The UNM women’s soccer players are history makers.
Among the team’s many accomplishments, the Lobos are making their first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament. UNM will travel to South Bend, Ind., and face fourth-seeded Notre Dame on Friday.
Head coach Kit Vela, the Mountain West Conference’s Head Coach of the Year, said she is thrilled to play in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s sort of the tip of the iceberg for winning the conference outright,” Vela said.
UNM also won the MWC regular-season championship for the first time. The Lobos posted a 12-2-5 record and were undefeated in conference play (5-0-2) and at the UNM Soccer Complex (6-0), even though it lost 1-0 to BYU on Saturday in the MWC tournament title.
“Those are two things we have never done before,” Vela said.
The Lobos, however, weren’t done there. Vela wasn’t the only one honored. Two other Lobos won player awards.
Junior forward Jennifer Williams was named MWC Offensive Player of the Year and sophomore goalkeeper Kelli Cornell was named MWC Defensive Player of the Year.
Williams said the team is driven to achieve greatness.
“I think that our heart has been in it the whole time, the whole season,” Williams said. “We set our goal at the beginning of the season to be Mountain West Conference champions, and we never looked back. We just kept pushing forward.”
Cornell powered the Lobos’ defense that allowed eight goals this season. UNM’s defense gave up an average of 0.387 goals per game, and the Lobos are eighth in the country in shutout percentage (0.579).
From Cornell’s perspective, having consistent defensive play fueled the team’s success.
“Our defense, and the rest of the team as a whole, we take a lot of pride in what we do,” she said. “We’re really disciplined, and we just want to give the entire team all the opportunities we can to win the game.”
As for UNM’s first-round opponent, Vela said the Fighting Irish are similar to teams the Lobos have played this year.
“Everybody’s good in the playoffs, especially because every game is a new game,” Vela said. “People are asking me about Notre Dame, and they’re unbelievable. They have a great program with a great history and tradition. But we’re one of the 64 as well.”
*Women’s soccer at Notre Dame
Friday, TBA
South Bend, Ind.
*
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