Lobos shine in second half; beat Portland State 2-1
HILLSBORO, ORE. — After a scoreless first half, The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team hit another gear offensively and ultimately edged out Portland State in a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon in Hillsboro, Ore. The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Lobos, and serves as the team’s first road win.
The first 45 minutes of the match were rather uneventful for the Lobos (2-3-0) and the Vikings (0-5-0) as the two teams combined for 14 shots, but only four of those were on goal. However, the tempo of the match quickly changed in the second half as sophomore forward, Alesia Garcia found the back of the net within the first two minutes.
The goal came off a Lobo throw-in which caused a scramble in the box. It looked as though the Vikings were going to clear the ball until sophomore Jadyn Edwards gained possession, and found Alesia Garcia with the open look. Garcia took a moment to compose her shot, which brought the Vikings goalie from the net, then hammered the ball into the goal, giving the Lobos a 1-0 advantage.
Portland State then proceeded to apply pressure on the Lobos and scored off a similar play in the 54th minute. Malia Vanisi came forward off the net to stop a Vikings play, but Rilee Castilla managed to take a shot just out of Vanisi’s reach, which tied the game at one-a-piece.
In less than five minutes, the Lobos found another opportunity to take the lead off a throw in. This time, it was senior Jill Olguin who received the ball and kicked it in to sophomore Mackenna Havenor. Havenor then provided a quick assist to senior Jessie Hix who, from 20-yards away, sunk the ball into the back of the net off of a swift kick from her left foot.
Hix, who now has 15 career goals, is just three goals away from moving into the top-five in program history.
After retaking the lead on the Hix goal, the Lobo defense kept the Vikings scoreless for the remainder of the game. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Malia Vanisi posted four saves in the match, allowing only one goal. With the change of pace in the second half, the Lobos managed to post 21 shots to the Viking’s 10 for the game.
After a four-game tour away from home, the Lobos now return to Albuquerque to host Northern Arizona University on September 15 in a Childhood Cancer Awareness match. UNM will have one more game versus Rio Grande Rival, New Mexico State before entering into conference play on September 27.