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.
Things to Look For:
UNM:
- Have been outscored this season 15 to 11
- Is outshooting opponents 153 to 122, which is 13.9 to 11.1 shots per match
- Is 2-0-0 in road conference games this season
- Is out-fouling opponents this season 116 to 49
- Have seen opponents have a 59-52 advantage on corner kicks this season
- Have seven players who have scored goals this season
- Is led in minutes by goalkeeper Cassie Ulrich, who has played all but 19 minutes this season
Wyoming:
- Is outscoring opponents 17 to 10
- Is outshooting opponents 182-123, which is 15.2 to 10.2 shots per match
- Is 5-1-0 at home this season, including going 1-1-0 during conference play
- Is out-fouling opponents 119 to 109
- Has taken 65 corner kicks, while allowing only 29
- Have eight players who have scored goals this season
- Its two goalkeepers, Georgia Rowntree and Cassidy Entsminger, have split time this season. What will the rotation be for this match?
Players to Watch:
For me, in this match the key player for the Lobos is senior goalkeeper Cassie Ulrich, as Wyoming will put pressure on the Lobos defense throughout the match and Ulrich will need to keep the backline organized so there are no breakdowns. Ulrich will probably be forced to make a couple of nice saves for the Lobos to have a good chance to win this match.
For Wyoming, it starts and ends with the Cowgirls leading scorer, sophomore forward Shaina Ashouri (7 goals, 4 assists), the transfer from the University of Pittsburg. It is very important for the Lobos backline to know where she is at all times and make it where someone else has to be the playmaker for the Cowgirls. If Ashouri is able to get free and in space it could be a long day for the Lobos.
Prediction:
This is going to be a tough match for the Lobos to come out with the win, as playing on the road against a solid team is always a tough task. I will put the odds of the Lobos winning this match at 30% with the odds of getting at least a draw at 60%. I think this is going to be a match where one goal won’t win the match but could lead to a draw. All in all, I think that this match will end in a 2-2 draw.
Game Info:
What: New Mexico (5-6-0, 3-1-0) at Wyoming (6-3-3, 2-2-0)
Where: Madrid Sports Complex, Laramie, Wyoming
When: Friday October 9th at 3 PM MT
Stream: gowyo.com