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'Best feeling': UNM's Savanah Sanchez scores seven minutes into first match
UNM’s Savanah Sanchez wasted little time making up for last year’s redshirt season, scoring seven minutes into the team’s first match of this season, an 8-0 victory over Texas Southern on Thursday night.
Sanchez, a goal-scoring dynamo in leading Hope Christian to three consecutive Class 4A state soccer championships, spent last season watching and learning and growing. She got stronger, more nimble and oh so hungry.
“It’s been a long road,” she said. “I’ve had to work really hard to get here. And, I mean, high school was a lot different, and I redshirted in my freshman year, but I feel just how I left high school. So this is really good.”
Sanchez started the Lobos scoring parade at the New Mexico Soccer and Track Complex after Fiona Jenkins — who ended up with a program-record three assists — wrestled the ball away from a defender and touched it forward. Sanchez collected it and charged at goal before blasting a no-doubter inside the far post.
“I saw an opening. I just had to hit it,” she said. “You know, you miss every chance you don’t take. So I just saw an opening, so I hit it.”
Sanchez is a dynamic, twitchy player used to seeing big minutes. So being a cheerleader last season was a tough decision, even if it was the right one.
“It was hard, for sure, but honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, because I wasn’t ready,” she said. “I was still learning. I was still growing. And I wouldn’t have been where I was tonight without sitting out a year and getting the experience under my belt.”
Sanchez said she used that time to not only hone her game, but tone her body.
“Just put my head down. Work hard,” she said of the attitude last season. “I learned from all the older girls, because I had to learn to get stronger and hold the ball up, because that’s my strength. But the weight room really helped because I’ve never really lifted before. But, honestly, last year, I just worked on the simple things, like what I’m good at, scoring goals and assisting others and making others around me better.”
Lobos coach Heather Dyche said it was rewarding to see Sanchez bust out so quickly.
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“Last season, we all thought it was best for her to redshirt, and she’s just put in time and energy and gotten stronger,” she said. “And I’m really, really proud of her, and I think it’s just the beginning.”
In Episode 4, Geoff catches up with UNM Women's soccer coach Heather Dyche on the eve of the 2025 season. What's the difference between preseason tired and midseason tired? How did her team get two first place votes in the preseason poll and still get picked just seventh? Who should we watch for? And what is her go-to, non-soccer activity to reset or recharge? (Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025)
What's up in 505 is a podcast aimed at getting Albuquerque sports stories in a format somewhere between an article and a long-form interview. The 5:05 time limit -- a target Geoff Grammer is really bad at hitting -- is a tip of the cap to the 505 area code that has belonged to New Mexico forever, and more specifically to central New Mexico in more recent years.
All What's up in 505 podcast episodes can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZTrx-x3UFTF8Fit4oo5saHGO3jFCxMew
And Geoff Grammer's other podcast, Talking Grammer, a long-form podcast aimed most often at the college basketball world, can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZTrx-x3UFTElk2NpM4WVFfRM2JiQDF-I
Many players who come in with the pedigree that Sanchez brought with 170 high school goals — the most for any New Mexico player dating back to at least 2002 — and another 67 assists can sometimes sulk when taking a redshirt season, but not Sanchez.
“I think a lot of players, when they when they face that, they break. And so she did the opposite,” Dyche said. “She just recognized the areas that she wanted to invest in. And I admire that, because it’s not easy to do when you’ve always been the big dog and all sudden, it’s not going as smoothly as you want it to. A lot of players react differently to that, but she never has. She’s just invested in herself, so it’s pretty cool to see.”
It was just a matter finding herself and improving her game.
“The transition from high school to college, it took her a bit to find her flow, and that’s okay,” Dyche said. “That happens to a lot of players, but she recognized that. So I think sometimes just that initial year to get your feet wet and get stronger and understand the system and adjust to the speed of play. And Savanah has been completely committed to her own development.”
For Sanchez, seeing her hard work pay off brought a bright smile to her face.
“That was one of the most happiest goals I’ve ever felt,” she said. “It was super simple, but my first actual college goal felt great.”
Perhaps the only thing that could rival it was finally stepping on the field as a Lobo.
“It was probably the best feeling I’ve ever felt,” she said. “I mean, getting to represent my hometown, what could be any better than that in front of home fans, my family, friends? It was amazing. I went to camps here when I was little, actually. So to actually be able to step on this field for the first time, it was amazing with my favorite people. They make it all worth it.”
