New Mexico (3-5-0, 1-0-0) AT Boise State (3-5-3, 1-0-0)
Both the Lobos and Broncos are coming off Conference opening wins on Friday, with the Lobos beating Utah State 1-0 on the road, and the Broncos beating SDSU at home 2-1. This will be an interesting game to see how it plays out the two sides have one common opponent in Idaho State with two very different results, the Lobos won their match against Idaho State 4-1, while the Broncos had a 1-1 draw in their match. It is still early in Mountain West play but if the Lobos can find another great result today against the Broncos it sets them up well for a great conference season.
Things to Watch:
Lobos:
Outshooting opponents this season 118 to 81, which on average is 4.7 more shots per match.
Outscored by opponents 7 to 11.
Six players have scored the seven goals for the Lobos this season.
Five different Lobos have tallied assists this season.
Senior goalie Cassie Ulrich tallied her second clean sheet of the season on Friday.
Broncos:
Outshooting opponents this season 136 to 110, which on average is 2.6 more shots per match.
Outscored by opponents 10 to 15.
Six players have scored for the Broncos, with two players scoring three goals apiece.
Three players have tallied assist being lead with four by senior midfielder Brooke Heidemann.
Players to Watch:
For me it is all about how the attack for the Lobos perform, having only scored seven goals on the season with four coming in one game, the Lobos attacking players need to find a way to get the ball in the back of the net. For this match I will highlight sophomore midfielder Claire Lynch, who leads the Lobos with two goals this season. It is important for Lynch to put pressure on the Broncos back line.
For me the player to watch for the Broncos is senior Brooke Heidemann who is the key to the Broncos attack as she is the player that they play through. While she hasn’t scored a goal this season she does have four assists this season, she is coming off a year where she was named first team All-Conference after she scored six goals and three assists. The Lobos need to stop Heidemann to increase their chances of going 2-0-0 on the road trip to kick of Mountain West play.
Prediction: The question that I want to see answered this game is if the Lobos can build off of their match Friday where they dominated the match against Utah State, winning 1-0. If the Lobos are able to play like they did on Friday they need to find the net more than one time to keep the pressure on the Broncos. I put the odds of the Lobos winning this match at 40% and coming home with at least a draw at 67%. I predict the Lobos will win this match 2 to 1 with Lynch scoring the game winner. This should be a fun match to watch, and see the results the Lobos will have.
Game Info:
Boise, Idaho
Boas Tennis/Soccer Complex
1PM MT
Sunday September 27th
Broncosports.com/soccerlive/