Edwards’ Hat Trick Lifts Lobos to 4-2 Win over CSU Bakersfield
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico women’s soccer team recorded its first victory of the season with a 4-2 win over Cal State Bakersfield in Sunday’s finale of the Lobo Invitational at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos (1-1) used a first-half hat trick by Jadyn Edwards and a second-half goal from Leilani Baker to down the Roadrunners (1-1).
Edwards became the first Lobo to have a hat trick since she had three goals against Northern Arizona last September. She also assisted on UNM’s final goal to give her a career-high seven points. Baker had a goal and an assist, while Mercedes Morris had a pair of assists in her collegiate debut.
The Lobos took an early lead in the seventh minute as Edwards notched the team’s first goal of the season. After winning a ball in midfield, she dribbled to 30 yards out before firing a shot into the upper corner to give UNM a 1-0 lead. Edwards doubled the lead in the 32nd minute as she received a ball from Baker at the top of the 18, beat a defender and slotted home a shot past the keeper to give UNM a 2-0 advantage. Edwards completed her first-half hat trick in the 37th minute as Morris found Edwards at the top of the box, who one-timed in her third goal of the afternoon as UNM would take that 3-0 lead into the break.
The Lobos extended the lead to 4-0 in the 60th minute as Baker tapped in a Morris pass from inside the six-yard box for her first goal of the season. The Roadrunners got on the board in the 68th minute when Karen Flores scored on a breakaway and got another back in the 81st minute when Nicola Lebakos hit a shot that deflected into the back of the net to make the score 4-2, the final margin.
The Lobos outshot the Roadrunners 23-16 in the game and had a 6-3 corner-kick advantage. Alli Davis made six saves in goal for UNM to record her first collegiate victory.
No. 6 Rutgers, who edged the Lobos 1-0 on Thursday, captured the Lobo Invitational title after a 5-1 win over UNLV in Sunday’s other game.
“I am proud of our team,” said UNM head coach Heather Dyche. “I thought we got everything we wanted out of an opening weekend. Today was a bit of an adjustment to come off of a Rutgers game we had been preparing for all offseason. We were a little slow at times, but that happens early in the season because you are not quite game-fit yet. We put four goals away against a good team that beat a conference opponent on Thursday. That’s a good win. We got a lot of big minutes from players who hadn’t played before and we can take a lot away from this weekend.”
The Lobos will return to action on Thursday as they visit Texas Tech. They return home on Sept. 1 when they host Portland State.
NEW MEXICO 4, CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD 2
Cal State Bakersfield (1-1) 0 2 – 2
New Mexico (1-1) 3 1 – 4
Scoring Summary
1. UNM. Jadyn Edwards 1 (unassisted) 7’
2. UNM. Jadyn Edwards 2 (Leilani Baker 1) 32’
3. UNM. Jadyn Edwards 3 (Mercedes Morris 1) 37’
4. UNM. Leilani Baker 1 (Mercedes Morris 2, Jadyn Edwards 1) 60’
5. CSUB. Karen Flores 1 (Jette Zimmer 1) 68’
6. CSUB. Nicola Lebakos 1 (unassisted) 81’
Stats:
Shots: UNM 23, CSUB 16
SOG: UNM 11, CSUB 8
Corners: UNM 6, CSUB 3
Saves: UNM 6 (Davis 6, Droitsch 0), CSUB 7 (Burrell 2, Hercik 5)
Fouls: UNM 13, CSUB 12