Tuesday night was not a good evening for Lobos, as they got dominated by a very solid Charlotte team and lost the match 2-0. The Lobos energy level and sense of urgency didn’t seem to show up last night and there were several times I wondered just what was going on with the team. In the 14-plus years that I have been following Lobo soccer, this was the most disappointed I have been with the effort of a Lobo side. The Lobos better turn the switch on, or they will miss the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, and possibly even miss the Conference USA Tournament.
Match Recap
First Half:
This half of soccer was absolutely dominated by the 49ers. They brought the fight and energy to the match while the Lobos looked like they had no energy. It was a very disappointing half, but it still looked like the Lobos would be able to get to the half with a chance to win the match. Unfortunately, that all changed in the 21st minute, when Brandt Bronico received a pass right outside the 18 yard box on the left side and made a beautiful strike to beat Jason Beaulieu to the far post, giving the 49ers an early 1-0 lead. The Lobos looked like they were going to be able tie the match on a Chris Wehan goal from a shot from 18 yards out, but the shot went wide. On the ensuing goal kick, the 49ers were able to get a corner kick in the 39th minute, which gave Bronico a chance to serve a ball into the box. The Lobos were unable to clear the ball and it found the foot of the 49ers leading goal scorer Kyle Parker, who gave the 49ers a 2-0 half time lead.
Second Half:
The second half of this match was played on relatively even terms. The Lobos played the second half with much more energy, but they weren’t able to find a first goal to even challenge the 49ers in this match. I thought the Lobos did have a few bright spots in the half, with Beaulieu having many quality saves to keep the match at 2-0 and Josh Goss moving up to midfield in the second half which gave the Lobos some chances in the attack. I hoped that the Lobos attack would have worked the ball up the field more, mostly because the long balls that they played all night didn’t really give the 49ers backline much trouble. The best chances the Lobos did have in the match came from possessing the ball and finding attacking players in open spaces. This didn’t result in any goals for the Lobos, but hopefully it will help the Lobos to play this style for the rest of the season.
Stats:
Shots: 18 to 7, advantage 49ers
Shots On Goal: 11 to 3, advantage 49ers
Saves: 9 to 3, advantage Lobos
Corner Kicks: 7 to 3, advantage 49ers
Goals:
49ers: 20:21; Brandt Bronico (6), assisted by Kyle Parker, and Malcolm Stewart
38:55; Kyle Parker (9), assisted by Max Rodriguez
Man Of The Match:
49ers: Brandt Bronico
Lobos: Jason Beaulieu
Upcoming Match:
The Lobos head to Miami to take on Florida International on Saturday night in a huge match for both sides, as the winner will probably lock up the last spot in the Conference USA Tournament. I hope that the Lobos will come out with a lot of energy and fight, but I don’t have a good feel of what the team will bring. If the Lobos don’t show that sort of fight that we’ve seen from them earlier this season, their season will effectively be over, with a disappointing conference season for the second straight season. I expect we will see different lineups as the coaches try to find the right combinations and players to come out with the victory.
NCAA Tournament Hopes:
Unfortunately, if the season ended right now, I don’t believe the Lobos would be in the tournament. They have not been playing great soccer recently and all of their results came during a five match win streak early this year. If the Lobos don’t make the conference tournament, there is no way that they will, or should make the field, but that seems unlikely. That said, I do think that they need to win their last two matches of the regular season and win at least one match in the conference tournament to have a solid chance to make the tournament.