Oct. 18, 2009
Final Stats
Box Score 
Photo Gallery
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–A confident, never-say-die attitude propelled the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team to a convincing 2-1 overtime victory over visiting Cal State Bakersfield this afternoon. The Lobos stayed mentally and physically tough until the last minute, literally, as senior Stephen Brown netted the equalizing goal at 89:22 to send the game into the overtime period. Brown’s strike ignited his team and the crowd at the UNM Soccer Complex, knotting the game at 1-1 at the end of regulation. Senior Justin Davis scored the game-winner eight-and-a-half minutes into overtime, beating Bakersfield keeper Eric Shannon one-on-one to net the ball in the right corner.
“It was a big character win,” said Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “That was a good team. When you don’t put away your early chances and you let them get on the scoreboard first, you know it’s gonna be a battle. We created chances, stayed the course, and I’m proud of our guys. That was a very good team we saw out there today.”
The Roadrunners took the 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute on a penalty kick by Alberto Navarro, awarded when the Lobos were called for a foul inside the box. Navarro’s goal stood up until Brown struck with less than thirty seconds left in the game. A header by Josh Caffey was blocked, the ball fell at Davis’s feet, and Brown picked up the pass in the box, one-timing it past Shannon for the rousing equalizer. Davis took the long ball from Euan Holden and faced off against Shannon in the box to set the final score at 2-1 in overtime.
“I think Stephen [Brown] saved the day,” said Davis. “That was a class finish. We definitely needed that one to lift our spirits and I think we built momentum off of it going into overtime.”
New Mexico bombarded Shannon and the Roadrunner defense with a whopping 26 shots and ten shots on goal. CSUB had four shots on goal and 14 shots overall. Shannon did a commendable job in goal as did his strong backline, who came in to add two team saves to Shannon’s six. The Lobos took 13 corner kicks, while the Roadrunners took five.
The match was undeniably physically taxing, as tempers flared and two yellow cards were handed out on each side. Each team came into today’s matchup 1-0 in conference, and it was evident that a lot was held at stake on both sides.
New Mexico improves to 8-4-0 overall and 2-0-0 in MPSF play, while Bakersfield drops to 6-4-2 and 1-1-0 in conference. The Lobos enter a four-game road stretch next week, in which they will travel west to take on Air Force and Denver. The Lobos’ final home game will be played against UNLV at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. Please visit GoLobos.com for additional information.