The Lobos and Spartans square off in a key Mountain West conference Friday night at UNM Soccer Complex at 7 PM. This match will have a lot to say about who will end up being the regular season champion, as SJSU is currently tied with SDSU for the conference lead, two points ahead of the Lobos. It will be interesting to see how many Lobo fans will be in attendance with the Lobo Howl at the same time as the match, so hopefully there are plenty of fans in the mood for some soccer. A key factor to watch for in this match will be the weather. Depending on if the wind dies down or not, it could dictate how the teams will play in order to take the wind out of the match. It will be key for the Lobos to be able to put pressure on the Spartans and find an early goal in the match.
Author: Zach
Men’s Soccer vs. Valparaiso Recap
It was a most eventful night to be at the UNM Soccer Complex for the match featuring the Lobos and the Crusaders, and that was even before the game actually began. The match started 40 plus minutes late, as the west sidelights were unable to turn on. The Crusaders and the Lobos eventually agreed to start the match with just the one bank of lights and it didn’t take long for the Lobos to get on the board, when Sam Gleadle found Chris Wehan in the first minute for a goal that gave the Lobos an early 1-0 lead. The goal was Wehan’s ninth goal of the season and marked only the second match this season in which the Lobos scored in the first half. The rest of the first half didn’t have much excitement, with most of the Crusaders shots coming from way out side the 18 yard box and the only other great chance for the Lobos was when Niko Hansen hit the post in his chance to give the Lobos a 2-0 lead.
Men’s Soccer vs. Valparaiso Preview
After a tough loss on the road against nationally-ranked Old Dominion, the Lobos return to Albuquerque to take on a solid Valparaiso team from the Horizon League. This is a very important match for the Lobos to rebound after a 0-3-0 start to the Conference USA schedule. The Lobos have seemingly lost all of their momentum built during the non-conference slate and must pick up results in almost all their remaining matches to have a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament. While this is a tough task, the Lobos still have talent. They need to come together as a unit and find a way to come out of this match with the victory. They also have to find a way to play better in the first half so they don’t keep on putting pressure on themselves to come from behind in the second half.
Women’s Soccer Road Trip Recap
It was a successful road trip for the Lobos, as they got a 0-0 draw against Wyoming and a 2-1 win against CSU. The results improved the Lobos to 3-0-1 on the road during conference play and making their conference record 4-1-1 with five matches left to play. This also improved their overall season record to 6-6-1 after starting the season 2-5-0. The Lobos have found their stride and it will be interesting to see how these last five matches play out. The Lobos are in 3rd place right now, two points behind SDSU and SJSU who are both 5-1-0, but the Lobos will play both sides at home during the five matches, so they will certainly have their opportunities to win the conference.
Men’s Soccer at Old Dominion Recap
The start to the Conference USA season has not been what the Lobos were hoping for, finding themselves at 0-3-0 after three matches. Saturday was another example of playing on relatively even terms but struggling to find the net, especially in the first half. The Lobos need to find their stride again or their season could end up just like last season, where they missed the NCAA Tournament with a talented squad. I believe that they will regroup and find a way to make the NCAA Tournament. If they do, they will be a side that other teams won’t want to face.
Men’s Soccer at Old Dominion Preview
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.
State of the Programs: Part 2
At long last, here is the second part of our look at the state of the various UNM Athletics programs. Previously, we looked at the programs that have been struggling recently and whose immediate goals are to be in the conversation for a conference title. This time, we’ll look at the programs that are already there and whose goals are to be relevant on a national scale. In the final installment, which we swear will happen at some point, we’ll take a look at the programs who are already competing for national titles.
Women’s Soccer at Wyoming Preview
The Lobo women’s soccer team heads north this weekend to take on the Wyoming Cowgirls on Friday night in a key Mountain West match-up. This is a very important game for both teams, as they try to position themselves to be in contention for the regular season title. Both teams are also looking to rebound from their losses on Sunday and are wanting to avoid going on a losing streak. The Lobos need to put pressure early on the Cowgirls and find the first goal of the match, because it is unknown how the elevation at Wyoming (7,200 ft.) will affect the Lobos in this match. If the elevation doesn’t affect the Lobos, they will be able to play this match out like they do everywhere else.
Men’s Soccer vs. Kentucky Recap
The Lobo Men’s soccer team had another tough loss in overtime to start out its conference home slate, losing 1-0 in 2OT to Kentucky. The loss moves the Lobos to 6-3-1 overall and 0-2-0 in conference play, desperately needing to gain back the momentum they had during their 5 match win streak. This loss is nowhere close to the end of the Lobos season, as they have plenty of matches left and still have time to improve their ranking and seeding come NCAA tournament time. Look for the Lobos to work on things to improve their first half attack.
Men’s Soccer vs. San Francisco Recap
New Mexico Men’s Soccer came back home after a tough loss in its Conference USA opener against South Carolina to play a non-conference game against University of San Francisco. The Dons (2-9-0) were a team that seemed to promise a great confidence-boosting opportunity and give Coach Fishbein the chance to give important players minutes off the pitch and give bench players a chance to play in a match. That promise was delivered, as the Lobos improved their record to (6-2-1, 0-1-0) with a 3-0 win against the Dons.