Sept. 2, 2005
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team got of to a great start to the 2005 season today with a 2-0 victory over No. 23 Penn State (0-1-0). The sixth-ranked Lobos (1-0-0) got a pair of goals from Hermann Trophy Candidate Jeff Rowland in the first game of the Ohio State Classic in Columbus, Ohio.
Rowland, a senior forward and preseason All-American, got things going in the 24th minute when he took a feed from fellow senior Matt Wootton. He fired a shot from the right side that beat Nittany Lion keeper Conrad Taylor for the 1-0 lead.
Rowland tacked on another goal in the 74th minute after taking a pass from senior Lance Watson. He trapped the ball, wheeled and fired from six yards out for the 2-0 lead. Last season, Rowland tied a school record with 19 goals and looks as if he has picked up where he left off from 2004.
“It was good for us to come out a get a win in our first game,” stated UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We had enough guys step up and perform well and Rowland just finds a way to score goals.”
The Lobos will face No. 18 Ohio State on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (M.D.T.) in the final game of the Ohio State Classic. You can follow all of the action on GameTracker on www.GoLobos.com. The Ohio State student radio station will also broadcast the game on the web at www.underground.fm.