ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A completely dominant offensive effort was put on display for over 1,300 fans in attendance at the UNM Soccer Complex on Friday night as The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team left little doubt in their Mountain West Conference opener, taking down Colorado State 3-0.
“Any time you get a conference win it’s a good thing regardless of how it looks,” noted head women’s soccer coach Heather Dyche. “But the total performance tonight, I was really pleased to be honest. It was a pretty dominating performance by our team.”
That dominating effort by the Lobos (5-3-0, 1-0-0 MW) was evident from the first whistle of the game as UNM remained on the attack throughout most of the first half. So much so, the Lobos out-shot Colorado State 8-3 and held an advantage over the Rams (3-4-2, 0-1-0) in corner kicks as well 3-1.
In just the first 10 minutes of play alone, the Lobos got off three shots with one of those hammering the crossbar. Not long after that great chance, Cami Floth found the back of the net in the ninth minute to give UNM a 1-0 lead. Floth’s goal was her second of the season and came not long after a corner kick attempt by Jessica Nelson. On Nelson’s corner, the ball stayed in the box with several Lobos and Rams vying for the ball before Floth put it away.
The remainder of the half would not see a score, but the UNM dominance remained evident.
Just over 10 minutes into the second half, the Lobos added to their lead as freshman sensation Alesia Garcia headed in her fifth goal of the season at the 56:21 mark of the game. Garcia’s goal was made possible by an assist by senior Jennifer Munoz.
Less than five minutes after that second goal, Munoz was in the right place at the right time for her first goal of the season. On her goal, Munoz received the ball from a Colorado State defender trying to clear the ball, but it went right to Munoz, who then had a clear look at the goal and sent it into the top left corner.
With the 3-0 lead, UNM was able to manage minutes of players and every player on the bench was able to get into the game. Among those seeing time on the pitch was Albuquerque native Sarah Ward as she logged the first minutes of her collegiate career.
The Lobos will now have a quick turnaround as they are set to host Wyoming for another Mountain West clash on Sunday. First-kick is set for 12:30 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.
Lobos open MW play with 3-0 win over Colorado St.
