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Junior midfielder Claire Lynch, 14, scores a penalty shot against Air Force Academy on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016 at the UNM Soccer Complex.

Junior midfielder Claire Lynch, 14, scores a penalty shot against Air Force Academy on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016 at the UNM Soccer Complex.

Women’s Soccer: Lynch eyes strong final season as a Lobo

To say that junior Albuquerque native Claire Lynch has had a successful UNM soccer career would be an understatement, and the best could be yet to come as she prepares for her final collegiate season.

In her freshman season for the Lobos, she made 15 appearances and was the team’s top scorer with four goals. Impressively, three of those four goals were game winners, two of which came against Boise State.

As a sophomore, Lynch’s role began increasing, making 20 appearances and 18 starts. She scored another game-winning goal against Colorado College on Oct. 23, 2015 and registered five goals for the season.

Lynch increased her scoring total to eight goals this past season, including a superb long-ranged shot against the Nevada Wolfpack last Oct. 7.

With 17 career goals, Claire is tied for the fourth leading scorer in UNM program history along with Lana Melendres, who played for UNM from 1996 and 2000.

“Next year, I definitely want to score a lot,” Lynch said. “As a senior forward that’s going to be a big part of my role, but I also want to be someone that younger players can look up to.”

Lynch began her career at the age of seven, and spent a significant portion of her club soccer with Rush ‘96 under Rush coach Justin Sells. In high school, she played for Volcano Vista along with former UNM players Alyssa Coonrod, Olivia Ferrier and Ruth Bruciaga and was named district player of the year in 2012 and 2013. She won a state championship as a freshman and also won a state championship in 2013 with Rush ‘96.

“I decided to play at UNM because most of my family lives here and a lot of them went to UNM, so it was always on my mind.” Lynch said. “Getting an offer to play Division I soccer in my hometown in front of my family was awesome.”

But Lynch’s success hasn’t come without challenges.

“Claire was the only one on her club team that did not make the varsity high school team her freshman year,” Lynch’s mother Idalia Lynch said. “Even though she made junior varsity and not varsity, she pushed herself and the coach pulled her up to varsity because she worked so hard. To me this is an example of her ability to do anything when she puts her mind to it.”

Lynch’s determination to succeed is visible both on and off the field. She is a diligent student and was an Academic All-MW selection her freshman and sophomore year at UNM.

Nydia Martinez, Lynch’s cousin, said the soccer standout has put in a lot of hard work and that her drive is what makes her successful.

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“She is consistently recognized for her academic achievements and she has a really good work ethic,” Martinez said. “She plans to go into medicine, so whether it’s medicine or soccer she will give it her all.”

The Lobos finished the season with a record of 9-7-3 and, despite finishing with a winning record, were not consistent enough to qualify for the Mountain West Tournament. With high expectations for herself and the team, Lynch said she hopes to lead the Lobos to a strong and successful 2017 campaign.

Matthieu Cartron is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women’s soccer. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter 
@cartron_matt.

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