UNM Lobo Women’s Soccer win 3-0 in preseason tune-up

Lobo Women’s Soccer showcases returning players and newcomers in club’s exhibition match against Colorado School of Mines.

By Chris Walker | Photo: UNM Lobos | seekandstrikecollective@gmail.com

(Albuquerque, NM) On Saturday, August 18 at Noon, University of New Mexico Women’s Soccer supporters filed into UNM Soccer Complex for the exhibition match between the Lobos and the Orediggers of visiting Colorado School of Mines. This is the first soccer match at the Complex since United Soccer League Championship’s (USL Championship) New Mexico United hosted English Football League’s (EFL) Cardiff City FC at the Complex back in mid-July. The Lobos defeated the Orediggers 3-0 in full time.

Lobos finished their 2018 regular season as the Mountain West Champion going 7-2-2 in Conference. There are 24 returning Lobos to the 2019 roster along with some new international talent. Lobos play eleven matches on the road this year with six of them being conference-related. Lobos will look to improve on their 2018 road record of 3-4-1 starting at the Husky Invitational on August 29. Lobos will host seven regular-season matches starting on August 25 when they face #22-ranked Texas Tech. Lobos went 8-1-1 at home during the 2018 season.

Lobos goalkeepers Emily Johnson and Malia Vanisi practically went unscathed throughout this match. Vanisi recorded 2 saves from the 7 shots taken by the Orediggers throughout the match. Lobos kept play between the attacking third and the midfield line very rarely allowing any balls to travel past their defensive third. Lobos took 21 shots, 10 of which were on frame converting a ball into a goal every 3 shots on frame.

Junior Cami Floth put the Lobos into the score line first with a shot taken over Orediggers keeper Shannon Mooney from a ball fed through to her from Junior Leilani Baker in the 16-minute mark. Lobos did not create as many chances in the first half as they could have considering the amount of in-possession time allotted to them by the whistle to half time. Lobos took 8 shots with 3 being on frame.

The second half saw two additional scores by the Lobos redshirt-junior Gwen Maly and Baker. In the 57-minute mark, redshirt sophomore Aspen Headrick found Maly up top for the back-netter delivered off her left boot. Later into the 86-minute mark, Baker got behind the keeper on a long service ball and slotted with her right foot for the third Lobo goal on the day.

Maly and Baker are coming off a summer of play for Albuquerque FC. The new Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL) expansion club that launched this summer. They were also joined by redshirt-freshman Kate Browning and redshirt-junior Avadney Gerard-Osbourne. Albuquerque FC finished as the Desert Division Champions with a regular-season 6-1-1 record. Albuquerque FC advanced to the WPSL Playoffs but exited the first round losing 1-0 to the San Diego SeaLions. Maly and Baker each finished off the WPSL season with 4 goals.

The Lobos close out this exhibition match against the Orediggers 3-0 with goalkeepers Johnson and Vanisi each earning a share of the club’s first clean sheet.

The Lobos play one last exhibition game on August 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex against CSU Pueblo.