Box Score ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Powered by a game-winning goal from junior Kellan Christensen (Layton, Utah), the University of Denver men’s soccer team stunned the New Mexico Lobos on Friday evening in front of 2,764 fans at the UNM Soccer Complex.
“I am very proud of the way the boys fought today,” head coach Bobby Muuss said. “I thought we played a good first half and did enough in the second half to get the result. This is a huge win for our team and for our program. To win at New Mexico is an extremely difficult thing to do especially against such a good team. I couldn’t be more proud of this group of guys.”
The win marked just the second time the Pioneers (5-3-2, 2-0-0 MPSF) had beaten the Lobos (5-3-2, 1-1-0 MPSF) in Albuquerque with the other coming in 1990. The Lobos are now 33-3-1 in the MPSF at home in eight seasons under head coach Jeremy Fishbein with Denver handing them tonight’s loss and the tie, which came in DU’s 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship season.
Christenson scored his second goal of the season in the 66th minute, heading a Zach Bolden (Denver, Colo.) cross into the top right corner. Bolden created the opportunity after winning a 50-50 ball in the midfield and taking on a Lobos defender one-on-one before sending a perfectly-time pass into the box.
Redshirt senior Joe Willis (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded his first shutout of the season, making seven saves. The Pioneers were out-shot 21-4 and the Lobos held the advantage in corners 8-2.
Denver returns to action on Sunday at 2 p.m., traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada, to face the UNLV Rebels.
