on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.