The Lobos head east to Norfolk Virginia to take on Old Dominion in a key Conference USA match. For the Lobos to have a chance to win the Conference USA title, they need to win this match. The Lobos haven’t gotten off to the start that they want in conference play, losing two heartbreakers, and have to try to get on track on the road against a very solid team. The Lobos are without the services of freshman defender Aaron Herrera who was called up for an USA U-20 tournament in Germany, so they will have to rely on someone else to stabilize the backline. For the Lobos to have a good shot in this match, they must solve their first half struggles. They have only scored in the first half in one match this year, with three goals against San Francisco, which won’t cut it for this game. They can’t afford to fall behind ODU and expect to come back and win this match.
Quick Match Facts:
Lobos:
- Outscoring opponents 14 to 9
- Outshooting opponents 134 to 131
- Outscored 5 to 3 in the first half
- Outscoring opponents 11 to 4 in the second half
- Five Lobos have scored a goal this year, but only two with multiple goals
- Chris Wehan leads with eight goals
ODU:
- Outscoring opponents 20 to 8
- Outshooting opponents 128 to 85, a 4.4 shot advantage per match
- Outscoring opponents 8 to 3 in the first half
- Outscoring opponents 12 to 5 in the second half
- Nine ODU players have scored goals, five of which have scored multiple goals
As we can see with these stats, ODU has been the more dominant team so far this season and the importance of the first half is very evident. If the Lobos are able to play on even terms in the first half, it allows the strong second half team to go to work.
Players to Watch:
Lobos:
The player to watch this match for the Lobos is sophomore goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu. Beaulieu is off to a solid start to the season and will need to be at his best tonight, as he will be faced with pressure for most of the match. He must keep his backline in sync tonight, as they will be playing their second match without Herrera so some of the chemistry might not be there immediately. Beaulieu needs to not make any mental mistakes and trust his instincts when coming off his line. I think he will be able to do this and give the Lobos a good chance at a result.
ODU:
ODU has a very balanced attack but I will keep my eye on senior midfielder Ivan Militar (2 g, 3a) to be the player for the Lobos to focus on stopping. Militar didn’t play last year, but two years ago he led ODU and Conference USA in assists with nine. If the Lobos are able to keep the ball away from Militar in dangerous areas, I like the Lobos chances of a result a whole lot more.
Prediction:
This is a match where the Lobos are without a doubt the underdog and there are a lot of things that must go right for the Lobos to win this match. I do believe that this will be a good match for both sides, and should be fun to watch. I put the odds of the Lobos winning this match at 33% and coming back home with a result at 58%. As much as I want to say the Lobos will win this match, I think that it will be a 2-2 draw. Hopefully I am wrong and the Lobos win 2-1. Here’s to a great match!
Match Information:
What: #20 New Mexico (6-3-1, 0-2-0) AT #12 Old Dominion (6-1-1, 2-0-1)
Where: ODU Soccer Complex, Norfolk Virginia
When: Saturday, October 10th at 5 PM MT
Stream: ODU’s Website (Costs $10)