After a couple of momentum-building wins that put the team in a good position to become bowl eligible, the Lobos hit a wall against Nevada, damaging their bowl prospects. This week saw the biggest change in their probability of becoming bowl eligible that we’ve seen this season, so maybe it’s not so surprising that it seems to correspond with how down about the season some fans appear to be. This loss makes next week’s game against Hawaii a must-win scenario if the team wants to have a realistic shot at making a bowl game.
Women’s Soccer Road Trip Recap
It was a successful road trip for the Lobos, as they got a 0-0 draw against Wyoming and a 2-1 win against CSU. The results improved the Lobos to 3-0-1 on the road during conference play and making their conference record 4-1-1 with five matches left to play. This also improved their overall season record to 6-6-1 after starting the season 2-5-0. The Lobos have found their stride and it will be interesting to see how these last five matches play out. The Lobos are in 3rd place right now, two points behind SDSU and SJSU who are both 5-1-0, but the Lobos will play both sides at home during the five matches, so they will certainly have their opportunities to win the conference.
Men’s Soccer at Old Dominion Recap
The start to the Conference USA season has not been what the Lobos were hoping for, finding themselves at 0-3-0 after three matches. Saturday was another example of playing on relatively even terms but struggling to find the net, especially in the first half. The Lobos need to find their stride again or their season could end up just like last season, where they missed the NCAA Tournament with a talented squad. I believe that they will regroup and find a way to make the NCAA Tournament. If they do, they will be a side that other teams won’t want to face.
UNM Football: Lobos Go Bust against Nevada
The Lobo football team, fresh off of consecutive wins, headed up to Nevada in hopes of extending their winning streak against a team that was trying to regroup from an upset loss to an in-state rival. Unfortunately for the Lobos, Nevada was able to regroup, leaving UNM on the losing side of a 35-17 game. This loss puts the Lobos back even at 3-3 and searching for some ways to shore up some of their weaknesses.
Men’s Soccer at Old Dominion Preview
The Lobos head east to Norfolk Virginia to take on Old Dominion in a key Conference USA match. For the Lobos to have a chance to win the Conference USA title, they need to win this match. The Lobos haven’t gotten off to the start that they want in conference play, losing two heartbreakers, and have to try to get on track on the road against a very solid team. The Lobos are without the services of freshman defender Aaron Herrera who was called up for an USA U-20 tournament in Germany, so they will have to rely on someone else to stabilize the backline. For the Lobos to have a good shot in this match, they must solve their first half struggles. They have only scored in the first half in one match this year, with three goals against San Francisco, which won’t cut it for this game. They can’t afford to fall behind ODU and expect to come back and win this match.
State of the Programs: Part 2
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.