The Lobos (7-4-2, 1-3-0) were looking for their first win of their Conference USA season against UAB Blazers (4-8-0, 1-3-0) and they found what they where looking for in dramatic fashion. It has been a surprise that after their great start to the regular season the Lobos would start the conference season 0-3-0 and be in trouble of missing the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos needed a win and hopefully this will be the beginning of a long winning streak over the final four conference matches.
Author: Zach
Men’s Soccer vs. UAB Preview
It has been a disappointing start to the Conference USA schedule for both New Mexico and UAB, as they both look to get their seasons back on track in their match Sunday night in Albuquerque. The Lobos have played well for the most part, but haven’t been able to find results that they wanted in the last five matches. The Lobos’ NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive, but they need to start getting results or they will miss the Tournament for the second straight season. Look for the Lobos to come out with enough fire and passion to find the win they have been looking for. This should be a very entertaining match with a lot of action on the attacking sides.
Women’s Soccer vs. Fresno State Match Preview
Coming off a tough overtime loss Friday night against San Jose State, the Lobos return to action Sunday afternoon to take on the Bulldogs of Fresno State. The Lobos need to get the win in this match to still have a realistic chance to win the regular season conference championship. They will need to make the most of their chances in this match and find at least one first half goal to put pressure on the Bulldogs. I believe that the Lobos will be able to control the match from the first whistle and shouldn’t have much trouble with the Bulldogs. That being said, you still have to stick to your game plan and bring your best game because you don’t know what the Bulldogs are going to bring. This will be an interesting match to see how it plays out; this will be evident when we look at the season stats for both teams.
Women’s Soccer vs. San Jose State Preview
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.
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.