by Jeremy Hunt
Daily Lobo
It took the Lobos a while to get warmed up, but once forward Chris Wright put the first goal on the board, the UNM men's soccer team dominated play in its 2-1 win over UNLV.
The Rebels packed players in the defense and relied on counter-attacks for offensive play in Saturday's game at University Stadium.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said UNLV's strategy was frustrating, but the Lobos handled it well for the most part.
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"They didn't want to come out and play to win," he said. "We played pretty well."
It was the fourth straight win and eighth straight conference victory for the Lobos.
UNM improved to 9-3-1 on the season and 4-0-1 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
Wright said the win was inevitable given the Rebels' strategy.
"Their game plan the whole time was to sit in and let us win," he said.
Diego Barrera hit Wright with a pass on the ground inside the goal box in the 34th minute.
Wright cracked a shot that dipped and bounced off the ground, making it difficult for Rebel goalkeeper Calvin Bailey to hold onto.
It rattled between the goalkeeper's hands and legs before crossing the line, and Barrera chased the ball into the goal to make sure UNLV's defense couldn't clear it.
"All I know is it went in the back of the net," Wright said. "Good things happen when you shoot the ball."
Barrera and Wright played off each other well. Their passing game was precise and fluid, leading to many plays that came close to rocking the back of UNLV's net.
"We're basically trying to find each other as much as possible," Barrera said.
UNM's second goal of the night came at the 70th minute when Simon Ejdemyr followed up a hard shot by Blake Danaher.
Danaher's shot from outside the 18 was too much for the Rebels' goalkeeper to handle, and Ejdemyr beat two UNLV defenders to the rebound.
The Lobos slipped up in 83rd minute, allowing UNLV to take a side shot from inside the box.
UNM goalkeeper Mike Graczyk blocked it, but the ball popped up high and dropped in front of the goal box.
UNLV forward Lamar Neagle raced in and put the ball in the net with a header.
"Unfortunately, you don't know where a rebound is going to land," Graczyk said.
Wright said Saturday's game showed how the Lobos are improving their skills.
"We're starting to mature as a team," he said.
Men's soccer at UNLV
Nov. 3, 8 p.m.
Las Vegas
