by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's soccer team did not plan on ending its first weekend of conference play with a split.
After the Lobos lost 1-0 Friday at Denver, they bounced back with a 3-1 victory at Air Force on
Saturday.
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The team is not pleased with the weekend but will take the two games as a learning experience, said UNM goalkeeper Mike
Graczyk.
"I don't think we're really too happy at all," he said in a phone interview. "Friday night, we made too many mistakes. Hopefully, we solved the problem. Sometimes you got to take one step back before you take two steps forward. Hopefully, that's what we do."
After being shut out Friday for the fourth time this season, the Lobo offense responded by scoring three goals Sunday.
UNM was active all game, recording a total of 23 shots.
The Lobos took a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute when Bryan Sajjadi scored a goal off an assist from Chris Wright. Sajjadi's goal came at 44:24, just seconds before halftime.
Joey Vitagliano gave UNM a 2-0 cushion in the 66th minute. Brandon Barklage was credited with
the assist.
Air Force was able to get back in the game in the 76th minute after Josh Rhynard was able to put the Falcons on the board, making it a 2-1 contest.
However, the Lobo defense stiffened up and shut down Air Force for the rest of the game. UNM's P.J. Wilson was able to seal the game with a goal in the 84th minute. Graczyk and Wright were credited with the assist, giving Wright his second of the game.
Throughout the 2006 season, the Lobos' scoring has been spread out. No player has taken a majority of the shots or scored a majority of the goals for UNM.
It's important for all the players to get involved, but the Lobos need one player to step up as the go-to guy, Graczyk said.
"I think at times it's really good, but at the same time, it's good to have that one guy who can win games for us," he said. "In crucial games, you don't really know who's going to win it for us. I think that's a deadly thing to have, and we're trying to figure that out."
On the defensive side of the ball, the Lobos have been clicking all season. The Lobos have allowed multiple goals in only one game this season.
Graczyk said he's happy with how the defense is playing.
"Our defense played great today," he said. "With the exception of one mental lapse, we were feeling comfortable."
In Friday's game, the UNM offense was unable to put away any opportunities in order to get on
the board.
Denver's Joey Mathot scored in the 23rd minute to lead the Pioneers to victory.
Although Denver is one of the better teams in the conference, the team needs to focus the rest of the season in order to win as many games as possible, Graczyk said.
"I think obviously Denver is one of the tougher teams," he said. "San Jose State is also tough - I think we have to watch out for them. But the whole conference is going to be hard. If you don't show up on any given day, you are going to be beaten."
UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
