New Mexico 2, San Jose State 1 (OT) (Match Report)

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Lindsey Guice of the Lobo Women’s Soccer team scored her first career goal at the 5:29 mark in overtime to gives the Lobos a 2-1 win against the San Jose State Spartans in the Mountain West opener for both teams.

 

Throughout the game, the Spartans took seven shots on goal while the Lobos took a 18 shots on goal. Both goalkeepers, Zoe Makrigiannis from San Jose State and Cassie Ulrich from UNM had 4 saves.  

 

The winning goal by Guice was poked in off a defender with the assist from Ruth Bruciaga. Dylann O’Connor sent a spinning ball into the box that was momentarily knocked away by the Spartan defense.  Bruciaga however toed the ball loose to Guice at the right side of the net.  Guice calmly knocked it in off a sliding defender for the winning goals.  The goal ended a second half and overtime that was dominated by UNM. The Lobos outshot San Jose State 12-3 in that time.  

 

However, it was San Jose State that got on the board first.  Megan Molina sent a pass from the left flank across, and it was perfectly dummies by Kareli Rodriguez.  Sarah Fraser ran onto it and hit a shot from 15-yards out that clanged off the near post and ricocheted in for a 1-0 lead.

 

UNm had opportunities in the opening half, but couldn’t find the net.  Dylann O’Connor had a shot from close range that just sailed over the bar, and in the final minute her shot from deep was parried over by Makrigiannis, and then Brianna Webster’s header on the ensuing corner just went wide right.

 

UNM finally tied the game on a superb effort by Annie Wheeler.  Bruciaga sent a ball into the box over the head of Katie Hinman.  San Jose State’s header to clear put the ball in Wheeler’s path, and she drilled it home for her first career goal.

 

The Lobos, who earned three points in getting the win, improved to 3-7-1 overall, while San Jose State dropped to 1-8.  The Lobos complete a four-match homestand on Sunday, September 29 at 1 p.m. against Fresno State.

 

 Goals by period               1              2              OT          Tot

 San Jose State                  1              0              0              1

 New Mexico                     0              1              1              2

 

 SCORING SUMMARY:

 1             11:31     SJ            FRASER, Sarah (1) (MOLINA, Megan)

 2             58:56     NM        WHEELER, Annie (1) (unassisted)

 3             94:31     NM        GUICE, Lindsey (1) (BRUCIAGA, Ruth)

                                                                                                                                                                          

 Shots: San Jose State 7, New Mexico 18

 Saves: San Jose State 4 (MAKRIGIANNIS, Zoe 4), New Mexico 4 (ULRICH, Cassie 4)

 

Lineups

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

First Half Subs: Wheeler (26:19), Ferrier (27:53), Martinez (70:46), Coonrod (81:15)

Second Half Subs: Hinman (50:36), Olguin (59:24)

San Jose State Starters: Makrigiannis (GK), Fraser, Kute, Rodriguez, McBeath, Molina, Jimenez, Estrada, Grisius, Rebagliati, Spangler

First Half Subs: Boitz (30:04), Matthews (30:04)

Second Half Subs: Donaldson (65:03)

 

Quotable

“We knew San Jose State was a good team, a big team, and we played well, but it was frustrating.  One shot on goal and we were going ‘really?’  But we stayed with it, and we scored two good goals. It was a great way for us to start conference play.”  – UNM Head Coach Kit Vela.

 

Notes

*The goal was the first non-set piece goal for New Mexico since Dylann O’Connor scored at the 9:21 mark of the North Carolina game, a span of 879:32.  The Lobos did score on two corner kicks and two free kicks in that timeframe.

*New Mexico is 2-0-1 in overtime this season.                                                                           

*The goals by Wheeler and Guice were both first career tallies.

                                                                                         

Next Up

New Mexico will host Fresno State at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the UNM Soccer Complex.