DENVER – The University of Denver men's soccer team came from a goal down to take a 2-1 lead, but walked away from DU Soccer Stadium with a 2-2 draw against New Mexico on Wednesday night in the Pioneers' final exhibition before they open the 2018 campaign a week from Friday against Monmouth (7 p.m./Altitude).
 
"There were a bunch of bright spots to take away from this match," fourth-year head coach Jamie Franks said. "There were a lot of young guys that got important minutes, which was important for us coming in. We made some mistakes, obviously the (second) goal that we gave up is a miscommunication, but I've got faith in the leaders and the older guys in this group to grow from this match tonight. Overall, it's a preseason game, so as long as we as a group are getting better each day and internalize and take ownership for our mistakes, then I think that this is an important result."
 
New Mexico got on the board first in the 20^th minute on a curler from Nick Taylor from just inside the box to put the visitors ahead. Matt Puig took the original shot that was blocked by a sliding Denver defender at the top of the box.
 
Senior striker Andre Shinyashiki (Sao Paulo, Brazil) passed in his first goal of the preseason to level the match at 1-1 in the 31^st minute. Shinyashiki won the ball just inside the center circle and got behind his defender, creating a 2-on-1 opportunity for the Denver skipper and senior Colorado Mesa transfer Moshe Perez (Shim'a, Israel). Shinyashiki and Perez passed it back and forth between each other before Perez lined up to take a shot just inside the penalty spot, and instead passed it to Shinyashiki on the door step for the equalizer.
 
Perez put the Pioneers in-front less than eight minutes later on a free kick from just inside 30 yards. The Perez free kick from distance struck the underside of the bar, went off leaping New Mexico goalkeeper Ford Parker and into the back of the net to send Denver 2-1 up heading into the intermission.
 
Miguel Maynez Jr. scored the lone goal of the second half for the Lobos to earn the point for the visitors. Maynez took advantage of a miscommunication between Denver's substitute goalkeeper and his defense by touching the ball just outside the 18 around the Pioneer net minder and knocking it into the open net.
 
Denver outshot New Mexico 8-7 on the night with both teams putting three shots on target a side.
 
Wednesday night's exhibition between former MPSF rivals saw six cautions and a red card for a close handed swipe to the face of Denver centerback Scott DeVoss (Centennial, Colo.) by New Mexico's Antoine Vail. Due to the exhibition format, the Lobos were able to keep 11 players on the field despite Vail's sending off.
 
"I think that playing New Mexico and leaving home in the preseason to play Akron was important for us," Franks said. "The biggest focus we have is getting better each day, and having a chance to look at the film. We saw two contrasting styles of play, but we'll see both of those during the year. We'll continue to grow and get better each day."
 
UP NEXT:
The Pioneers will officially raise the curtain on the 2018 campaign Friday, August 24 against Monmouth at 7 p.m. MT at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The season opener will be broadcast live on Altitude.
 
TICKETS:
Season tickets for the 2018 Denver men's and women's soccer season are just $55 dollars, and can be purchased here. Single-game tickets for the 2018 Denver men's soccer season are also on sale, and can be purchased here.
 
PIONEER MOVEMENT: Fans interested in making a donation to the men's soccer program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.  
 
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