Lobos Top Air Force 3-1 in Exhibition Opener
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A trio of late goals propelled the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Air Force Falcons in UNM’s exhibition opener on Saturday. All three goals were scored by different Lobos including newcomers Nick Taylor and Antoine Vial, as well as veteran Sam Gleadle.
“This was our first exhibition game and there were a lot of positives and a couple of areas we still need to work on,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “But all in all, I’m happy with where we are right now at this point in the beginning of preseason.”
The squads kicked off their first fall match with energy as Air Force occupied their offensive end of the field for about half of the first period. UNM found its intensity however and midway through the first half, it was the Lobos who dominated their scoring zone.
Despite the fact that both teams were eager to strike, the score at the half remained deadlocked, 0-0.
The second half proved lively as Air Force ultimately became the first team to land a shot on target. Junior Austin Dewing scored at the 61:11 mark to put UNM down 1-0 before freshman Nick Taylor answered just 15 seconds later for the Lobos to tie it back up 1-1.
With the increased momentum, the Lobos followed it up with an insurance goal nine minutes later when junior transfer Antoine Vial found the back of the net to make it 2-1 UNM.
It looked to be a one-goal victory margin for the Lobos into the waning minutes until senior Sam Gleadle struck at 88:59 to clinch the 3-1 victory for New Mexico.
The Lobos will next play host to Colorado School of Mines in their second exhibition game of the season on Thursday, August 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex. UNM’s regular-season opener will be on the road at Washington on August 25 and the Lobo home opener will be against UNLV at 7 p.m. on Sept. 1.
*Note – For UNM exhibition games, full statistics will not be published. Fans looking to follow the action can do so in person, or can follow the UNMLoboMSoccer account on Twitter for live updates.
Scoring Summary:
1. 61:11 AF DEWING, Austin (G)
2. 61.26 NM TAYLOR, Nick (G); HERRERA, Aaron (A)
3. 70:24 NM VIAL, Antoine (G); BUSHEY, Noah (A)
4. 88:59 NM GLEADLE, Sam (G); BUSHEY, Noah (A)