Anderson and Jenkins Pace Lobos to 8-0 Win Over TSU in Season Opener
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Savanah Sanchez opened the 2025 season with a goal in the seventh minute of the season opener against Texas Southern, the start of an evening of goals in an 8-0 victory Thursday night.
In total, five different Lobos scored a goal with three different Lobos credited with an assist, and as a team, UNM tallied 21 points, the most in a match by a Lobo team since UNM had 22 against Central Arkansas on Sept. 28, 2008.
Additionally, the eight goals were the most scored in a season opener in program history, with the previous seven goals scored against Montana in 2010, and the most in a game since the Lobos scored nine against Troy on Sept. 29, 2002. It was also the first shutout in a season opener since 2019, a 1-0 win over No. 22 Texas Tech.
The Lobos had two multi-goal scorers in Nicole Anderson recording her first collegiate hat trick for a career-high six points, and Alèjandra Puerto scoring two goals, her first two as a Lobo. Fiona Jenkins accounted for three of UNM’s five assists, becoming the first player in program history to have three assists in a game.
“I’m just proud of the group,” Head Coach Heather Dyche summarized after the match. “Any time that you can come out and play your style, and obviously a win is great, but to me, it was about our energy all night. I didn’t feel like we ever dropped, and that’s hard to do, especially when you’re subbing on eight, nine, 10 different people… and the energy stayed high, and that’s something that we collectively have to do all year.”
UNM broke the match open with three goals in the first 13 minutes with Sanchez’s goal coming 6:53 in on Jenkins’ first assist of the night, which also happened to be UNM’s first shot of the contest. An Alysa Whelchel steal resulted in Anderson’s first goal of the match 2:47 later at the 9:40 mark, with the junior going unobstructed to the goal before sliding it low right past the TSU keeper, and Gabby Beaudry added to the total at 12:12 on a redirect from a feed into the box by Samantha Corrie with Corrie and Jenkins getting the assists off of a set piece. Three of UNM’s first four shots on goal resulted in a goal.
“I think Savanah’s goal kind of settled the team in, and then to get another one pretty quickly after that let us relax and play,” Dyche assessed.
Anderson and Jenkins combined for the second goal for Anderson and the third Jenkins’ assist 17:58 into the match and Anderson completed the hat trick on a Celina Frenz assist, her first point as a Lobo in her collegiate debut, with 35:10 on the clock for the 5-0 Lobo lead.
Puerto added a goal 1:18 before the half for the 6-0 halftime score, with UNM taking 14 shots in the half with eight on goal.
On the other end of the field, Jasmin Gonzalez-Rutt was challenged with one shot on goal in her first half as a Lobo, with the junior facing just two shots on goal in the match en route to her first collegiate shutout.
The Lobos needed just 51 seconds into the second half to resume the scoring with Whelchel picking up a loose ball in the box, finding some space and delivering a shot into the bottom right corner of the net for her first goal of the season.
UNM continued to pepper the TSU net with shots with the goalkeeper making a save and another shot being blocked four seconds later in the 51st minute and a shot by Whelchel going wide right in the 56th minute. The Lobos added to their shot total, forcing the Texas Southern goalkeeper to make a save at 60:22 on an attempt by Sanchez and again at 74:21 on a shot by Claire Roybal, before Puerto added a final goal to the night after stealing the ball and going low left well outside the 18-yard box for her second goal of the match.
The Lobos forced TSU’s keeper to make five more saves in the final 14:04 before the final seconds ticked off for the final score. UNM took a total of 17 shots in the second half compared to two for TSU with 10 shots on goal in the final 45 minutes.
Up next: UNM travels to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a match on Sunday, Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. MT/ 12 p.m. CT.