ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It was a tough way to see a hard-fought game come to close for the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team as it fell to San Diego State with four seconds left in the second overtime 4-3 Friday night at UNM Soccer Complex.
The loss gives UNM (12-7 overall, 7-4) the fourth seed in the Mountain West Tournament next week in Las Vegas and it will open against No. 5 seed Fresno State 8 p.m. (MT) Tuesday (winner will play No. 1 San Jose State 8 p.m. Thursday). San Diego State (10-7-2, 7-2-2) picked up the No. 2 seed with the win and will wait for the winner of No. 3 Boise State and No. 6 Air Force (which picked up its first ever bid into the MW Tournament) and play 4 p.m. Thursday.
In a wild, back-and-forth contest on a Friday night the Lobos honored 10 seniors – it came down to a whistle at the end of the game. With less than 15 seconds remaining in the second overtime and the game tied 3-3, a UNM player was called for a foul after taking the ball from an SDSU player just outside the left side of the penalty area – a call the Lobos didn’t agree with.
On the free kick, San Diego State’s Mia Root scored off a deflection to end the game 4-3.
The Lobos dug themselves an early hole in the contest as the Aztecs scored just 56 seconds into the game before the Lobos answered in the 27th minute. The ball found UNM senior Casey Murphy near the top of the penalty area and the senior tapped it to fellow senior Eileen Zendejas who put it home to tie the game, 1-1. It was Zendejas’ second goal of the season.
REPLAY | Zendejas scores her second goal of the season for the Lobos. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/gMNCwk57Ma
— Lobo Women’s Soccer (@UNMLoboWSoccer) October 28, 2017
Four minute later the Aztecs answered as a deflection off a corner found Stacie Moran who passed it to Angela Mitchell who scored to make it 2-1 SDSU.
The score remained that way into the second half before Claire Lynch off a defender’s deflection in the box one-timed it into the goal to tie the game 2-2. It was Lynch’s 10th goal of the season, tying her for sixth on the UNM all-time list as she becomes the eighth player in program history to reach double figures in goals in a season.
REPLAY | Claire Lynch nets her 10th goal of the season and the 27th of her career to tie the game with SDSU at 2-2. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/tlhm5x6XN0
— Lobo Women’s Soccer (@UNMLoboWSoccer) October 28, 2017
UNM took its first lead of the contest in the 65th minute when a flip throw-in by Jessica Nelson went off a defender and to the feet of Chavez in front of the goal box. The senior put it in to give UNM a 3-2 lead. It was Chavez’s second goal of the season.
REPLAY | Chavez scores her second goal of the year as seniors Zendejas, Lynch & Chavez have tallied UNM’s three goals thus far. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/CE7zb879HG
— Lobo Women’s Soccer (@UNMLoboWSoccer) October 28, 2017
It looked like the Lobos were going to hang on and claim the No. 2 spot as the game reached the 88th minute with UNM holding onto the one-goal edge. However, an SDSU cross near the front of the goal hit a Lobo and bounced in to tie the game and send it to overtime – where UNM outshot SDSU 5-2, but came out on the short end.
“The good thing for our team is we aren’t done yet,” UNM coach Heather Dyche said. “We’ll take this and get better. … I don’t think there is anyone in the conference that we feel like we can’t beat. Now we just got to figure out a way to go do that.”
UNM outshot SDSU 21-17, including 7-6 on shots on goal. Quincy Slora led UNM with five shots while Lynch had four and Jessie Hix and Jennifer Munoz each took three. UNM was called for 15 fouls compared to nine for SDSU.
Again, the Lobos continue their season 8 p.m. Tuesday when they open the Mountain West Tournament against Fresno State 8 p.m. Friday in Las Vegas.