At long last, here is the second part of our look at the state of the various UNM Athletics programs. Previously, we looked at the programs that have been struggling recently and whose immediate goals are to be in the conversation for a conference title. This time, we’ll look at the programs that are already there and whose goals are to be relevant on a national scale. In the final installment, which we swear will happen at some point, we’ll take a look at the programs who are already competing for national titles.
Football Game 6 Preview: Nevada
The Lobos take to the road again this weekend for a lupine battle, as they head to Reno to take on Nevada in a conference match-up. A win on Saturday would put UNM just two wins away from bowl eligibility and mark the first time that the Lobos have had a three-game winning streak since 2007. Nevada is coming off a bad home loss against rival UNLV, so the Lobos should expect to be facing a slightly desperate, very motivated team.
Women’s Soccer at Wyoming Preview
The Lobo women’s soccer team heads north this weekend to take on the Wyoming Cowgirls on Friday night in a key Mountain West match-up. This is a very important game for both teams, as they try to position themselves to be in contention for the regular season title. Both teams are also looking to rebound from their losses on Sunday and are wanting to avoid going on a losing streak. The Lobos need to put pressure early on the Cowgirls and find the first goal of the match, because it is unknown how the elevation at Wyoming (7,200 ft.) will affect the Lobos in this match. If the elevation doesn’t affect the Lobos, they will be able to play this match out like they do everywhere else.
Men’s Soccer vs. Kentucky Recap
The Lobo Men’s soccer team had another tough loss in overtime to start out its conference home slate, losing 1-0 in 2OT to Kentucky. The loss moves the Lobos to 6-3-1 overall and 0-2-0 in conference play, desperately needing to gain back the momentum they had during their 5 match win streak. This loss is nowhere close to the end of the Lobos season, as they have plenty of matches left and still have time to improve their ranking and seeding come NCAA tournament time. Look for the Lobos to work on things to improve their first half attack.
Quest for a Bowl Game: Feeling Good After Five
Beating the Aggies is always sweet but this one might actually be a little bit sweeter. Not only did they mount a great comeback through an effective offense and a stifling defense in the second half, they picked up their third win, leaving them to only need to find three wins in their remaining seven games.
Notre Dame XC Invitational: Women Win, Men Take 9th
The UNM Cross Country teams went up to Indiana this past Friday to compete in the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, coming away with a win for the women and a 9th place finish for the men. This being their first real event of the season, the teams have to be encouraged by their performances.
UNM Football: A Tale of Two Halves
The Lobos were given a scare yesterday against New Mexico State, finding themselves down 15 early in the second half before a furious comeback allowed them to walk away with a 38-29 victory. The Lobos have now won four straight match-ups against the Aggies in the Rio Grande Rivalry, which also means that Coach Davie has never lost a game to the team down south. The win also improves the Lobos to 3-2 on the season, putting them halfway towards bowl eligibility.
Football Game 5 Preview: New Mexico State
After an encouraging weekend up in Wyoming, the Lobos (2-2) head home to face their in-state rivals, New Mexico State University (0-3). Aside from the three year stretch 2009-2011 (hmm… I wonder what was going on with the team then?), the Lobos have been dominating the Rio Grande Rivalry in recent years and look to continue that dominance on Saturday.
Men’s Soccer vs. San Francisco Recap
New Mexico Men’s Soccer came back home after a tough loss in its Conference USA opener against South Carolina to play a non-conference game against University of San Francisco. The Dons (2-9-0) were a team that seemed to promise a great confidence-boosting opportunity and give Coach Fishbein the chance to give important players minutes off the pitch and give bench players a chance to play in a match. That promise was delivered, as the Lobos improved their record to (6-2-1, 0-1-0) with a 3-0 win against the Dons.
Men’s Soccer AT South Carolina Recap
This past weekend, New Mexico Men’s Soccer went to South Carolina to open their Conference USA season and played an even match with a lot of emotional swings for both sides. South Carolina was able to score early, when a cross was sent in to the six-yard box and found the body of Kevin Walker in just the 3rd minute for his third goal of the season. It appeared that the Lobos would find themselves down 2-0 when Walker got free again, but his shot on an open goal found the cross bar and the Lobos were able to clear the ball. The Lobos did have a 6 to 3 shot advantage in the first half, but they, like all year, were unable to find the net in the first half and were down 1-0 after 45 minutes.