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Jones, Spangenberg pace Lobos to 2-0 Win Over FAU

BOX SCORE (PDF) | SEASON STATS (PDF)

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Several firsts occurred for The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team on Friday night as the Lobos registered their first shutout of the 2018 season as a result of their 2-0 road victory over Florida Atlantic. The other firsts were related to the scoring for UNM as Billy Jones and Simon Spangenberg were responsible for the two tallies for the Lobos and each goal was the first of the season for both Jones and Spangenberg.
 
“Of course I’m really happy to get our first shutout. It was important to get a conference win on the road and both guys that scored – it was their first goal of the season. It’s the mark of a good performance when other guys can find the net,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “We adjusted the lineup a bit and I’m happy with the result. It could have been better, but I think it’s a good thing when you feel like there’s still room for improvement after a win like that.”
 
After three-consecutive 2-1 losses, the Lobos (3-5-0, 1-1-0 C-USA) made sure early on that they would not be playing from behind. 
 
Within the first five minutes of play, the Lobos applied pressure and generated some good looks. In the 10th minute, Nick Taylor sent a cross into the box where Simon Spangenberg, a recent candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, was there to finish the chance, firing it to the back of the net. Just about a minute later, it was nearly 2-0 UNM as Matt Puig ripped a shot that drew the post.
 
Despite that unfortunate result on Puig’s shot, the Lobos remained in attack mode. In the 24th minute, Taylor picked up his second assist of the game (and season) as he sent a free kick into the box. On the other end was Jones, who put it away for his first goal of the season. A year ago, Jones was a Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection.
 
The Lobos would carry that 2-0 lead in the break and maintained it through the final whistle.
 
Freshman Alex Fetterly, who was making his second-straight start in goal, faced four shots on goal and saved them all as the freshman registered his first collegiate shutout.
 
“Our challenge now will be to continue to get better. We’ll face a great test against Saint Mary’s that’s currently 9-0, one of the few undefeated teams in the country, so we’ll be taking the next few days to get ready for that test,” noted Fishbein.
 
The Lobos will now return home for their next three games. The first of those is a mid-week tilt against the aforementioned Saint Mary’s (Calif.) on Wednesday, September 26. First-kick is slated for 7 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.