The Lobos needed a win on Senior Night this past Friday to lock up a spot in the Conference USA Tournament and they found it with a convincing 3-0 win. It looked a little dicey there for the first 70 minutes of the match, as the Lobos hadn’t found a goal, but the Lobos controlled the match from start to finish. Although they were held scoreless for a while, they did find the post two times and had a few other dangerous chances, which made it seem as though a goal was inevitable.
It finally came in the 72nd minute, when a Josh Goss corner found Nick Rochowski on the back post and Rochowski was able to score his second goal of the season, giving the Lobos a 1-0 lead. Then the floodgates opened and the Lobos found the offensive stride that they have been looking for. In the 76th minute, Niko Hansen sent a cross to the near post to Francesco Cassuci and Cassuci found the back of the net for his forth goal of the season. For good measure, in the 86th minute a Chris Wehan shot was blocked and the rebound found Hansen, who sent the ball into the back of the net for his third goal of the season, giving the Lobos the 3-0 lead that they held until the final whistle.
With the win, the Lobos secured their spot for the Conference USA Tournament as the #6 seed and will face South Carolina on Wednesday. South Carolina won the first match between the two teams 2-1 in OT, so this match feels like it can go either way. After a bit of a rough start, it was a great finish to the conference season for the Lobos, as they tied a very solid FIU side in Miami and then beat FAU 3-0 in the regular season finale. Hopefully the Lobos can build off of these two matches and play great soccer in the Conference USA Tournament.
Stats:
New Mexico 3 (8-5-4; 2-4-2) vs. FAU 0 (2-12-2; 1-7-0)
Shots: 19 to 6, advantage Lobos
Shots On Goal: 7 to 2, advantage Lobos
Saves: 4 to 2, advantage Owls
Corner Kicks: 11 to 0, advantage Lobos
Scoring: 71:53 Nick Rochowski (2) assisted by Josh Gosh (5); 76:00 Francesco Cassuci (4) assisted by Niko Hansen (3); 85:25 Hansen (3) assisted by Chris Wehan (2)
Man of the Match: Niko Hansen, Lobos
Dangerous Chances:
With the Lobos hitting the post a few times Friday and a couple of other near misses, we have decided to keep track of dangerous shots and attacking plays instead of just Shots on Goal in the future. This would include shots off the post and other close missed shots where the defender or goalkeeper couldn’t make the save if it was on target. I believe this will help everyone understand how many real good chances the different teams have in a match.
Upcoming Match:
The Lobos kick off the seven-team Conference USA Tournament on Wednesday against South Carolina. If the Lobos keep on winning they would play the semifinals on Friday and the championship match would be Sunday. We will have updates on the tournament as long as the Lobos are in the field.
NCAA Tournament Hopes:
With the Lobos making the CUSA Tournament, the Lobos at large chances are still alive. If the Lobos do make it to the championship match with wins against South Carolina and Charlotte, I do think there is a decent chance that they do make the NCAA Tournament whether or not they win the championship match. Still, the only guarantee for the Lobos to make the NCAA Tournament is to win the Conference USA Tournament and I’m sure that’s what the team has its eyes set on.