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.
Women’s Soccer vs Colorado College Match Preview
The Lobos (4-2-2) open their Mountain West Conference schedule this weekend with matches against two Colorado Springs teams. First, they will take on Colorado College (4-4-0) tonight in Albuquerque. The Lobos look to continue their six-match unbeaten streak, and they have a good shot at doing so. The Lobos should be able to control play against Colorado College, but it will be important for the Lobos to find a first half goal to put the Tigers on the ropes. If they are able to find a first half goal, I could see it getting ugly in the second half. To do so, the Lobos will need to apply pressure throughout the course of the match, much like they did against NMSU last weekend. I like the Lobos in this conference opener, which is a match that they can’t drop if they want to win the regular season championship.
Weekly Soccer Recap (9/21/16)
After three straight weekends of playing two games each, both Lobo soccer teams took it a little easy this week with only one match. They made those matches count, however, with the women pulling out a 2-0 win against NMSU in their first home game while the men took to the road to beat UC Irvine 3-1. Both teams are on a roll right now, which is great timing, as conference play starts this weekend.
Thoughts on Lobo Football’s Loss against Rutgers
The Lobos had a brunch-time matchup today with Rutgers, looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to NMSU and come home with a 2-1 record. For a quarter, it looked like that was going to happen, and comfortably, as they quickly jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Then, while playing one of the most disastrous quarters in recent memory, they allowed Rutgers to score 31 straight points, setting up a 37-28 loss.
Women’s Soccer vs. NMSU Preview
The Lobos (3-2-2) finally get to have their first home match of the season and it happens to be against their in-state rival, NMSU Aggies (2-6-0). The Lobos are playing well right now and will look to make a statement in front of the home fans. Last season, the Lobos played better on the road, so they will be looking to improve their play at home this season, which should start tonight against a struggling Aggies side. If the Lobos are able to find an early first-half goal, it is possible that this game could get ugly.
Catching up with Lobo Men’s Soccer
After starting the season with two 1-0 losses, the Lobos got back to their winning ways with four straight shutouts to improve to 4-2-0. It is remarkable that in the six regular season and 3 exhibition matches, the Lobos have yet to give up a goal in game action (allowing only 2 penalty goals). As mentioned in our season preview, this year’s defense has a chance to be one of the best defensive teams in the country, and it has been looking the part. There are many positives to take from these last two weekends, and maybe a couple of concerns to look out for.
Lobo Football at Rutgers Preview
After a surprising and devastating loss to their in-state rivals, the Lobos apparently decided to get as far away from New Mexico as they can. They’ll be in New Jersey this weekend, taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in hopes of rebounding from their loss to the Aggies. It feels like an opportunity for the Lobos to pick up a nice win while collecting a big paycheck, but they’ll have to overcome the absence of a couple of key players to do so.
Pat Grange and Ben Ashwill Memorial
This past weekend at the Grange and Ashwill Memorial Tournament, we not only saw some great soccer be played, we were able to pay our respects to a couple of Lobo legends and also be reminded of how fragile life is. Pat Grange and Ben Ashwill may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten and their legacy will continue as long as this program is around.