Gleadle Ties it in Final Minutes, Lobos Draw 2-2 in 2OT
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team played to a 2-2 draw on Friday night in double overtime with conference foe South Carolina on the road. Senior Sam Gleadle scored with 1:17 left in regulation, collecting a ball off of a deflection and firing from just outside 18 yards to force the pair of overtime periods.
Both teams are now 4-3-1 on the season. New Mexico is 0-1-1 in Conference USA play while the Gamecocks are 0-2-1.
The Lobos dominated the offensive statistics throughout the match, nearly doubling South Carolina’s shot attempts 23-14, 10-6 in shots on goal. In addition, the Lobos collected seven corners to just one for the Gamecocks. UNM tied the match twice to hang in and force extra minutes.
“I have mixed feelings about this one,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “I thought it was a game we should have handled. That being said, we allowed two goals, but we showed a lot of mental fortitude to rebound and equalize in both situations.
“We need to look at this game and take the positives from it. We scored two goals, but we need to get some shutouts and we can’t give openings. I think that will happen. We are a team that keeps getting better, a team that expects to win, and that’s a great mindset moving forward.”
Both teams remained scoreless in the first half and were relatively even statistically. The Lobos went into the break up 7-6 in shots, but both squads finished the first period with three shots on goal.
South Carolina opened up the scoring just under five minutes into the second half when the Gamecocks’ leading scorer, freshman Justin Sukow, notched his fourth goal of the season to take a 1-0 lead for the home team at the 49:50 mark.
The Lobo offense sparked after the South Carolina goal and, in the 55th minute, junior Simon Spangenberg nearly tied it up, barely missing the right post.
Just one minute later, junior Antoine Vial fired one into the box that was deflected and sent just over the crossbar. He sent another wide just a minute later as UNM furiously attempted to find the equalizer.
The tying goal finally came when Spangeberg took a long pass from junior Aaron Herrera into the left side of the box at the 60:11 mark. Spangenberg executed a spin move around a Gamecock defender and fired into the bottom right corner of the net to make it 1-1 with just under 30 minutes to play for his first goal of the season.
South Carolina reclaimed the lead 10 minutes later when Mitchell Myers sent a shot from outside the top of the box high into the net, out of keeper Jason Beaulieu’s reach, 2-1 South Carolina.
The game looked headed for a 2-1 Lobo defeat before Gleadle tied it at the 88:43 mark to send the teams into overtime.
In the first overtime, the Lobos led 3-0 in shots and 4-0 in corner kicks but failed to convert. South Carolina posted a pair of shots in the second overtime period but also failed to score en route to the 2-2 final.
Four Lobos led with a pair of shots on goal apiece including redshirt-sophomore Devin Boyce, Spangenberg, Vial and sophomore Ingi Jónsson. Defensively, Beaulieu spent all 110 minutes between the posts, collecting four saves. Beaulieu is now 4-3-1 on the season.
South Carolina keeper William Pyle also registered all 110 minutes in goal while accumulating seven saves on the night.
The Lobos continue their three-game road stint at Marshall on Saturday, September 30 at 5 p.m. MT.
Coach Fishbein’s Post Game Interview: