Sept. 19, 2003
| Box Score |
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team scored a big victory Friday night over UC Irvine, 3-2, at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos got goals from sophomores Jeff Rowland and Ben Ashwill and junior goalkeeper Andrew Weber. New Mexico improved its record to 3-3-1 in front of 3,113 fans, the second largest crowd in UNM Soccer Complex history.
The Lobos had been having trouble scoring goals so far this season, but got on the board early when sophomore Matt Wootton sent a cross from the left side in the box that Rowland chested to Ashwill. Ashwill trapped the pass and went top-right past Anteater goalkeeper Cameron Rossi for a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. Ashwill was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation leader in goals scored in 2002 with 12, but had yet score until tonight. “It feels pretty good,” said Ashwill about his first goal in 2003. “I’ve had some chances but I finally put one away. It was a nice pass by Rowland and I found the net. I got the monkey off my back and can hopefully continue scoring.”
In the 23rd minute the Lobos were awarded a free kick just outside of the box that junior defender Danny Bills was set to take. Bills deferred the kick to Weber who hit a bomb down the middle. The shot took one bounce and Rowland headed in the goal for his second on the season. It was the second career assist for Weber.
The Lobos scored again in the 27th minute when Weber punted another rocket into the box. The ball deflected off a UCI player and found the net. It was his first career and the first goal by a keeper in UNM history.
The Lobos went into halftime with the lead for the first time this season. UNM seemed set for a blowout, but UC Irvine struck back in the 52nd minute when David Yemane found Brad Evans for the score. The shot hit Weber in the hands, but he was unable to control the ball as it bounced into the net.
Evans and Yemane hooked up again in the 61st minute, tightening the score to 3-2. After that, the Lobo defense settled in and did not allow a shot-on-goal for the rest of the game. “We got three goals right away, but we’ve got to stay strong,” stated Weber. “You can’t be letting down. The first 10 minutes of the second half, with a lead like that, is crucial to keep the pressure on. We’ve got to keep the pace up and score a goal to break their back.”
“We came out and played like we wanted to at the beginning,” stated UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We pressured hard and scored some goals. They’re a quality team and their due to create some opportunities for themselves. We took the attitude that we wanted to win 5-0 instead of 3-0 and allowed them to get renewed confidence and we got shell-shocked.”
The crowd of 3,113 fans at the UNM Soccer Complex is second only to the 4,352 fans who saw UNM defeat Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2-0, on September 27, 1997. The largest crowd in UNM men’s soccer history is 7,449 at University Stadium against No. 4 UCLA on September 23, 1989.
“The fans are great here,” stated Ashwill after the game. “It’s like no other environment. Without them I don’t think we can pull that one out. We owe a lot to the community. I just appreciate them coming out and supporting us. Without them I don’t think we would have the success we have.”
The Lobos extended their home unbeaten streak to 13 games. The last time UNM lost at home was a 4-1 defeat to UNLV on November 5, 2001. UNM will go for 14 straight when they face Southwest Missouri State on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. (M.D.T.) in the final game of the Crescent Financial Solutions Invitational. SMS (3-2-0) defeated Western Illinois (3-2-0), 3-2, in the first game on Friday. Western Illinois faces UC Irvine (2-4-0) at 10:00 a.m. (M.D.T.) on Sunday.