The Lobos (0-0-0) kick off their regular season with a road trip to South Bend, Indiana to take on the #13-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in a “neutral” game. Coming off of a 3-0-0 showing in the exhibition season, where they outscored their opponents 8-0 and finished with 3 clean sheets, the team has to be full of confidence heading into what will be a tough weekend. The Hoosiers are one of the premier soccer programs in the country and have an active 29 year NCAA Tournament streak. It will be a stiff test in the opener for the Lobos, but they should be ready after beating Washington 1-0 in the last exhibition game. This weekend will give the Lobos an opportunity to be on the national radar, so hopefully they will make the most of it.

What To Watch:

There are plenty of things to watch out for in this contest featuring two teams that have a chance to be some of the better teams in the country. While the only way you will be actually be able to watch the game will be in person – which might prove difficult if you’re not already there – here are some things that have my attention in the match:

• Will the Lobo attack of Chris Wehan, Niko Hansen, Luke Lawrence, Sam Gleadle and Joss Goss be able to put consistent pressure on the Hoosier backline? Forcing the game to be played in Indiana’s half will give the Lobos a good shot at coming out with a result.
• Will the Lobo backline be able to keep the Hoosier attack away from getting great looks? In the 3 exhibition matches, the Lobos were able to limit any great chances for the opponents, and continuing that performance will be critical this weekend.
• This game will be decided by which team controls the middle of the field, so it will be important for the Chris Gurule and Patrick Khouri combo to control the middle of the field and clear up anything before it gets to Nick Rochowski and Matt Constant.
• Set pieces will have a chance to play a big part in this match. Whichever team can limit fouls in the final third and corner kicks will see an improved chance of winning the match.
• After scoring only 22 goals last season, the Lobos showed great improvement in scoring during the preseason. They will need to continue the great attack in the final third to win this match.

Players To Watch For Indiana:

The main players to keep an eye out for are midfielder Tanner Thompson and defender Grant Lillard. Both were both named top 30 MAC Hermann Preseason Watch list and were also put on the Preseason All-American list by Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News. Clearly, given the quality of the program, the Hoosiers do have plenty other great players on the team, but the Lobos must find a way to limit the impact of both Thompson and Lillard in this match.

Prediction:

This is a very tough opener for the Lobos, but the one thing that will help the Lobos chances in this match is that Indiana’s best player, Lillard, is a defender so he won’t be in the attacking half very often. I think that this match is between two evenly-matched squads and give the Lobos a 25% chance to win the match and a 65% chance to come away with at least a draw. I will take the Lobos in a 2-1 contest with Wehan and Hansen each coming away with a goal.

Game Info:

Who: New Mexico (0-0-0) vs. Indiana (0-0-0)

When: Friday, August 26, 2016, 3 PM MT

Where: Alumni Stadium, South Bend, Indiana (Notre Dame)

Stream: No Stream

Live Stats: Right Here