The Lobos (7-3-1, 2-1-1) look to extend their three-match win streak as they host UAB (3-4-3, 0-3-1) in a big C-USA match for the Lobos. After starting the season 0-2 with two road losses in Seattle, the Lobos have gone 7-1-1 over their last 9 matches. The only loss during this 9 match streak was a 1-0 loss to Kentucky, with the lone goal coming with seconds left in the first half on a penalty kick. The Lobos are playing at a high level right now and will be in the hunt for the C-USA regular season title. The key for the Lobos isn’t to worry about winning the title, but taking each match as an opportunity to earn the right to host NCAA Tournament matches. I mentioned this on Twitter, but the Lobos have the ability to win all the remaining matches on their schedule. If the Lobos go into the conference tournament with a 13-3-1, 12-4-1, or 12-3-2 record, they will be in the hunt for a top-16 seed.
Author: Zach
Women’s Soccer at Air Force Preview
The Lobos (9-5, 4-2) make an important road trip to Colorado Springs this weekend to take on Air Force (6-4-1, 3-0-3) and Colorado College. The Lobos are tied for second place in the conference with UNLV and Air Force, just one point behind SJSU with five matches remaining in the regular season. There is still a lot to be determined for the conference tournament and where the Lobos stand the race. For the second straight season, there will most likely be a team with a winning record that won’t make the tournament. The Lobos have played well this season, with only momentary lapses leading to their two conference losses. If the Lobos are able to go 2-0-0 this weekend, they should be a lock to make the tournament.
Men’s Soccer vs. Kentucky
The Lobos (4-2-0, 0-0-0) will be the final team in Conference USA to start conference play this season when they host #13 Kentucky (4-1-1, 1-0-0) Saturday night at the UNM Soccer Complex. After winning their last four matches while outscoring opponents 11-3, the Lobos look to have found their passing and attacking game, and it couldn’t come at a better time. This will be one of the most important games in conference play this year, as both sides figure to be in the conference title race. Over the past three years, the two teams have played four matches, with UK holding a 3-0-1 advantage. However, that record is a little misleading, given that each of the three wins were 1-0 matches. Look for the trend of low-scoring games in this matchup to continue, as both teams are defensive-minded sides.
Men’s Soccer vs. CSUN Preview
The Lobos (2-2-0) return home after a dominating performance on the road against Marquette. They will host their annual Pat Grange and Ben Ashwill Invitational this weekend, where they will play Cal State University Northridge (CSUN) on Friday and UC Irvine on Sunday. The Lobos look to have things rolling after struggling to find offense in their two matches in Seattle, scoring only 1 goal in those two matches, both losses. Since then, the Lobos have scored 7 goals in their two matches while allowing only 1 goal. The Lobos will look to keep it going this weekend before they start conference play next week, and they should be able to go 2-0-0 this weekend to enter conference play with a 4-2-0 record.
2017 Men’s Soccer Season Preview
The 2017 season is finally upon us for the Lobo Men’s Soccer program, marking the 16th year of the Coach Fishbein Era. The Lobos are coming off a 12-7-3 season (4-3-1 in Conference USA play), which came with the conference tournament crown and a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament before losing at Washington. The 2016 season was an interesting one, as aside from that loss at Washington, all of their losses were by a single goal. Where is gets even stranger is that three of the losses came with the other team scoring their goals on penalty kicks, and two other losses were they lost in 2OT. In other words, the 2016 Lobos were extremely close to being in the conversation as one of the all-time greatest Lobo teams, instead of “just” a very solid squad.
Women’s Soccer: Lobo Invitational Recap and NMSU Preview
Over the weekend, the Lobo Women’s Soccer team (1-1-0) hosted their annual Lobo Invitational. In the opener against San Francisco, the Lobos scored in the 3rd minute of the match, but ended up falling 2-1. In the second match of the weekend against Grand Canyon, the Lobos controlled the match from the first minute and won the match 1-0. While the Lobos had hoped for a 2-0 weekend, a 1-1-0 weekend while playing well is something the coaching staff will take every week. The San Francisco match was played at even terms, with the neither team taking complete control of possession or field position, making the match basically a 50/50 battle. The Grand Canyon match, on the other hand, was played on the Lobos terms and the 1-0 result doesn’t show how well the Lobos played. In the match, the Lobos beat the keeper 3 more times, but hit the post each time, so the score should been at least 2-0 or even 4-0. There are many things that caught my eye over the course of the two matches, mostly positives, and a few things that I would guess the team is going to focus on correcting.
Women’s Soccer 2017 Preview: Part 2
Women’s Soccer 2017 Preview: Part 1
Year 3 of the Heather Dyche era (coincidently, also our third year) begins this weekend, as they host the Lobo Invitational. Last year was a success, as even though the Lobos (9-7-3, 5-5-1) didn’t make the MW Tournament (which only consists of the top six teams), the Lobos beat 3 of the top 4 teams last year and went 3-2-1 against the teams that made the tournament. The Lobos will be picked lower than they probably should be in the conference, but I think there are plenty of reasons for the Lobos to soar above the expectations. This season should be a great season for the Lobo program and could be the year that Dyche’s plan takes the huge leap from idea to reality.
A look back at the Paul Krebs Era
At the beginning of June, Paul Krebs announced that he was retiring from his post as the UNM Athletic Director at the end of the month. During his time at the helm of Lobo Athletics, the department had some of its best years, highlighted by a National Championship in Women’s Cross-Country in the fall of 2015. Krebs tenure had plenty of great things, but it is undeniable that there were some bad things that happened under his watch. To try to make sense of his legacy, here we look back at both the highs and the lows of the Krebs Era.
Vance Jackson, Lobo
We’re alive! And so is Lobo Basketball! It’s been a crazy summer so far for the boys in cherry and silver, so we’re going to look at a few of the things going on right now.