The Lobos and Spartans square off in a key Mountain West conference Friday night at UNM Soccer Complex at 7 PM. This match will have a lot to say about who will end up being the regular season champion, as SJSU is currently tied with SDSU for the conference lead, two points ahead of the Lobos. It will be interesting to see how many Lobo fans will be in attendance with the Lobo Howl at the same time as the match, so hopefully there are plenty of fans in the mood for some soccer. A key factor to watch for in this match will be the weather. Depending on if the wind dies down or not, it could dictate how the teams will play in order to take the wind out of the match. It will be key for the Lobos to be able to put pressure on the Spartans and find an early goal in the match.
Things to Watch:
Lobos:
- Have been outscored by opponents 15 to 13
- Have been outscored in the first half 10 to 6, and are outscoring opponents 7 to 6 in the second half
- Outshooting opponents 179 to 150, which is on average 2.3 more shots per match
- Have taken 72 shots on goal while opponents have taken 64
- Seven Lobos have scored at least one goal this season and five have multiple goals
Spartans:
- Outscoring opponents 21 to 16
- Outscoring opponents 11 to 4 in the first half, and being out scored 12 to 10 in the second half
- Outshooting opponents 191 to 124, which is on average 4.7 more shots per match
- Have taken 84 shots on goal while opponents have take 50
- Eight Spartans have scored goals this season and five have multiple goals
As we can see, the first half of this match will be extremely important, as SJSU is a far better first half team while both teams are realitively even in the second half. If the Lobos are able to stay with the Spartans in the first half, the chances for a huge win will go up considerably. This is a match between a defensive minded team in UNM and an offensive minded SJSU team, so it will be interesting to see which side is able to take advantage of the other.
Players To Watch:
Lobos:
The player that I will be keepin an eye on to see if she can find a goal in this match is Claire Lynch, who has two goals this season but hasn’t scored since the Idaho State match a while back. To me, it is important for her and the other Lobo attacking players to make the most of their opportunities in this match and put pressure on a Spartans backline that has given up 16 goals this season.
Spartans:
I think that the most likely player that will have an impact on the match for the Spartans is their leading scorer, freshman forward Darriell Franklin. While she has only played in nine of the Spartans fourteen matches, Franklin leads the Spartans with six goals on the year. The Lobos backline will need to know where she is at all times and try to make other Spartans players to beat them tonight. If the Lobos are able to control Franklin, I like their chances to win this match.
Prediction:
Between the teams’ different approaches and if the wind is still howling, this will be an interesting match to see what style is played. I think the Lobos will be very well prepaired after their great weekend last week and having the disappointment of losing their last home match as motivation. I put the odds of the Lobos winning this match at 45%, and coming out of this match with at least a draw at 75%. I predict a final score of 3-2 Lobos in a thrilling match that may have as much excitement as any dunk in the dunk contest across the street.
Game Info:
What: New Mexico (6-6-1, 4-1-1 MW) vs. SJSU (7-5-2, 5-1-0 MW)
Where: UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque, NM
When: Friday October 16th at 7 PM
Stream: LoboTV