The New Mexico Lobos defeated the UC Davis Aggies 2-1 in a thrilling Mountain West matchup on Sunday, Oct. 11. Both teams came into this game 2-2-0 in Mountain West play, with the Lobos having the better record overall. However, UNM’s first-half performance did not reflect that.
UC Davis had 2 shots on goal while the Lobos had 0. This led to Aggie forward Lisette Gregoris scoring in the 23rd minute.
Gregoris had one goal and two shots, both of which were on goal. The Lobos could not find an answer for the Aggies in the first half, so UNM Head Coach Karley Nelson decided to make some changes.
“We started the second half with almost a completely different lineup when we started the game,” Nelson said.
Coach Nelson did not start the second half with star forward and leading goal-scorer Nicole Anderson, as well as star players Presley Devey and Fiona Jenkins. That decision paid off when midfielder Sherry Diep tied the game 1-1 in the 81st minute, assisted by midfielder Celina Frenz and Devey.
With the game tied up, either side only needed one goal if they wanted to walk away with a win on Sunday. Anderson managed to fight her way to the goal and drew a foul, awarding the Lobos a penalty kick.
Devey took the kick and put it in low right of the goalmouth, giving UNM the 2-1 victory over the Aggies. Devey finished the game with one goal, one assist, five shots and one shot on goal.
The win now gives the Lobos their third conference victory, making the Lobos 3-2-0 in the Mountain West and 6-4-2 overall.
Coach Nelson said she sees the win as a chance to improve.
“Why is it that we’re starting games a little bit slow, why are we giving up goals in the first half, and we’ve got to fix that if we want to make a win in this conference,” Nelson said.
The Lobos have a string of conference games lined up for the rest of the season, with the two biggest being against Wyoming and Air Force. Both teams sit above UNM in the Mountain West, so if the Lobos want a shot to win the conference title this year, it’s clear those are the teams to beat.
The Lobos will play Wyoming tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Laramie. UNM is 1-3-1 in away games this season, but Nelson and her team will look to overcome their road struggles and secure another in this week and move closer to a title.
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Max Ulz is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @Dailylobo
