After a heartbreaking loss to SDSU in the regular season finale, the Lobos are the #3 seed in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, which starts today. This is a six-team field with the top 2 seeds getting first found byes, with games on Tuesday, Thursday, and the Championship match on Saturday. It is very simple for the Lobos, they must win the tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. That said, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they were able to win this tournament, considering how well they have played on the road this season. SDSU is the favorite in this tournament, as they are both the #1 seed and host of the tournament and they have only lost one conference match this season. However, after SDSU it is a wide-open field.
Author: Zach
Men’s Soccer At FIU Match Recap
The Lobos got a much-needed result on Saturday night in its match against #25 FIU. It was a very important result because it allowed the Lobos to keep the seven seed for the Conference USA tournament and, with only one match left at home against last place FAU on Friday, gives them the edge to make the tournament. I was glad to see that the Lobos picked up their play after the match against Charlotte and in a match that I didn’t know how Lobos would respond, the coaches and players came out and played a very good match to get another point in the standings.
Men’s Soccer at FIU Preview
UNM heads to Miami to take on FIU in an absolute must-win match for the Lobos, who are currently 7th in the conference standings and only the top 7 teams reach the Conference USA Tournament. The Lobos have to bring energy and passion from the first whistle, or they can be seeing their season come to a disappointing end for the second straight year. This won’t be an easy match for the Lobos, as they face a solid FIU side who are also looking to make the conference tournament. FIU won’t give the Lobos this game, so the Lobos have to earn it. The first twenty minutes will tell us which Lobos side showed up. If it is the team from the first half of the season, they will probably win this match. However, if it is the team that has been playing since conference play started, the Lobos will be in trouble. I expect we will see some lineup changes in hope that it will bring new energy to the pitch.
Women’s Soccer vs. San Diego State Preview
The Lobos host their senior night and last home game of the year tonight when they host regular season champion SDSU. While SDSU has the number one seed locked up and are hosting the conference tournament, the Lobos have plenty to play for. They are in second place in the conference right now, but are only a point ahead of SJSU for the number two seed. I expect we see the Lobos bring everything they have to win this match, although I don’t know if SDSU will play their starters their normal minutes in order to rest them for the tournament. This could very well be the championship match of the tournament next weekend with the Lobos NCAA Tournament hopes on the line. If SDSU does play this match straight up, they will be the clear favorite in this match.
Weekly Roundup (10/29/15)
This is our weekly round up which will look at what happened in Lobo Sports in the last week and look ahead to the games and events that the week ahead will have for Lobo Sports. This will not be game previews or game recaps instead it will look at awards awarded to Lobo players, the outcome of games, as well as giving you a one post location for the week ahead.
Men’s Soccer vs. Charlotte Recap
Tuesday night was not a good evening for Lobos, as they got dominated by a very solid Charlotte team and lost the match 2-0. The Lobos energy level and sense of urgency didn’t seem to show up last night and there were several times I wondered just what was going on with the team. In the 14-plus years that I have been following Lobo soccer, this was the most disappointed I have been with the effort of a Lobo side. The Lobos better turn the switch on, or they will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, and possibly even miss the Conference USA Tournament.
Men’s Soccer Charlotte Match Preview
The Lobos return home today for a very important match against Conference USA leading 49ers. The Lobos are coming off a disappointing tie against Marshall, where they outplayed Marshall and had two headers that seemed headed for goals only to be cleared by defenders at the last second. It is important for the Lobos to build off the last three matches where they are 1-0-2, as if the Lobos want to make the NCAA Tournament, they need to continue to get results and find ways to make the most of the chances they create. Look for both sides in this match to play their style of play, with a lot of space to create, so taking care of the ball in the midfield will be imperative for the Lobos if they want to win this match. This will be a very exciting match so make plans to go out to UNM Soccer Complex and plan to lose your voice.
Men’s Soccer at Marshall Preview
The Lobos head to West Virginia to take on a struggling Marshall team that is looking for their first Conference USA win. The Lobos are coming off their thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win against UAB on Sunday, where they rallied from a 2-0 second half deficit to win the game in regulation. This is a very important match for the Lobos, as they look to get back on a roll after their early conference struggles. A Lobos loss in this match would not be good for their NCAA Tournament hopes, so I expect for the Lobos to come out and take care of Marshall from the first whistle. It will be interesting to see if the Lobos can control the pace of the game, as I expect for Marshall to pack it in on the backline and try to steal the match from the better Lobo side.
Women’s Soccer vs. Colorado College Preview
The Lobos head up I-25 this weekend to take on Colorado College and Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Lobos play Air Force on Sunday, so the focus today is the match between the 3rd place Lobos and the 4th place Tigers. If you’re surprised by this being a conference matchup, remember that although Colorado College is a D-III college, they are a D-I women’s soccer program, which allows them to be an affiliate member of the Mountain West Conference and allows the conference to have 12 teams playing women’s soccer. Both the Tigers and the Lobos are looking to secure their spot in the Mountain West Championship, which the top six teams qualify for, and this match will likely decide which of these teams ends up with a better seed in the tournament. It will be interesting to see what the field conditions will be like this afternoon after the all the rain the last two days. The Lobos will need to be careful with every pass they make and be extra careful with every clearance on the back line. I view these teams as being very even, so this match truly can go either way.
Weekly Roundup (10/21/15)
This is our weekly round up which will look at what happened in Lobo Sports in the last week and look ahead to the games and events that the week ahead will have for Lobo Sports. This will not be game previews or game recaps instead it will look at awards awarded to Lobo players, the outcome of games, as well as giving you a one post location for the week ahead.