It was a successful revenge trip to Denver.
The UNM men’s soccer team beat Creighton 1-0 in Saturday’s exhibition game, helping the Lobos exact payback on the Bluejays after they thumped UNM 4-1 in the first round of last season’s NCAA tournament.
“It’s kind of a weird thing,” forward Devon Sandoval said. “We are a different team now than we were when we played them last year.”
The game’s lone goal came in the 71st minute. Midfielder Javier Gomez stole the ball from Creighton, then passed it to Sandoval who played it to midfielder Blake Smith. Smith placed the ball into the netting of the far post.
The Lobos, with 14 field players available on their spring roster, relied on six redshirt freshmen who have gotten extended playing time so far.
“Our young guys did very well,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “Guys like Giovanni Rollie and Carson Baldinger started, and Javier Gomez played about 70 minutes.”
After missing much of the fall season because of a broken collarbone, Smith has also been impressive, scoring two goals in his last three games.
“Smith is a big component to our team,” Sandoval said. “He is definitely a weapon on the field with that left foot and his speed. There are not many players in the country that can keep up with him.”
