Nov. 23, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Lars Loeseth made the game-winning shot in a penalty kick shootout to send the University of New Mexico past the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and into the third round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.

The Panthers appeared poised to pull off the upset after scoring two early goals and carrying a 2-1 lead into the final 15 minutes of the match. But a late goal by the Lobos sent the game to overtime knotted at 2-2 before New Mexico won the match in the shootout.

With the win, the second-seeded Lobos (15-1-3) advance to a third-round tournament match with Cal State-Northridge, while the Panthers (14-4-5) see their season come to a close.

UWM scored twice in the first six minutes of the match, with Troy Spielmann striking in the fifth minute and Steve Sperl adding a tally in the sixth. New Mexico got back in the match with a goal from Andrew Boyans in the 20th minute and then forced the extra time when Jeff Rowland scored on a free kick with under 11 minutes remaining.

"We had a specific plan to press them a little high and take the sting out of them, which may have taken our legs away a little bit later on in the game. But, it was the plan we decided to go with, and it proved unbelievably successful," UWM head coach Louis Bennett said. "They were two well-executed set pieces in second phase and I thought they were two wonderful goals. It definitely silenced the crowd, it definitely took people out of the game. It took their fans out of the game and it took some of their players out of the game. Until the flow of the game started going up and down and back and forth from each team, I thought we had a reasonably good handle on the game."

The Panthers' first goal started with a throw-in from Travis Phillips that sent Dale Weiler down the left side. His crossing pass found Spielmann, who finished from about 10 yards out just 4:04 into the match.

UWM was at it again just 101 seconds later. This time, Weiler sent a free kick from the right side into the box. The serve found Sperl, who headed the ball just inside the near post to put the Panthers up 2-0 less than six minutes in.

New Mexico's first goal came after a flurry of offensive pressure. The finishing touch came after a Rowland shot was knocked back. Boyans was in position at the top of the box to gather the rebound, sending the ball past Grant Fernstrum to get the Lobos back in the match.

From there, the Panthers settled in defensively and, while New Mexico controlled the possession, the Lobos had few golden scoring opportunities. Then, in the 80th minute, a disputed foul call led to a free kick just outside of the penalty area. Lance Watson ran over the ball before Rowland struck it, sending the ball around the wall and off the hands of Fernstrum into the back of the net.

Both teams posted modest scoring opportunities in the overtime session. UWM's had a decent scoring chance in each overtime, with Neil Dombrowski's volley from the top of the box sailing wide in the first extra session and Andre Francois' header rising over the bar in the second extra period.

"I thought that showed the resolve and the strength and the character of the kind of people we have at UWM, and the kind of players," Bennett said of UWM's solid overtime play despite concerns about the high altitude in Albuquerque. "At the time everyone thought we would cave, they just came out and said, OK, play our game and let's go back to what we did at the beginning of the game if we have it in us. People who were tired were dragged through by people that had some wind. Then, when they got tired, other people dragged them through."

Then, in the penalty shootout, both teams were perfect until Billy Meier's try was saved by Mike Graczyk. That small opening was all the Lobos needed, as they converted on all five of their penalty tries to advance to the third round of the tournament for the second-straight year.