Lobos Score Two Late to Defeat Miners
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The Lobos found a different way to win on Sunday, scoring two goals in the final 6:58 to defeat UTEP 2-1.
Having typically played with a lead during three of the last five matches, UNM relied on some late-match heroics to earn the win after UTEP opened the scoring in the 68th minute.
Alysa Whelchel sent it up the field from the midfield area to Ellie Robinson, who stayed onside and gathered it outside the left side of the box with Robinson finding Nicole Anderson in the middle of the box, passing it between two Miner defenders, allowing Anderson to promptly go top left to even the match at one with 83:02 showing on the clock.
The momentum continued to be on the home side as the Lobos went ahead with 1:09 left to play as Logan Nicholson sent a cross from outside the right side of the box, deflecting off of a Miner before it was collected by Robinson, with the Lobo turning and firing a shot off her right foot parallel from the penalty shot marker, finding the back of the net for the first time this season.
“I think if you go into the game, you want to be a finisher and go in and make an immediate impact,” noted head coach Heather Dyche. “When Ellie came on and a few players came on, they knew their role right away. They put the ball in the right spaces and when you do that right, you’re going to create chances.
“We were creating them all game, so to be able to put two away I thought was fitting.”
UNM had several chances from the onset of the contest, taking nine shots in the first half and 12 shots in the second.
The first opportunity came 47 seconds into the match with Courtney Fernau going wide left on a shot, followed by a second shot that went high and over the goal by Presley Devey 1:26 in. Fernau had a second chance in the third minute that forced the Miner goalkeeper to make a save, with UNM taking the first four shots of the match before UTEP took its first shot 15:40 into the match that went wide left.
Anderson forced another save by the UTEP keeper a few second shy of the 21-minute mark, with Callie Droitsch making her first save on a shot at the 26:27 mark. UNM took four final shots in the final 15 minutes of the first half with two going wide left and two on target and requiring saves with the match scoreless at the half.
UTEP broke through in the 68th minute on a ball to the low left corner of the goal with the Lobos quickly responding with shots on goal, starting with a shot by Margaux Clarke at the 70th minute that was saved. Nicholson had a good look at 74:15 with the ball sailing wide left of the goal, and again at 78:52 with the goalkeeper getting a hand on the shot and pushed it off the post.
After Anderson’s goal provided the equalizer, the Lobos kept the pressure with Robinson coming inches from a goal in the 87th minute, getting the keeper one-on-one and shooting the ball a little too wide to the right. Robinson’s persistence paid off in the clutch a little more than two minutes later with the game-winning goal, the third goal of her career but first game-winner.
UNM peppered the goal with eight shots on goal in the match compared to four for UTEP, the fifth time this season that the Lobos have had the edge in shots on goal and with a 21-9 advantage in shots, the fourth time taking 15 or more shots in a match and sixth time outshooting their opponent.
Of note, Droitsch made a career-high three saves in the match to earn her fourth win of the season and Robinson accounted for a career-high three points.
“It’s all credit to the players. If you were down 1-0 like that where you had most of the momentum, it’s hard to fight back. They gave up a goal and immediately responded, so they should be really proud of that result.”
With the win, New Mexico closes its five-match homestand with four wins and a tie to move to 4-1-1 on the season, 4-0-1 at home and extend its unbeaten streak to five. Additionally, on a day celebrating Dyche’s 10th season at UNM, the head coach picked up her 95th win at UNM, moving her that much closer to the 100-win milestone. The 4-1-1 record is also the best start since 2020, when the Lobos were 5-1-0 through their first six matches.
The Lobos are off until Sept. 19, when they travel to Northern Arizona for the final non-conference match. UNM opens up MW play at home against UNLV on Sept. 26.