The Lobos played their last exhibition game of the season Friday night against Rogers State, and while it is hard to get a feel of rotations and how improved players are over last year, here are some of my observations from the Rogers State game.
Men’s Soccer vs. FAU Match Recap
The Lobos needed a win on Senior Night this past Friday to lock up a spot in the Conference USA Tournament and they found it with a convincing 3-0 win. It looked a little dicey there for the first 70 minutes of the match, as the Lobos hadn’t found a goal, but the Lobos controlled the match from start to finish. Although they were held scoreless for a while, they did find the post two times and had a few other dangerous chances, which made it seem as though a goal was inevitable.
Lobos Stifle Utah State
Towards the end of the game, I found myself shivering in University Stadium. The Utah State Aggies were driving down the field and were looking like they were going to give themselves a decent chance to kick a field goal to take their first lead of the game with only a minute remaining. Sure, I was nervous, but if I’m being honest, the real reason I was shivering is because I was cold and hadn’t prepared for the wind. I couldn’t complain, though, as that same wind was what made a 41 yard field goal attempt go wide right to give the Lobos their first best win since Rocky Long was the head coach.
Women’s Basketball vs NMHU Preview
After a convincing, comfortable win against Western New Mexico in their first exhibition game, the Lobos will put the finishing touches on their preseason by hosting New Mexico Highlands. The first game was a great coming-out party for the freshmen and also was a good display of the level of talent that this team has from top to bottom. This game should be more of the same, mostly serving as a great chance to get to know the entire roster.
Football Game 9 Preview: Utah State
Here it is, the final stretch of the season. The team is sitting at 4-4, including 2-2 in conference play, and still have dreams of making a bowl game. However, they’re about to run into the toughest part of their schedule, starting this week at home against Utah State. The Aggies have already taken down Boise State this season and they have their sights set on winning the conference. Coming off a bye week to prepare and get healthy, the Lobos are looking to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Men’s Soccer vs. FAU Preview
Friday Night is Senior Night and the final home match of the 2015 Lobo Men’s Soccer season. This also has ended up being a match that will decide whether or not the Lobos will make the Conference USA Tournament. It is real simple for the Lobos: win and you’re in, so their fate is completely in their hands. FAU right now is in last place in the conference, but they have plenty to play for, as if they win they also have a shot to make the tournament. I believe that we will see the good Lobos side tonight, which should equate to a comfortable win. The Lobos must start of this match with energy and find a first half goal to set the tone for the game, something they’ve only done in two matches this season.
Quest for a Bowl Game: Home Stretch
After taking a week off for the bye, we’re back to looking at the Lobo’s path to bowl eligibility. The loss to San Jose State certainly didn’t help things, but the team still feel okay about their situation, needing to pick up just two wins in their final four games, three of which are at home. The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the team, as it gave them a chance to get healed and rested as they enter the toughest part of their schedule.
Men’s Basketball vs. Rogers State Preview
After a not-as-comfortable-as-we-hoped win against CSU-Pueblo, the Lobos return to action Friday for another exhibition game, this time against Rogers State. The D-II Hillcats are coming off of a game against future UNM opponent Oral Roberts where they hung tight with the Golden Eagles for most of the game before eventually falling 82-74, meaning that the Lobos weren’t the only ones with a less-than-stellar opener against a lower division team. That also means that the Lobos need to be ready, as the Hillcats are going to come in thinking that they can pull out a victory.
Women’s Soccer: MW Tournament Update and SJSU Match Preview
A 2-0 win for the #3 seed Lobos over the #6 seed UNLV sets up Thursday’s semifinal match against #2 seed SJSU. On the other side of the bracket, #5 seed Colorado College won a 1-0 match against #4 seed Wyoming to set up the other semifinal against host and #1 seed SDSU. The semifinals will take place Thursday evening with the UNM vs. SJSU as the first match followed by Colorado College vs. SDSU. Lobos suffered a 2-1 home loss against SJSU in the regular season, which ultimately ended up being the difference between the two teams in the standings.
Men’s Basketball vs. CSU Pueblo Game Thoughts
Lobo Men’s Basketball kicked off their season with an exhibition against CSU-Pueblo in a game the Lobos ended up winning 96-84. Exhibitions are always hard to really take anything out of for a few reasons such as different rotations, no scouting, and different styles of play. I won’t focus too much on the actual game, but instead focus on some observations that I picked up on during the game.