Six games, six wins.
The UNM women’s soccer team shut out Denver and Arizona on Saturday at Robertson Field, capping off a perfect spring season.
Head coach Kit Vela said the Lobos approached the exhibition games with more intensity.
“Every day was important for them,” she said. “We played the best opponents we have ever played, and they worked hard and that’s what we’re really looking for.”
Forward Jennifer Williams’ two goals propelled UNM over Denver, and it didn’t take her long to score against Arizona.
Playing their second game in six hours, UNM took an early lead when Williams found the back of the net in the first five minutes.
The Lobos’ dominance continued throughout the first half.
UNM could have doubled the lead, but forwards Jordan Craig and Natalie Jenks missed easy goals in the final seconds of the first half.
In every game this spring season, Vela has switched UNM’s lineup at half time. The changes included the defense, and she said it helped younger players gain experience.
“We have 21 players on this team that need playing time,” she said. “We had our starting defense in for half the game and our second back four in for the other. It’s not that our starting defense did not get scored on. None of them got scored on.”
Even with the second-half changes, the outcome was much of the same.
Craig gave the Lobos a 2-0 lead 30 minutes into the second half, and with time winding down, Williams scored her second goal of the game and fourth on the day.
“We played really well, not only today but the entire spring,” Williams said. “We worked hard over the past two and a half months, and winning all six of our games is awesome, and we are all excited for the fall.”
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UNM scored 15 goals during the spring while allowing only one.
Not only did the Lobos win every game, but their opponents never came close to beating them. The only scares came against Texas Tech, which UNM won 2-1. The Lobos pulled a close victory over Cal State Fullerton with a 1-0 conclusion.
They dominated powerhouse teams like UC Santa Barbara, 4-0, and San Diego, 3-0.
Williams said that the spring games unified the team.
“I think that was one of our main focuses for the spring,” she said. “We learned to play together and to work hard for each other. That’s a lot for some of these players who had never played a college game before.”
Unified and undefeated, UNM looks to defend its Mountain West Conference regular-season championship in fall. The Lobos hope this time around their season doesn’t end in the first round of the NCAA tournament, like it did last season against eventual national champion Notre Dame.
Vela said that having a challenging spring toughened the young players on the roster.
“Last year we lacked depth and experience, and I think this spring showed that that may not be one of our problems anymore,” she said. “We always like to win, and they are getting the results and scoring the goals, and that’s what we’re the most happy about.”
