ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Freshman Claire Lynch scored in the 38th minute and the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team shut out the visiting Boise State Broncos 1-0 Friday night in front of 732 fans at the UNM Soccer Complex.
“I thought we stuck to our game plan pretty well,” head coach Kit Vela said. “We put away the one goal, and it would’ve been nice to get a second for security, and we had our opportunities, but I thought we had good control of the game for the most part. … Overall we had a good attitude, we played hard and had a good tempo.”
UNM (6-4-2, 4-1-2) dominated possession in the opening minutes, controlling the ball in the midfield and not letting Boise State (5-8-3, 2-5-0) get any momentum.
In the 23rd minute the Lobos won the first corner of the match. Dylann O’Conner’s cross found Madie Irwin in the box, who headed it to Alexis Leyba, but the senior’s touch put the ball just wide of the post.
Lynch then put the Lobos on top in the 38th minute. She took a cross in the box from Quincy Slora, used her body to shield the ball from the defender, and fired a low shot into the far corner from about 16 yards out.
“Claire has been playing very well,” Vela said. “I think she’s beginning to come into her own at the Division I level. In the beginning she was getting pushed around a little. She’s a great player but she was getting pushed around. Now she’s dangerous every time she’s on the field. She always finds the ball floating around the net, and that’s what you need in a goal scorer.”
It was the freshman’s second goal of the season and she finished tied with Alyssa Coonrod for the game high with four shots. She had another glorious chance early in the second half. She intercepted the ball and dribbled past a defender into the box. Her shot from close range, though, didn’t have enough power behind it and it was saved.
New Mexico’s midfield and forwards dominated the match and helped ease any pressure on Cassie Ulrich and the Lobos’ backline. Their swarming defense forced numerous turnovers as the Lobos constantly filled the passing lanes and shut down the Broncos’ attacks before they turned threatening. In fact, UNM held the Broncos without a single shot over the final 36:50.
“I thought between Alexis (Leyba) and Maddie Irwin and Alyssa (Coonrod), they really controlled the tempo and the flow of the game,” said Vela. “I thought all our wide players did a good job holding onto the ball.”
It was Ulrich’s third straight shutout, and she has now gone 416:10 without allowing a goal.
Scoring Summary
New Mexico: (37:35) Claire Lynch (Quincy Slora)
Lineups
New Mexico: Ulrich (GK), O’Connor, Guice, Leyba, Chavez, Webster, Irwin, Ferrier, Cabrales, Coonrod, Olguin
Boise State: Flores (GK), Heidemann, Bowden, Taylor, Clayton, Drobney, Schueren, Jameson, Tucker, Vogel, Devries
Notes
– The shutout also was Ulrich’s 12th career shutout.
– UNM outshot the Broncos 17-7 in the game.
– Lynch becomes UNM’s sixth multi-goal scorer this season.
Next up
The Lobos host Utah State Sunday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex. The game will be streamed live via the Mountain West Network at GoLobos.com