by David J. Chavez
Daily Lobo
The UNM women's soccer team overpowered St. Mary's in a 3-1 victory Friday before tying Nevada 0-0 on Sunday.
It was the first tie of the season for the Lobos, which brings their record to 6-4-1 heading into
conference play.
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The Lobos controlled the game in the first half. They took 12 shots, including six on goal, compared to the Wolf Pack's six with none
on goal.
UNM went into halftime with the momentum, but Nevada came out in the second half ready to redeem itself.
Despite a good first-half performance, the Lobos came out flat in the second half, said UNM head coach Kit Vela.
"It was one of our worst performances after the first half," she said. "In the second half, we just couldn't find any rhythm. Over time, we kind of did some good things, but overall the team didn't play very well."
Nevada took control of the game and managed to pass UNM in shot attempts, finishing with 20 to the Lobos' 17, despite not having a shot on goal until the 68th minute.
UNM goalkeeper Shannon Adragna recorded her fourth shut out and had five saves on the day.
On Friday, UNM dominated St. Mary's in a 3-1 victory. Three players scored for the Lobos, and they outshot the Gaels, 15-8.
Senior Bridgette Sanchez said the team clicked on all cylinders in Friday's game, putting it in position for a win.
"We were working well together and communicating on the field," Sanchez said. "Our legs were fresh on Friday, and we played really well and kept our composure."
The opening moments of the game were thrilling as the Lobos and the Gaels came close to scoring on consecutive plays.
UNM struck first when senior Alanna Abeyta scored on a header from Krista Peterson in the second minute.
St. Mary's fought back with a goal from Nikki Schrey when she got a cross from McKenna Belzer and scored to tie the game at 1-1.
In the 30th minute, Sanchez scored the game-winner with a 35-yard goal. The ball was out of reach for Gaels' goalkeeper Tara Larson. The Lobos went into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
UNM put the game out of reach in the 82nd minute when Hannah Hand scored the first goal of her career.
The ball was played into the box by Amber Wetsch, and Hand scored from the right side.
Adragna continued her solid play by giving up one goal, while being faced with eight shots.
Senior Kaela Kelly said the team is at the top of its game
defensively.
"I think the defense is outstanding right now, but we need to produce more offensively," Kelly said. "We play really well as a defensive unit, so we have to use that to figure out how to
win games."
