Sept. 23, 2005
The top-ranked University of New Mexico men’s soccer team improved to 7-0-0 on the season with a 2-0, win over SMU tonight in the opening game of the Hurricane Classic in Tulsa, Okla. The Lobos were led by freshman forward Chris Wright’s first two collegiate goals and the New Mexico defense’s fifth shutout of the season.
The two teams fought back-and-forth for most of the first period. UNM took control of the match in the 41st minute when freshman Brandon Barklage fired a shot at SMU keeper Steve Sandbo. Sandbo stopped the shot but couldn’t control the rebound. Wright slipped the ball past the Mustang keeper, giving him his first collegiate score and the 1-0 lead.
SMU outshot the Lobos in the opening frame, 8-6, but UNM held the advantage on the scoreboard. New Mexico tacked on its second goal in the 53rd minute when Wright hit a one-timer from the middle and found the back of the net for the second time in the game. New Mexico’s 2-0 lead was all sophomore keeper Mike Graczyk and the rest of the Lobo backline needed to preserve the win.
UNM has not had much success against the Mustangs in its history, managing only two wins in seven tries. The Lobos had dropped their previous three matches with Ponies and their last win over SMU came in 1997. The last two times UNM faced the Mustangs, SMU had a top-10 ranking.
The Lobos boast nine seniors leading the team on the field, but tonight’s game featured three underclassmen leading the team on the scoreboard. Wright became the first Lobo freshman to score two goals in a game since Ben Ashwill scored a pair against Cal-Poly in 2002. Barklage notched his second assist of the season and Graczyk tied a season-high with five saves on the way to his fifth shutout in seven starts.
SMU began the season ranked No. 10 in the CollegeSoccerNews.com Top-30, but fell to 2-4-1 on the season. The Lobos continue the Hurricane Classic on Sunday, Sept. 25, against Tulsa (2-1-3). Kick-off for the New Mexico-Tulsa match is set for 12:30 p.m. (M.D.T.) and all of the action can be followed on GameTracker on www.GoLobos.com.