The Lobos (1-2-0) look to go to 2-0-0 on the weekend when they play host to Cal Poly (0-3-0) Sunday night. On Friday night against Cal State Northridge, the Lobos where able to control the play and find a goal in each half with brilliant finishes by Niko Hansen and Devin Boyce. Cal Poly will be an interesting test for the Lobos, as even with their 0-3-0 record, they have played one of the toughest schedules in college soccer and played well against North Carolina and Wake Forest. If the Lobos want to win this match relatively easily, they need to put pressure on Cal Poly defense from the opening whistle. The Lobos will have more talent on the field, but Cal Poly isn’t a team that can be taken lightly.
Cal Poly Stats:
| Cal Poly | Opponents | |
| Goals | 1 (1 1st Half, 0 2nd Half) | 6 (5 1st Half, 1 2nd Half) |
| Goals Per Game | .333 | 2 |
| Shots On Goal-Attempts | 6-31 | 19-43 |
| Shots Per Game | 10.3 | 14.3 |
| Assists | 1 | 4 |
| Corner Kicks | 8 | 10 |
- Cal Poly was outscored 5-1 in their two matches against Top 10 teams against North Carolina and Wake Forest, a result that would happen to most decent teams.
- Cal Poly has struggled on offense so far this season, but it is difficult to tell if it is because of their opponents the first three matches, or if it is going to continue to be an issue for them.
- Cal Poly has had two goalies with starts this season, so it will be interesting to see which one gets the nod for this match.
Lobo Stats:
| New Mexico | Opponents | |
| Goals | 2 (1 1st Half, 1 2nd Half) | 2 (1 1st Half, 1 2nd Half) |
| Goals Per Game | .667 | .667 |
| Shots On Goal-Attempts | 18-44 | 11-25 |
| Shots Per Game | 14.7 | 8.3 |
| Assists | 0 | 0 |
| Corner Kicks | 21 | 16 |
- It is clear for those who have been watching that the Lobos have played better than their 1-2-0 record would indicate. Another thing that is very clear early in the season is that the Lobo defense looks like it is going to be one of the best units in the country.
- The Lobos have yet to give up a goal in game action during the first three matches. If you are only giving opponents 1-3 good chances a match you will have a chance to go on long scoreless streaks.
- Without Matt Constant, due to him playing for Canada’s U20 team, the Lobos shifted Chris Gurule to center back and Chris Wehan played a more defensive center mid. While they will shift back eventually, it was great to see that Coach Fishbein will have some flexibility with some of his pieces this year.
- Look for Devin Boyce to get more of a run in this match, after the great match he played on Friday. I think Boyce has a chance to become a key part of this team and will be playing 35+ minutes in most of the matches the rest of the year.
- Niko Hansen took on the entire CSUN defense on Friday Night to score the opening goal, and it was one of the best individual goals I have seen from a Lobo player. It will be fun to watch Hansen as he tries to capture magic once a match.
Match Prediction:
I am pretty confident in the Lobos coming out of this match with at least a draw, as I just don’t see how Cal Poly is going to score a goal unless there is a breakdown. I give the Lobos a 53% chance of winning this match and 85% chance of getting a result. I am predicting a 3-0 Lobo win with goals from Hansen, Wehan and Sam Gleadle. It should be a fun game with a lot of fireworks, so come out to the Soccer Complex and cheer on the Lobos to victory.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (1-2-0) vs. Cal Poly (0-3-0)
When: Sunday September 4th 2016, 6 PM M.T.
Where: UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque, NM
Stream: Golobos.com