Aug. 22, 2005
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team kicked off the 2005 exhibition season with a 1-1 draw at No. 16 Notre Dame Monday night. Senior Matt Wootton put New Mexico on top in the opening half, but the Irish got the equalizer in the second frame. Neither team could find the back of the net in two overtime periods, leaving the game tied at one goal each.
UNM came out firing, controlling the first half with nine shots while only allowing three by Notre Dame. With just over 10 minutes left in the first period Lobo freshman German Gomez took a long throw-in from the left side. The ball bounced around the box and out to senior Matt Wootton. Wootton aimed from 20 yards and fired a rocket to the upper left corner of the net, beating Irish keeper Chris Cahill for the 1-0 lead.
“The ball was dumped into the box and flicked out,” stated Wootton. “I hit it clean and I knew when I hit it, it was going in. It just feels good to finally score a goal and contribute in a different way for the team.”
The second period was the exact opposite of the first with Notre Dame controlling most of the action. The Lobos were outshot 9-2 in the second half with the equalizing goal coming in the 57th minute. Much like the Lobos’ goal, the play started with a corner kick that wasn’t cleared. Nate Norman sent the corner back into the box where Ryan Miller headed a shot past Lobo goalie Mike Graczyk. The ball hit the cross bar but fell into the right side of the net, evening the score at 1-1.
Both teams fought hard for the rest of the match, but scoring opportunities were not capitalized on when available. New Mexico’s best opportunity came with five minutes left in the game. Senior Lance Watson sent a ball down the right side that was sent into the box by senior Ben Ashwill. Senior Jeff Rowland got a shot off the cross but his attempt was wide.
Shots were even between the two teams at 15 each, but UNM had the advantage in shots-on-goal 7-5. Notre Dame had a 4-2 edge in corner kicks while New Mexico committed 21 fouls to the Irish’s 15.
“It is always disappointing to tie,” stated Rowland, “but we felt like it was a good game. There were some things we did well, but there are a lot of things we need to work on before the season starts.”
New Mexico has one more exhibition before the regular season begins. The Lobos welcome Division II foe Fort Lewis to Albuquerque on Monday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m.
“It was an exciting match in a great atmosphere,” stated Fishbein. “Notre Dame is a great team, but we are not happy with result and that is a good thing. It showed that there are things we need to work on in order to achieve the results we want this season.”