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October 20, 2016
NEW MEXICO LOBO SOCCER: CHALLENGING STRETCH, OVERTIME NOT GOING OUR WAY
Lobo Faithful:
The plan was to skip Mondays Lobo Faithful and bring good news today. Tough match last Saturday on the road vs Florida Atlantic University. The trip into Ft. Lauderdale went smoothly and the boys were ready. FAU is a challenging team; inconsistent in terms of results, with several very talented attacking players. We got ahold of the game early and the vast majority of play took place in the FAU half. We were real happy with the opportunities we created, but failed to find the net in the opening half. We continued to find openings as the second half progressed and it seemed like only a matter of time before we would be rewarded. In the 72nd minute FAU was awarded a direct kick 40 yards from our goal. We lost a mark, diving header and we found ourselves down 0-1 with 18 minutes on the clock. We battled and really upped the tempo. With just under 3 minutes remaining in the match, Luke Lawrence found the equalizer to put us into overtime. Great chance early in overtime, but no finish. 2 minutes into the first overtime, FAU found the ball on their left flank in transition. Shot from outside the box, our GK was screened and the bouncing ball found the far post. Really tough 1-2 loss in a match we statistically dominated: 21-8 shots, 16-2 corners….the game was played in the FAU half. FAU Re-Cap
Early Sunday return flight to Albuquerque and back on the road Tuesday late morning to play #9 ranked Denver University Wednesday night. I was really proud of the players reaction to the FAU loss and their focussed preparation for a tough match vs a familiar foe. Denver was undefeated on the season and playing with a lot of confidence. Crisp evening and a very fast playing surface. The first half was fairly even with both sides playing it safe and giving up few openings. 0-0 after the opening 45, but we liked how we were playing. 6 minutes into the second half and Denver drew first blood. Cross from deep on the right flank slipped across the box and great far post finish from 18 yards. We had to up the tempo and chase the game. We got ahold of things and played some inspired soccer the next 38 minutes. With 65 seconds on the clock we found the equalizer. Nick Rochowski with the finish inside the box. Overtime! The first 10 minute overtime was fairly uneventful. We opened the second 10 minute overtime strong and Luke Lawrence had a great look, but was denied by a tremendous save by the DU keeper. With 15 seconds remaining in the match, Denver won a corner. As the clock ticked down, a service into the box and our defender went up to challenge. Deflection and a harmless looking ball floated towards our GK….looked like a disappointing tie. Not sure what happened, why….the ball slipped through Jason’s hands and across the goal line. 8 seconds on the clock and a gut wrenching overtime defeat. Not sure what to say, how to explain….a very good performance vs another “Top 10” opponent on the road. We had more possession, more shots, but didn’t find our moment! Hard to look the boys in the eyes after this one. A special group looking for answers. Denver Re-Cap
Four Conference matches remain, 3 of the 4 at home. Marshall University this Saturday at 1:00. We will re-group, focus and play our hearts out for the Lobo Faithful. Looking for moral victories during this tough stretch and feeling the pain. Thanks for all your support and see you this Saturday! GO LOBOS!
FISH