The Lobos snapped a two-game losing streak this past Saturday with their win against the San Jose Spartans. Even though the Lobos never trailed in the game, it still felt like an up-and-down affair, with the Lobo offense taking advantage of a weak Spartan defense to build leads, but the Lobo defense letting the Spartans get back into the game. Ultimately, the Lobos came away with a 48-41 win to move to 2-2 on the season, including a 1-0 record in conference play, and we came away with a few thoughts:
Men’s Soccer: LMU Match Preview
The Lobos (6-3-0, 1-1-0) take a break from Conference USA play with a non-conference match against LMU (6-4-0) tonight at the UNM Soccer Complex. While this match doesn’t affect the conference championship race, it does have impact on their quest for a national seed for the NCAA Tournament. LMU have a chance to give the Lobos a real challenge and this isn’t a game where the Lobos can just show up and win. It will be interesting to see how the two sides match up against each other, as both teams aren’t offensive powerhouses, but the Lobos are a great defensive team and LMU is a good defensive team. This game will be decided by which team can have players make a great effort in the final third and punch in a goal or two. As is the case with any match against the Lobos this season, the expectation will be a low scoring match unless the Lobos have an offensive explosion.
Women’s Soccer at Fresno State Preview
The Lobos (4-4-2, 0-2-0) return to road action this weekend with two key conference matches against San Jose State (5-2-3, 2-0-0) Friday and Fresno State on Sunday. This is a very important weekend for the Lobos after dropping to home matches to open up conference play last weekend. If the Lobos want to get back into the top tier of the conference, they need to get two results this weekend. The task won’t be easy on Friday, as they take on a very good SJSU squad. If the Lobos want to have a good shot at a win against SJSU, they must play well in the first half and hope they are able to play an even half or even have a lead at the half. The play of Maddie Irwin and Claire Lynch in the attacking third will play a huge part in this match.
Football vs. San Jose State Game Preview
After having an extra week to lick their wounds after a disappointing loss at Rutgers, the Lobos return to action against San Jose State, in what will serve as the conference season opener for both teams. Both teams have had their struggles this year and are undoubtedly looking to start the conference season out on a good note.
Men’s Soccer vs. FIU Preview
The Lobos (5-3-0) return to the 505 tonight for their first home conference match of the season. After dropping a 1-0 match against Kentucky in the conference opener, the Lobos look to take care of FIU (3-4-1, 1-1-0). This won’t be an easy match for the Lobos, but this could have the making of an offensive breakout for them. While FIU has controlled the amount of shots they have given up, they have allowed a goal on almost every 9 shots. I could also see this becoming a match were FIU could get into trouble early with a red card and have to play a man down for most of the match. If this is the case, the Lobos could open the floodgates and make this an ugly game. The Lobo defense really has just one player to stop and should be able to just that. I am very intrigued to see how this match plays out, and I just hope that the Lobos don’t get involved with FIU physical play, but can stick to their own style.
Women’s Soccer at SJSU Preview
The Lobos (4-4-2, 0-2-0) return to road action this weekend with two key conference matches against San Jose State (5-2-3, 2-0-0) Friday and Fresno State on Sunday. This is a very important weekend for the Lobos after dropping to home matches to open up conference play last weekend. If the Lobos want to get back into the top tier of the conference, they need to get two results this weekend. The task won’t be easy on Friday, as they take on a very good SJSU squad. If the Lobos want to have a good shot at a win against SJSU, they must play well in the first half and hope they are able to play an even half or even have a lead at the half. The play of Maddie Irwin and Claire Lynch in the attacking third will play a huge part in this match.
Cross Country Season Preview
Tomorrow, the Lobo cross country teams will see their first real action of the year when they head to South Bend, Indiana for the Notre Dame Invitational. For the women, it will be the first step towards defending a national title, which is still awesome to think about. For the men, it will be the first step towards returning to their rightful place as one of the nation’s top teams. Both teams have a lot of new faces, but are filled with talent, which could lead to another eventful year.
Weekly Soccer Recap (9/28/16)
This past weekend, both soccer teams started their conference play and, unfortunately, didn’t get the results that they wanted. They’ll look to get back to their winning ways this weekend, with the women taking to the road and the men coming back home. Read more
Where Things Stand for Lobo Football
We’re only a few weeks into the college football season, but it’s already been an eventful season for the Lobos, particularly with two consecutive gut-punch losses heading into a break. With the team having a bye week this past weekend and conference play starting in earnest this weekend, I figured that it would be a good time to see where things stand for the Lobos and the conference, and look to see where they go from here.
Men’s Soccer at Kentucky Match Preview
The Lobos (5-2-0) will open their Conference USA schedule with a tough road test at Kentucky (4-2-1, 0-1-0). The Lobos look to get past their struggles the last two years in C-USA play and get back in the hunt for a conference title. This matchup will be very interesting to watch, as both teams play a very similar style of soccer, playing tough defense while looking for chances to counter-attack to score goals. This match will be decided by which team can make the most of their limited opportunities. The Lobos will need Niko Hansen and Chris Wehan to come up big in this match, as a win tonight would put the Lobos in good shape for the conference title after just one match.