30 seconds was all it took to change the outcome of the game.
After what seemed to be a statistically even match, the Lobos fell 1-0 to the No. 13 Indiana University Hoosiers during their season opener at South Bend, Indiana, on Friday.
IU's goal came in the 89th minute after the referee called a handball on a Lobo defender.
Indiana’s senior midfielder Tanner Thompson took the awarded penalty kick and sent the ball past UNM’s junior goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu.
Thompson had a good chance to score earlier in the match when he sent a shot from the top-left corner of the box in the 29th minute. However, Beaulieu was able to swat it away.
Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein said the loss was a less-than-ideal result for a season opener, but he did see some positives.
“It is unfortunate to lose a game in the last 30 seconds and it is never good to put yourself in a situation where the referees can make a call that can control the outcome of the game," Fishbein said in a statement, "but overall we played well and this is a game we're going to build on."
20 seconds before the match was over, Lobo forward Luke Lawrence took a header that could’ve caused the Hoosiers some problems, but Indiana’s senior goalkeeper Colin Webb ended the Lobo’s overtime hope with a diving save.
The match ended with both teams having similar statistics.
The Hoosiers had a slight edge in shots leading 14-12, but both teams recorded four shots on goal. Indiana did have a sizeable advantage when it came to corner kicks, leading 7-1.
The Lobos’ four shots on goal came from senior Chris Wehan (2), senior Niko Hansen and sophomore Patrick Khouri (2).
“Statistically we were pretty evenly matched," Fishbein said in the statement. “As the game moved on, we got better and better and we showed resiliency and confidence. I'm proud of how the guys played. We were tough, created chances and defended comfortably."
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The Lobos will face No. 9 Notre Dame on Sunday at Notre Dame’s Alumni Stadium. This will be their last match of the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament this weekend.
During their spring exhibition season, the Fighting Irish faced Indiana University and ended with the same result as the Lobos, a 1-0 loss.
However, Notre Dame is going into Sunday with extra confidence, as the team opened its 2016 fall season with a 4-0 shutout against UC Irvine on Friday.
The goals came from junior forward Jon Gallagher (2), senior defender Brandon Aubrey and graduate student midfielder Evan Panken.
The Fighting Irish dominated over UC Irvine, leading 22-7 in shots and 7-1 in corner kicks.
Last season, Notre Dame finished with an 11-5-6 overall record and made it to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Maryland 2-1.
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.
