It was a one-in-a million-type season for the UNM women’s soccer team.
For the first time in Lobo history, UNM reached the NCAA tournament, but fell to Notre Dame 3-0 in the first round.
“Notre Dame was a tough place to go and play, but we did well,” head coach Kit Vela said. “We have done it now, and we know what it takes to play at this level.”
On the way to the tournament, the Lobos won the Mountain West Conference for the first time in team history after battling through a harsh road schedule.
UNM had five regular-season home games and didn’t play at home for nearly a month.
“Anytime you play on the road, it’s going to be difficult,” Vela said. “We played very consistent, and until the conference tournament, we had not lost a game since the beginning of September.”
The Lobos’ unbeaten streak spanned nearly two months, as they cruised to an 8-0-2 record. That included a big 1-0 overtime home win over then-No. 8 BYU.
Forward Jennifer Williams said beating BYU was the season’s
climactic point.
“That game was a huge win for us,” she said. “It was our senior game, so we played for them, and it left us with a really good feeling for the rest of the season.”
The Lobos finished unbeaten in conference with a 5-0-2 record. UNM compiled an 11-1-5 regular-season record and were ranked as high as No. 17.
Factoring in the Lobos’ final two games — losses to BYU in the MWC tournament final and to Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament — UNM finished 12-3-5 overall.
Fueled by defense, the Lobos allowed only 10 goals and were second in the nation in goals against. Before playing the Fighting Irish, the Lobos hadn’t allowed an opponent to score more than once all season.
“It was a great feeling this season and making it into the NCAA tournament,” Williams said. “We did really well considering how much we had to go through, and the team really stepped up when it faced tough games.”
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As far as the 2011 season outlook, Vela said, UNM returns nine starters, including Kelli Cornell and Williams.
“Anytime you can breach a barrier like that it and make the NCAA tournament, it makes it easier to be done,” she said.
