UNM heads to Miami to take on FIU in an absolute must-win match for the Lobos, who are currently 7th in the conference standings and only the top 7 teams reach the Conference USA Tournament. The Lobos have to bring energy and passion from the first whistle, or they can be seeing their season come to a disappointing end for the second straight year. This won’t be an easy match for the Lobos, as they face a solid FIU side who are also looking to make the conference tournament. FIU won’t give the Lobos this game, so the Lobos have to earn it. The first twenty minutes will tell us which Lobos side showed up. If it is the team from the first half of the season, they will probably win this match. However, if it is the team that has been playing since conference play started, the Lobos will be in trouble. I expect we will see some lineup changes in hope that it will bring new energy to the pitch.
Things to Look For:
LOBOS:
- Outscoring opponents 19 to 17
- Outscored in the first half 9 to 4
- Outscoring opponents in the second half 15 to 8
- Being outshot by opponents 215 to 202, which is on average .8 fewer shots per match
- Six Lobos have scored a goal
- Three Lobos have scored multiple goals
- Chris Wehan leads the Lobos with 10 goals
- Have only scored in two first halves
- Have yet to score in both halves of a match
- Jason Beaulieu has a 1.07 Goals Allowed Average, with two shutouts
PANTHERS:
- Outscoring opponents 33 to 20
- Outscoring opponents in the first half 13 to 9
- Outscoring opponents in the second half 20 to 11
- Outshooting opponents 208 to 135, which is on average 5.3 more shots per match
- Eleven Panthers have scored a goal
- Nine Panthers have scored multiple goals, four players with at least 4 goals
- Luis Betancur leads the Panthers with 7 goals
- Jamar Campion-Hinds leads the Panthers with 8 assists in 440 minutes
- The Panthers have used two goalkeepers with each goalie starting 7 matches
Players to Watch:
LOBOS:
In this must win match, the Lobos need a special match from Chris Wehan. If Wehan has a great match, it will give the Lobos a good shot to win this match. Other players must step up and help Wehan in the Lobo attack, and force the Panthers to not just focus on Wehan. Niko Hansen needs to have a great match as well and hopefully score his first goal in over a month. I also expect Josh Goss to move up to the midfield to help the Lobos attack.
PANTHERS:
The player that I will be keeping my eye on for the Panthers in this match is Daniel Gonzalez, who leads the Panthers in shots at 40 and has 5 goals and 2 assists. The Lobos need to limit his shots and make sure that he doesn’t have any great scoring chances. The Panthers have a very balanced attack, so the Lobos must play team defense, stay in sync, and make sure that the Panthers don’t get any open runs.
Prediction:
The Lobos have been struggling to get great results for over a month now and this is a solid Panthers side. To top that off, I don’t know what Lobo team is going to show. They need to show a sense of urgency in this match or this could effectively be their season-ending match. I trust Coach Fishbein and think the Lobos are going to come back to Albuquerque with a result. I put the odds of a Lobos win at 20% and at least a draw at 50%. I think the Lobos will show fight and energy and will put pressure on the Panthers, so I predict a 2-2 draw, with a lot of action going both ways.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico (7-5-3; 1-4-1) VS FIU (9-5-0; 3-3-0)
Where: FIU Soccer Stadium, Miami FL
When: October 31st at 5pm MT
Stream: No free stream, $6.95 24-hour pass at fiusports.com