At times it looked like the UNM women’s soccer team was playing a pick-up game on Johnson Field.
UNM controlled the ball for most of its season-opener at the UNM Soccer Complex, but a multitude of offside calls and balls ducking out of bounds made for a sloppy opening game.
But it’s what head coach Kit Vela expected out of a season opener. The only thing that mattered, though, was that the Lobos won, shutting out Idaho State 2-0.
“As you can tell, we had a lot of first game jitters,” Vela said. “We weren’t very smooth and definitely didn’t have much chemistry, but we found a way to win — a sign of a good team in the making.”
On opening day, Vela started seven sophomores and gave plenty of time to five other underclassmen, in hopes of finding the right combination of size, skill and chemistry.
But the Lobos will have to first overcome their youthful yearnings and tendencies, Vela said.
Perhaps that’s why, for the second consecutive season, the Lobos were picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll.
But it’s something UNM’s used to, since they have never been picked to finish higher than fifth, despite finishing two spots higher than predicted in two of the last three seasons.
Still, Vela said the Lobos have the parts to end a long-running drought of 17 years without a postseason appearance, even though the team is made up of mainly underclassmen, including a new goalkeeper, Kelli Cornell.
Now a sophomore, Jennifer Williams will look to be a fixture at the forward position for the Lobos this year. Last season, she scored four goals, including the season-opening goal. And she’s right back on track. In the 12th minute, Williams received a pass from Nicole Reed and ripped the onion sack to put the Lobos ahead 1-0.
“It was a good ball play,” Williams said. “I was looking for a cross at first, but then they put it in the near post, so I just took the shot.”
Vela said even though Williams was a freshman sensation last year, having a year of experience could make her even better.
“Willie is going to be good. She got a lot of shots off tonight,” Vela said. “She had a great goal in the first half, and it’s just the first of many games for her.”
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UNM will have a little more than a month to iron out the kinks before conference play begins in October. The Lobos head out Aug. 28 for a four-game road trip, which Vela said will be a good test to see how UNM performs away from home.
And Williams said this feisty squad will earn respect.
“We get to beat up on other people,” she said.
