Sept. 10, 2006
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team scored a 1-0 win over Cal State Northridge in the final game of the 2006 Crescent Financial Solutions Invitational at the UNM Soccer Complex today. Junior David Gualdarama drove home the winning score in the 68th minute, evening the 15th-ranked Lobos’ record at 2-2-1 on the season.
The Lobos have struggled on offensive for most of the first four games in 2006, but came out of the locker room looking to attack the Matador defense. UNM controlled play in the opening minutes, firing four shots at CSUN keeper Kevin Guppy. Freshman P.J. Wilson almost got the Lobos on the board in the 14th minute when he sent a rocket from the top of the box. Guppy made a goof play and was able to control the ball, keeping the game scoreless.
Cal State Northridge (1-2-1) settled in following the opening minutes and had the better of play for the rest of the half. They managed three shots, all of which were on-goal, forcing Lobo keeper Mike Graczyk to make three saves to keep the game 0-0 at halftime.
Northridge again controlled play coming out of halftime, but New Mexico had the first dangerous opportunity in the second frame. Freshman Justin Davis fed a long pass from the left side in the 64th minute to sophomore Chris Wright. Wright beat his defender to the ball in the box but his shot was wide of the net.
The Lobos mounted another attack three minutes later when sophomore Jack Smithson took a feed down the right side. He could have moved forward but he decided to play the ball back to freshman defender Zach Tierney. Tierney sent a perfect one-timer to Gualdarama who smashed home the goal from the top of the box. It was Gualdarama’s second strike of the season and the first career assist for both Smithson and Tierney.
Northridge turned up its offensive intensity following the Lobos’ goal. The Matadors almost tied the match when Sunghyun Kim took a loose ball right at Graczyk in the 77th minute. Graczyk made a great stop but did not collect the shot. Brian Siu had an open net from 10 yards out but sailed the potential equalizer over the crossbar. Ryan Rossi made another run at Graczyk in the 84th minute, weaving his way through the Lobo defense into the box. Graczyk again came up with a game-saving stop preserving the Lobos’ 1-0 lead.
“We got the breaks today,” stated UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “Northridge played well and we were lucky to come out with a win. We played well in spurts, but we need to put it together for an entire 90 minutes.”
CSUN outshot the Lobos 11-10 and had four corners to New Mexico’s two. The Lobos were definitely more physical, committing 15 fouls to the Matador’s nine. New Mexico has knocked off Cal State Northridge for three consecutive years, including a 1-0 (OT) win in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
UNM will stay at home next weekend for the TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational at the UNM Soccer Complex. Action begins on Friday, Sept. 15 when Dayton takes on Tulsa at 5:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). UNM hosts No. 2 SMU in the second match of the evening. For tickets call (505) 925-LOBO.