Staff Report
The Montana Fall Classic was a tournament to forget for the UNM women's soccer team.
With losses to the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahines and Montana Grizzlies, the Lobos have lost five straight games and drop to 3-6-0 on the season.
UNM played a tough game against the Rainbow Wahines, in which Hawai'i forward Natasha Kai scored the lone goal with a minute remaining in the first half to seal the victory.
Kai peppered the Lobos' goal with eight of the team's 14 shots. UNM had six shots in the match.
The Lobos were forced to play shorthanded when junior Samantha Sullivan was given her second yellow card of the match at the 62:46 mark.
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UNM goalkeeper Kristen Winters made four saves in the match.
The Lobos didn't fare much better in their second game of the tournament against Montana. Although UNM did score first in the 16th minute, its lead was short-lived. Katelyn Ley scored the Lobos' goal when Montana's goalkeeper Jamie Rizzuto mishandled the ball on a crossing pass. Grizzly forward Lindsay Winans scored her first goal of the match three minutes later to tie the game.
Winans would go on to have a career day, scoring goals in the 76th and 78th minute. The Grizzlies outshot the Lobos 17-10, with 10 shots on goal compared to UNM's five.
UNM head coach Kit Vela said the referees made some questionable calls throughout the tournament.
Vela said one of Sullivan's yellow cards in the first game came when she challenged the goalkeeper too harshly. When the same thing happened to UNM goalkeeper Winters in the next game, no yellow card was given. The same referee officiated both games for UNM. The Lobos also had 20 fouls called against them compared to Montana's eight.
Lobos Eryn Paetz and Nicole McCarty were also dealt yellow cards in the Montana game while the Grizzlies received none. The Lobos were given a team yellow card when playing Hawai'i.
Vela said that the Lobos were not without their opportunities to score in both games, and if they had capitalized on them, the outcomes may have been different. After the two losses, she said it's back to the drawing board to correct the problems they are having.
The Lobos return to action against Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Oct. 3 before coming back home to take on Air Force in their Mountain West Conference opening game Oct. 10.
