After another underwhelming performance, losing 24-10 to Utah State, Lobo Football has now lost four in a row and has their bowl chances hanging by a thread. Unfortunately, next on the docket is Texas A&M, where the Lobos will face a hostile crowd on the Aggies’ senior night. It’s certainly not impossible, but the Lobos will need a great performance to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Women’s Soccer: MW Championship Preview
The Lobos (12-7-2) are in the Mountain West Championship Match tonight, after forcing two draws and ultimately advancing in the shoot-outs against FSU and SJSU. They will take on SDSU (11-7-2), who won their first match of the tournament in the Semifinals with a 1-0 win over BSU. So far during the tournament, the Lobos have had ups and downs, but in the end it is all smiles, having tied and advanced to the championship. For both teams, this match will be a win and advance to the NCAA Tournament, or lose and go home.
Lobo Football vs Utah State
Last week’s game was…. not great. The Lobos went to Wyoming and looked completely out of sorts, allowing 42 first-half points on the way to a 42-3 drubbing. On the bright side, they won the second half 3-0. On whatever the opposite of the bright side is, everything else. That leaves the Lobos with a 3-5 record, needing to win three of their remaining four games to assure themselves a third-straight bowl game. If that happens, one of those games almost certainly has to be this one against Utah State. With their backs against the wall, I like to think that the Lobos will be ready for the challenge.
Lobo Football at Wyoming Preview
The Lobos bounced back last week against a good Colorado State team, but ultimately couldn’t pull off the upset. I didn’t have great expectations for the Lobos going into that game, but given the way the game went, it felt like a missed opportunity. After all, if the holding penalty had been called a safety, if they had scored quickly at the end of the game, if that last pass had been ruled a completion, or any number of small things that happened in the game, they could have walked out with a win. It’s amazing how those small things stick in your mind in a close loss…
Regardless, the season marches forward and the Lobos still have work to do. They’re in Wyoming this weekend, looking to repeat last season’s performance against the Cowboys with a solid drubbing of the boys in brown. A win will get their season back on track, while a loss will make things really difficult. Needless to say, this is an important one.
Lobo Football vs. CSU Preview
The Lobos got absolutely steamrolled last weekend at Fresno State, losing 38-0, so one has to think that they’re ready to get back on the field to forget about that beating. Unfortunately, their opponent, Colorado State, is another team that the Lobos haven’t had much success against in the recent past. It won’t be easy, but with the Lobos’ backs against the wall, I’m not going to count them out.
Men’s Soccer vs. UAB Match Preview
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.
Lobo Football at Fresno State Preview
Wow, it feels like it’s been a long time since we’ve had a Lobo football game, doesn’t it? Well, that changes today, as they get back to action in Fresno. The Lobos are currently riding a two-game winning streak and are looking to stay on a run, but Fresno is on a little streak of their own. Should be a fun one.
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.
Scattered Football Thoughts: Tulsa Pregame
After a tough loss at Boise last Thursday, the Lobos get back to action this morning with a road game against Tulsa. Both teams have had rough starts to the season, which has all of the sudden turned this game into must-win for both sides. And with the Lobos as banged up as they are, they’ll need to pull out all the stops to grab that much-needed victory.
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.