Oct. 16, 2015
Albuquerque, N.M. --- San Jose State remains undefeated on the road in Mountain West play after Dorthe Hoppius riffled in a golden goal in the 94th minute to give the Spartans a 2-1 victory over New Mexico Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex.
Maricruz Chapa was cut down in traffic by a UNM defender near the top of the box, and the ball rolled right in front of Hoppius, who immediately fired it low inside the left post to secure the victory.
Most of the players in on the action hesitated for what was going to be a certain whistle, however Hoppius never missed a beat as the referee signaled for advantage.
"We found a way to win this one," said Spartans' head coach Lauren Hanson. "That's the sign of a good team. They never gave up and they found a way to win. Didi found a way for us to win."
For Hoppius, it is the third goal in as many matches, two of which have been game-winners. For the Spartans (8-5-2, 6-1-0 MW), the win makes it five straight on the road in conference play. SJSU is outscoring their opponents in those matches 8-1.
San Jose State took a 1-0 lead early on in the seventh minute. Samantha Orodpour's shot bent straight into the arms of Lobos keeper Cassie Ulrich, and then straight out. The ball bounced onto the foot of Alexis Venegas who touched it in. It was an unusual mistake for Ulrich, one of the league's top keepers, and Venegas was right there to capitalize with her first goal of the season.
After the goal, the two teams played the remainder of the half fairly even. But New Mexico (6-7-1, 4-2-1 MW) went on the attack in the second half, outshooting the Spartans 9-2.
UNM's Alyssa Coonrod finally broke through the Spartans defense for a goal in the 73rd minute. She took a pass and played one dribble on the left side before shooting the ball into the top left corner.
It was the sixth time this season that San Jose State has played beyond 90 minutes. The team is 3-0 in OT games during MW play.
Zoe Makrigiannis made five saves and improves to 8-3-2 on the season. Ulrich finished with two saves and falls to 6-7-1.
The Spartans' win Friday night, coupled with San Diego State's 2-1 win over Fresno State, sets up a battle for first place in the Mountain West when the two teams meet Sunday afternoon at the SDSU Sports Deck. The match is set for 2:30 p.m. PT.