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The Lobo women’s soccer team lost Friday night on a controversial no-call by the referees.
With 7:38 remaining in double overtime, San Diego State midfielder Kelsey Booth passed the ball to forward Haley Locker, who finished the shot past UNM sophomore goalkeeper Cassie Ulrich to win the game 1-0. The ball appeared to be over the end line prior to Booth’s pass.
UNM immediately argued that the ball was over the line.
“It’s unfortunate to lose on a goal that should have been out of bounds,” said head coach Kit Vela. “You can’t control the referees.”
This wasn’t the first controversial game the Lobos have encountered this season. At Wyoming, play resumed while Vela and athletic trainer Kyle Hickey attended to an injured player on the far side of the field. Wyoming scored 16 seconds later.
Friday’s game was the third-straight double overtime game for the Lobos, who tied the first one against Utah State and lost at Boise State.
The game was fast-paced with a combined 19 shots, seven of them on goal. UNM had five of those shots on goal with most of them coming in the second half.
The Aztecs came into Friday night’s game averaging 20 shots per game in conference play. They attempted a mere two shots against the Lobos in regulation.
“I thought we did a good job of limiting their opportunities,” said Vela. “We had some chances.”
Ulrich saved a shot taken by SDSU’s Haley Palmer late in the first OT, her only save of the night.
Fans also saw six seniors including Liz Nare, Elba Holguin, Brooke Ellison, Brianna Webster, Ashley Espinoza and Shelbie Luna play their last regular-season home game at the UNM Soccer Complex.
“I thought we played well. The effort was outstanding,” said Vela. “They played their hearts out.”
The Lobos finish the season 8-10-2 (6-3-1 Mountain West Conference) with a home record of 5-3-1 this year.
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SDSU (11-6-2, 9-1-0 MWC), meanwhile, had nothing to lose in this game. The Aztecs had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which begins today at the UNM Soccer Complex. They will have a double-bye in the tournament with their first game on Thursday.
The Lobos had the chance to clinch the No. 2 seed if they had won on Friday. With the loss, they are now the No. 4 seed and will play their first game on Nov. 5 against the winner of the Utah State/Nevada game, which takes place tonight at 7 p.m.
Filling the spots for the rest of the tournament are Fresno State (No. 2), Boise State (No. 3), Utah St. (No. 5), UNLV (No. 6), Wyoming (No. 7) and Nevada (No. 8). Air Force, San Jose State and Colorado State were the only teams in the MWC to be ineligible for the tournament.
The 2013 Women’s MWC Tournament concludes this Saturday with the championship game scheduled for 1 p.m.
