Men's Soccer: Lobos fall short in Seattle

The University of New Mexico's men's soccer team launched their season with a closely contested game against the University of Washington on Aug. 25. Despite the team's efforts, the Lobos fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Each team dominated half of the game. Washington registered five shots on target, while the Lobos only landed one. In search of a goal to get back in to the game, the Lobos changed formation, registering seven shots in the second half compared to Washington's three.

Washington broke the deadlock in the 35th minute of the game and later added another goal to their tally in the 86th minute. UNM replied just 50 seconds later in the 87th minute, scoring their only goal of the game. Elijah Rice and Scott Menzies scored the goals for Washington, while Luke Lawrence registered his and UNM’s first goal of the season.

"We went into the half down a goal, and I think we really got the better of the second half. We gave up a disappointing second goal and at that point we made a change. We went three in the back (instead of four), got a goal back and kept pushing. We had some serious chances to tie the game but couldn't quite make it,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said in a release.

UNM showcased their attacking attitude during this season's exhibition games. The same attitude was revived, as the Lobos registered eight corners, in comparison to three of Washington.

Despite the disappointing loss, Fishbein said, "I think we were well prepared, and I thought the team spirit was great. We knew what to expect, but we didn't play with the composure we needed, especially in the first half."

Defender Aaron Herrera lead the shots tally for UNM registering three shots on target. Billy Jones, Matthew Constant and Antoine Vial also picked up yellow cards for UNM.

The Lobos will next face Seattle University on Sunday, August 27 at 7 p.m. in Seattle, Washington.

Ajinkya Patil is a freelance sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s soccer. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ajinkyapatil_16