Nov. 10, 2006
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team logged a 1-0 win over San Francisco in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament tonight. The Lobos scored with 18 seconds left on the clock when freshman Stephen Brown slid home a corner kick from junior Joey Vitagliano. New Mexico’s defense held strong against a solid attack by USF with junior keeper Mike Graczyk carding his 11th shutout of the season.
Neither team was able to gain much control in the first ten minutes with most of the play in the midfield. As time went one, San Francisco started creating more chances and nearly scored in the 13th minute. Don senior Aaron Chandler, who led all players with five shots in the match, was able to get in behind the Lobo defense, forcing Graczyk to come off his line. Chandler made a move past Graczyk, taking a shot from the right side, 15 yards out. The ball seemed certain to go in for the first score of the game, but senior defender Andrew Boyens hustled back to clear the attempt.
Chandler again made a dangerous run in the 30th minute, beating Boyens and freshman defender Simon Ejdemyr in the middle for a breakaway. Graczyk stepped up and made a great save but couldn’t control the ball. USF’s Conner Chin took the rebound and fired another shot that Graczyk deflected, keeping the Dons off the board.
The Lobos looked like they had taken the lead five minutes later on a shot by freshman Justin Davis. Davis ripped a bullet from just outside of the box in the middle that Don keeper Gereemy Uhl tried to grab. The ball bounced out of Uhl’s hands, hit the cross bar and dropped straight to the ground. Uhl scooped up the loose ball to end the threat.
After getting outshot 7-4 in the opening period, New Mexico took control in the second frame. UNM fired eight shots after halftime while USF managed to get off six. Freshman P.J. Wilson came off the bench to put up three shots for the Lobos in the second period. UNM also earned all three of its corners after the break.
With time winding down, just after the one-minute call, Wilson made a move down the left side. The ball was played out of bounds by a USF defender for a Lobo corner with under 50 seconds left on the clock. Vitagliano took his time, trying to assure that New Mexico’s corner from the left side would be the last play of the match. He hit a strong, low ball to the near post where Brown was making a move. Brown redirected the cross with the outside of his right foot past Uhl for the 1-0 lead. It was Brown’s fourth goal of the season and the second assist on the year for Vitagliano.
“I knew there was an opening near-post,” stated Brown. “Joey played a great ball that I got a touch on and it went in the net.”
“I thought it was a game of two halves for us tonight,” stated UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We were tight in the first half and that is to be expected when you start three sophomores and three freshmen. We came out in the second half and looked much better. We have two very opportunistic players who took advantage of an opportunity and we were able to get the goal.”
USF was unable to get off a shot in the final 18 seconds as UNM improved to 3-0 all time in first round games. New Mexico will now travel to 13th seeded Cal on Wednesday, Nov. 15, for a 2:30 p.m. (M.S.T.) kickoff against the Bears.
With the shutout, Graczyk now has 24 for his career and is just one shy of the school record set by Andrew Weber (2001-04). The Lobo defense also lowered its goals-against-average to 0.53. UNM has now won four straight matches and has not allowed a goal in the last 356 minutes, a streak of over three games.