The Lobos host their senior night and last home game of the year tonight when they host regular season champion SDSU. While SDSU has the number one seed locked up and are hosting the conference tournament, the Lobos have plenty to play for. They are in second place in the conference right now, but are only a point ahead of SJSU for the number two seed. I expect we see the Lobos bring everything they have to win this match, although I don’t know if SDSU will play their starters their normal minutes in order to rest them for the tournament. This could very well be the championship match of the tournament next weekend with the Lobos NCAA Tournament hopes on the line. If SDSU does play this match straight up, they will be the clear favorite in this match.
Things to Look For:
LOBOS:
- Outscoring opponents 23 to 19
- Even in first half goals at 11
- Outscoring opponents in the second half 12 to 8
- Outshooting opponents 237 to 193, on average 2.5 more shots per match
- Nine Lobos have scored a goal
- Six Lobos have scored multiple goals
- Madisyn Olguin leads the Lobos with 6 goals
- Cassie Ulrich has a .96 Goals Allowed Average, with five shutouts
AZTECS:
- Outscoring opponents 36 to 13
- Outscoring opponents in the first half 15 to 6
- Outscoring opponents in the second half 21 to 7
- Outshooting opponents 252 to 162, on average 5.3 more shots per match
- Nine Aztecs have scored a goal
- Six Aztecs have scored multiple goals, four players with at least 5 goals
- Leah Pruitt leads the Aztecs with 9 goals and 9 assists
- Melanie Vaughn has a .77 Goals Allowed Average, with 6 shut outs and one shared shut out
Players to Watch:
LOBOS:
For the Lobos to have a good chance to win this match, senior goalkeeper Cassie Ulrich needs to have a special senior night match to shut down this powerful Aztec attack. It is important for Ulrich to trust her instincts and communicate well with her team to keep her backline in sync. I think that we will see a great match from Ulrich and she will give the Lobos a chance to win this match.
AZTECS:
The Aztec player that I will be watching will be the Conference Player of the Year and the top offensive player in the conference, Leah Pruitt. The Lobos have to keep her from dangerous attacking positions. I want to see how the Lobos approach this match up as they try to make other Aztecs players beat them. I always like to see how teams try to contain the best player in the conference in a key match, so tonight should be a great opportunity for that.
Prediction:
SDSU is a better side and there is a clear gap between the two teams, so the question is how will the Aztec coaching staff approach this game? Since we don’t know how they will approach this game I will set my prediction assuming they are going to play it as a normal match. The odds that I put on this match for Lobos win are 20% and the chance of at least a draw at 50%. I predict a 2-1 SDSU win. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lobos do get a result, SDSU is the class of MW women’s soccer right now and will be a tough opponent. It should be a great night to cheer on the Lobos.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico (9-7-1; 7-2-1) VS SDSU (13-4-0; 9-1-0)
Where: UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque NM
When: 7 PM October 30th
Stream: campusinsiders.com