The first night back on the pitch also became the first shutout victory of preseason for the Lobos.
UNM took down the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels 3-0 on Monday during the first of three exhibitions the Lobos will be playing this week.
The team showed confidence in the final third from the beginning. Just three minutes in, forward Luke Lawrence found forward Niko Hansen at the top of the box. Hansen made an attempt but his shot didn’t put much pressure on the UNLV goalkeeper.
In the 11th minute, the Lawrence and Hansen duo attacked once more, this time successfully.
Lawrence won a header and sent the ball to Hansen. Hansen then beat two defenders to give the Lobos their first goal of the night.
Less than 10 minutes later, Hansen struck again increasing the lead to 2-0.
Right before the first half was over, forward Sam Gleadle stepped up and added another goal with just eight seconds left on the clock.
The second half began with UNLV’s Memo Diaz sending a shot to the center of the Lobo net in the 50th minute. This ball went straight to the hands of Lobo goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu.
The score remained 3-0 for the rest of regulation time. The teams then decided to play two additional 15-minute halves, an option only available in preseason play.
During the first five minutes of this overtime, Gleadle scored another goal from just outside the 18-yard box, to finish the contest in a 4-0 vicctory.
Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he was pleased with the results, especially considering it was only the first night back on the field.
“It’s a good way to start the season,” he said in a statement. “I thought we were really good the first half. A lot of energy, pretty good lineup.”
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The Lobos recorded a total of 19 shots during regulation time, eight of these on goal. The Rebels were not as strong offensively, only recording eight shots, two on goal.
UNM will host Fort Lewis on Thursday morning for its second exhibition match.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men's soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
