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The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team defeated Northern Illinois, 2-1, today in the season opener for both teams. The Lobos (1-0) used goals from freshman Lance Watson and senior Junro Narita to down the Huskies (0-1) in Las Vegas, Nev.
Watson, one of the Lobos’ talented freshmen, fired a 35-yard shot past Huskie goalie Rasih Pala in the 30th minute of play for the first score of his collegiate career. Despite the early lead, UNM had many other chances to put the game away early but could not capitalize on their other six shots-on-goal in the first half.
In the second half, the Huskies were able to put some pressure on the Lobos when Brendan Parrish scored on a give-and-go from Bernhard Hagevik just 20-seconds into the final period.
That was all that Lobo goalie Andrew Weber would allow past him for the rest of the game, making three saves on just four shots to collect the win. Two of UNM’s more experienced players showed the younger Lobos how to seal a victory when junior Micah Newman fed senior Junro Narita for the game-winning goal in the 74th minute.
“(Northern Illinois) was a hard team to play,” stated Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “They’re very direct and tough to defend.” Fishbein, who earned his first victory at the Division I level and his 96th overall collegiate win, pointed out that the Lobos still have a lot of things to work on. “Once again we had a lot of chances early on but we didn’t finish. They scored a goal early in the second half and were able to make a game of it because we didn’t convert in the first half. Good teams take advantage of their opportunities, which is what we’re going to have to do against Marshall on Sunday.”
The Lobos will face Marshall on Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev. at 12:00 p.m. (M.D.T.).
|Score by Period|1st|2nd|OT|Total| |New Mexico|1|1||2| |Northern Illinois|0|1||1|
Scoring Summary:UNM — Lance Watson (Unassisted), 29:17 Gone, 1st Half.NIU — Brendon Parrish (Bernhard Hagevik asst), 45:13 Gone, 2nd H.UNM — Junro Natira (Micah Newman assist), 73:10 Gone, 2nd Half.
Statistical Summary|Statistic|UNM|NIU| |Overall Shots|15|4| |Shots on Goal|8|4| |Corner Kicks|8|1| |Offsides|5|6| |Fouls|16|10|
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