LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 7, 2021) – The Wyoming soccer team (1-1-0) couldn't overcome a goal in the 33
rd minute of the first half as it dropped a 1-0 contest against the New Mexico Lobos on Sunday afternoon.
New Mexico came out aggressive to begin the game and really pushed the pace on its side of the field. They would put together a string of four shots in the first ten minutes which came up empty. The Lobos looked to get on the board in the 14
th minute off a corner kicker that was knocked in by Leilani Baker which was disallowed. In the 33
rd minute, a ball from the foot of Gwen Maly went off the defender made the way past goalie
Hannah Lee to make it a 1-0 game. The Cowgirls struggled to get anything going resulting in no shots in the first 45 minutes. The Lobos had 11 shots on goal in the first half compared Wyoming with zero.
In the second half, the Cowgirls had its best opportunity off a free kick in the 54
th minute. Junior
Amber Vokoun would fire it in which would bounce off the side post. Sophomore
Maria Allen tried to get it back in off the rebound that bounced high off the top of the goalpost. It played out very even the remainder of the way and the Lobos wound come out on top after the 90 minutes.
"We came out a little tentative and didn't adjust with the windy conditions today. It took us a bit to get going and they really ran after us," head coach
Pete Cuadrado said. "I thought in the second half we got the wind, but we did get physical as well and matching that intensity. We did a better job for sure and had our chances at the post with having a couple of good looks. Against a team like this you aren't going to get a ton of chances. We have to be able to adjust to both halves in the conditions. More positive signs we can hang with a team like New Mexico that is a top half team in the league."
Wyoming ended up being outshot by New Mexico 13-3 for the contest. Lee and
Alex Daws each played 45 minutes with Lee recording seven saves. Malia Vanisi was in net for UNM in her 90 minutes of action. The Cowgirls had two corner kicks to New Mexico's eight.
The Cowgirls will be on the road for the first time next week. They will take on the Air Force Falcons, on Friday, March 12, and the Colorado College Tigers on Sunday, March 14. Friday's match is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT followed by a 12 p.m. slate against the Tigers.
