by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's soccer team forgot its armor, swords and maces Sunday against the Denver Pioneers in Denver, but still managed to come out with a 1-0 win.
"You add a fiery bunch and a field that was bumpy, and it turns into a war instead of a soccer game," said junior Andrew Boyens, the Lobos' central defender. "It was really more of a battle than a soccer game."
Boyens said the rainy conditions in Denver made it impossible for either team's players to find their footing. The slippery conditions gave way to a total of 39 fouls and six yellow cards.
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Senior Cody Hanna scored his third game-winning goal of the season in the 29th minute against the Pioneers off a free kick from junior Lars Loeseth.
UNM goalkeeper Mike Graczyk turned away four shots on goal to preserve the win. The Lobos were outshot in the game 12-9 for only the second time this season.
Even though its undefeated record and No. 1 national ranking was on the line, UNM was concerned with something else Sunday.
The last regular season loss for the Lobos came at the feet of the Pioneers on Oct. 17, 2004, in Denver.
"More than anything it was revenge," Boyens said. "We went into the game with last year's game in the back of our heads. We let them score two early goals last year, but in this one we didn't let them get a sniff in the first 30 minutes or so."
UNM stretched its unbeaten streak to 10 games and now is 9-0-1 on the season.
The lone blemish on the Lobos' record popped up on Friday in the form of the Mike Graczyk in Colorado Springs.
Despite launching an assault on Falcon goalkeeper Brian Guyette with 10 shots on goal, the Lobos couldn't find the back of the net, having to settle for a 0-0 tie.
"We're disappointed with the tie," Boyens said. "Actually, we're a lot disappointed with the tie. It felt like a loss."
The last time the Lobos failed to score in a game was Oct. 18, 2003, in a 2-0 loss to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas at the UNM Soccer Complex.
With only one goal Sunday and none Friday, the lack of offense isn't a concern for UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein.
"We got good attacking players," Fishbein said. "The goals will come. Guys are dealing with a lot of pressure, and they are responding well. We're a veteran team, and we'll continue to improve."
Whether the goals start piling up shouldn't matter if the Lobos' opponents keep putting doughnuts on the scoreboard. Through 10 games this season, UNM's defense has seven shutouts.
With an undefeated record, a No. 1 ranking and eight of its 10 games being played on the road so far, Fishbein said his team is sitting pretty right now and thinking about playing at home.
"We're happy to be home the next two weeks," he said. "Definitely happy to be home."
