Overtime was just fine for the No. 25 UNM women’s soccer team.
Senior Kate Wyrick, in her last Lobo home game, scored the golden goal three minutes into the second overtime, giving the Lobos a 1-0 victory over No. 8 BYU on Saturday.
“Jen (Williams) got a piece of it with her head, and I came in and just finished it,” Wyrick said. “Everybody believes so much in the team. It’s so strong out there. It’s really hard for anyone to break us.”
The game marked the first meeting between the Lobos and the Cougars since the infamous Elizabeth Lambert-Kassidy Shumway altercation at last year’s Mountain West Conference tournament.
Lambert didn’t play Saturday.
And last year’s debacle appeared to be in the back of the referees’ minds. They officiated a tight match, calling a soft foul in the first 15 seconds of the game.
“We came out tentatively because of all of the history, but we found our place about 20 minutes into the game,” Wyrick said.
BYU goalkeeper McKinzie Olson made three saves in the last 20 minutes. She had 10 saves on the day.
“We kept plugging away, and we did not get frustrated,” head coach Kit Vela said.
The Cougars took multiple free kicks around the Lobos’ goal in the second half, but goalkeeper Kelli Cornell reacted instinctively and kept the game scoreless.
With 10 minutes left, junior Roxie McFarland found herself alone at the back post, but could not direct a corner-kick volley into the back of the net.
In overtime, both teams had a shot ricochet off the crossbar, and the Lobos looked to have scored the game-winner, but Olson was there again.
It was UNM’s night, though.
Williams’ header redirected perfectly to Wyrick, who slammed it home for the game-winner.
The Lobos dog-piled Wyrick, as her goal put the Lobos atop the MWC standings. Cornell earned her 10th shutout of the season.
“It sounds unbelievable,” Vela said. “Anytime you can get a win against a good opponent, it’s a big morale booster.”
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