Just when it looked like the Lobos were going to have their bowl dreams shattered by Hawaii, a series of unexpected events allowed the Lobos to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and go on dreaming just a little longer. With that victory, the Lobos now are just two wins away from becoming bowl eligible with five games remaining. As Rick Wright pointed out yesterday, we’ve seen this exact situation a couple of years ago and the Lobos weren’t able to finish the season off. This week gives the team their first opportunity to prove that history won’t be repeated this year.
Cross Country: Wisconsin adidas Invitational Recap
This past Friday, the UNM men’s and women’s cross country teams headed up to Madison, WI for the Wisconsin adidas Invitational to compete against some of the top teams in the country. In the Men’s 8k, 28 of the 36 teams competing were either ranked or receiving votes in the national polls while in the Women’s 6k, 20 of the 36 teams were ranked. The men held their own, finishing 23rd in the stacked field while showing some positive signs for the rest of the season. The women were the real story of the day, giving an incredible, record-setting performance to dominate the field.
UNM Football: Lobos Shock Hawaii in Comeback Win
With a little over two minutes left in Saturday’s game, Hawaii lined up for a 22 yard field goal that would have put them up by nine against the Lobos, effectively ending the game and any hopes the Lobos had at a bowl game. I would be lying if I said I had much confidence at that point. In fact, I was already starting to formulate this post in my mind, thinking that it would basically be a eulogy for the team’s season. Instead, Hawaii’s kicker hooked the attempt to the left and the Lobos were back from the dead.
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.
A Different Way of Looking at Basketball Team Strength
At last, our long national nightmare is over! Lobo Hoops is back! With tonight being the Lobo Howl, I thought that it would be fun to show some analyses that I’ve been playing around with that provide a slightly different way of measuring team strength and using that to look back at the last couple of Mountain West Conference seasons.
Football Game 7 Preview: Hawaii
After recording two wins against teams that are still winless, the Lobos had their momentum stopped in Reno, losing to the Wolfpack in a disappointing game. They have a great chance of recovering some of that momentum this weekend, though, when a struggling Hawaii team comes to town. And they will need to if they want to still have a shot at a bowl game. It’s the homecoming game this weekend, so here’s to hoping that the team puts on a good performance for the alums.
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.