The New Mexico soccer team was on fire. The Lobos had just shut out BYU 1-0 Friday afternoon at BYU. They were in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference.
But nobody told them that only one team has scored against Utah at home in four games this year.
Make it five, now.
The Utes defeated New Mexico 2-0 Sunday afternoon at Ute Field, as Shauna Gurr Bingham scored the Utes’ two goals, and Lynnsey Asay pitched another shutout at goalkeeper.
The win marks the first conference victory for the Utes this year and boosts their record to 7-5, 1-2 in the Mountain West.
More importantly, it puts the Utes back on the winning track. The Utes were shell shocked after losing their first two conference games at San Diego State and UNLV. They needed to beat a conference opponent in the worst way.
?We needed a win. We needed to feel good about ourselves again,? said Utah coach Amy Winslow.
They went where they needed to go: Ute Field.
The game was close throughout, and the win wasn?t secure for the Utes until the last minutes of the second half, but they got it.
?We had a great first half,? Winslow said. ?We didn?t play as well in the second half when they turned up their intensity, but at least we played smart enough to get the shutout.?
The Utah defense once again was nearly impenetrable, as Asay only had to make two saves because New Mexico was not allowed any on-goal shots.
?The team did a good job overall in team defense,? Winslow said. ?Everybody got back and didn?t give New Mexico a great look at any goals.?
?[The defenders] make my job a lot easier when they don?t let them shoot,? Asay said. ?We stayed composed and up on our game and kept our heads.?
Gurr-Bingham?s two goals gave the Utes all the points they needed for the win. The first came on a cross from Amy Kofoed and Katie Tate with 10 minutes left in the first half, giving Utah 1-0 at halftime.
With less than five minutes to play, Utah’s Ester Imotan chased the ball into the corner, crossed it to Missy Dennis, who faked the reception, giving Gurr-Bingham a clean shot from right behind.
The Utes looked refreshed and sharp, as they took an extra day off from practice last week to try to get rejuvenated. After a hard week of practice, the Utes came ready for conference play once again.
?We know we should have won those two games [against SDSU and UNLV], but we just prepared this week in practice and prepared mentally, and that?s what helped us,? Gurr Bingham said.
The Utes continue their three-game homestand against Wyoming and Air Force this weekend.