The Lobos got a much-needed result on Saturday night in its match against #25 FIU. It was a very important result because it allowed the Lobos to keep the seven seed for the Conference USA tournament and, with only one match left at home against last place FAU on Friday, gives them the edge to make the tournament. I was glad to see that the Lobos picked up their play after the match against Charlotte and in a match that I didn’t know how Lobos would respond, the coaches and players came out and played a very good match to get another point in the standings.
While the Panthers did have a huge shot advantage in this match and even had 8 shots on goal, the Lobos backline did a great job of limiting the Panthers to mostly long range efforts and half chances. Jason Beaulieu had a great match for the second straight match, making eight saves on the evening. Even though the Lobos had only five shots in the match, they had two the most dangerous chances, one in each half. In the 20th minute, a free kick taken by Josh Goss was sent inside the six-yard box and beat the goalie and hit off the far post. In the second half, freshman defender Aaron Herrera made a run up from his defensive position and sent a ball in to the box that a Panthers defender had to clear to keep the match scoreless. In the two overtime periods the Panthers took the only six shots in the twenty minutes, but the Beaulieu and the Lobo defense was up to the task, leading to a 0-0 draw.
Stats:
Shots: 21 to 5, advantage Panthers
Shots on Goal: 8 to 1, advantage Panthers
Saves: 8 to 1, advantage Lobos
Corner Kicks: 10 to 4, advantage Panthers
Man Of The Match: GK Jason Beaulieu, Lobos
Upcoming Match:
After heading to Miami last weekend, the Lobos return to the UNM Soccer Complex for the last home match of the season to take on another team from Miami, FAU. This match, which is on Friday Night at 7pm, is an important match for both conference play and simply because it’s Senior Night. It is very simple if the Lobos: win they will be in the Conference USA tournament and could even move up to the #6 seed. A tie or a loss doesn’t mean the season would be over, as they have a one point lead on Marshall for the #7 seed, but would give Marshall a chance to knock them out with a win at ODU on Saturday.
NCAA Tournament Hopes:
Not much has changed since last week, but the tie against FIU gives the Lobos a very good chance of making the conference tournament, although it might take a win against FAU. For any at-large hopes, the Lobos probably need to win against FAU and make it to the championship match. At this point, the only guarantee for the Lobos to make the NCAA Tournament is to win the Conference USA Tournament