Lobo soccer triumphant in battle with Utah State for MW top spot

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Lobos sit alone undefeated at the top of the Mountain West standings as they open conference play 3-0. New Mexico took down Utah State in dramatic fashion, 2-1, as Molly Myers stepped up to the plate to send a penalty kick in the box straight to the back of the net.

After six shots within the first 16 minutes, the Lobos struck first in the 21st minute. Zaria Katesigwa and Paige Satterlee passed around the ball a little before Satterlee connected with Myers as she headed the ball in the net just past the Aggies’ goalkeeper to give the Lobos a 1-0 advantage.

The Aggies tied the match up in the 37th minute, thus starting an intense battle for the victory through the end of regulation. The Lobos fired off 10 more shots through the end of regulation time, while the Aggie countered with three shots, but neither team was successful in reaching the back of the net.

In overtime, both teams battled desperately to get the golden goal and remain undefeated. The Lobos recorded four shots in the first overtime period, while the Aggies recorded two shots.

Just over thirty seconds into the second overtime period, the Lobos earned a penalty kick and Myers stepped up to lead the team. Myers knew what she had to do and launched the ball straight into the right side of the net to lead the Lobos to an exhilarating 2-1 win over Utah State.

The Lobos ended the night outshooting the Aggies, 25-11 (10-4 on goal). Myers led the team with six shots, including four on goal and two goals. Aggie goalkeeper Diera Walton ended the night with eight saves.

UNM move up to 8-2-0 overall record with a 3-0-0 MW record, while Utah State now sits at 9-2-1 overall and 2-1-0 in conference play.

On top of the intensity of a top spot conference matchup, tonight’s win also tied and set some program records. The Lobos tied the record for longest winning streak with seven matches in a row. The last time the program did so was in the 2010 season. The team also set a record for eight straight conference wins in a row dating back to the 2020 season. The previous record was six straight conference wins spanning from the 2009-10 seasons. With two goals on the night, Myers is now the conference’s leading scorer with seven goals on the season.

The Lobos host the Boise State Broncos (7-3-1, 1-1-1 MW) on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Broncos fell to San Diego State, 2-0, on Friday. Boise State’s Jocelyn Stephens was named the conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, after the Broncos began their conference schedule with one win and a tie last week.