For the UNM men’s soccer team, it was a gaffe that cost the Lobos back-to-back wins over two top-ranked teams last week.
Forward Devon Sandoval scored eight minutes into Saturday’s game against No. 5 UC-Santa Barbara, but the Lobos couldn’t hold the lead, and in the 56th minute, the Gauchos’ Sam Garza snuck the ball into a tight space past Lobo goalkeeper Justin Holmes. Two overtimes later, the Lobos were still tied 1-1 with the Gauchos at the UNM Soccer Complex — this coming three days after beating No. 25 Saint Louis 3-2.
UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he was disappointed by the way the Lobos finished the game.
“We are a team that expects to win regardless of who we are playing,” Fishbein said. “I’m glad the guys are upset. We don’t come out here to tie anybody.”
The Lobos outshot the Gauchos in regular time 10-8, but despite the advantage it was Holmes who was forced to make two crucial saves.
Senior midfielder Michael Reed said the Lobos played passively after establishing an early lead.
“I think we came out not to lose rather than to win in the second half,” he said. “We came out a little flat, and we tried to pick it up after their goal, but by then it was too late.”
That theme carried into overtime, with both teams sitting back and playing for the tie. Eventually, it ended that way, Fishbein said, but it gave the Lobos an opportunity to improve defensively.
“Defensively, for the most part, we were very good,” Fishbein said. “The guy slipped away on their only goal, and that was a guy who plays for our under-20 national team, and we did a good job with him. I was really happy how we dealt with defensive set pieces, and when you play a legitimate top 5 team in the country, you won’t play anyone better than that in a season, so we can take some positives.”
Considering the Lobos gave a nationally ranked team a slew of opportunities to score, Fishbein said UNM was fortunate to end in a tie.
“We had chances to win the game, and we had chances to lose the game,” Fishbein said. “So, in the end, it’s a fair result.”
