The Lobos (7-5-0, 1-3-0) continue their road trip Wednesday night, looking to get back on track in their last non-conference match against a great Denver (12-0-2) squad that is highly ranked in every college soccer poll. The former conference rival of the Lobos in the MSPF have become a great program the last couple of years, including going undefeated last season and thus far this season. The Lobos have a chance to get their groove back with this match and this is their last chance during the regular season for a great win. It won’t be an easy match for the Lobos, but the pressure will be on Denver to continue their undefeated season. It will be very important for the Lobos to find chances early in the match for Niko Hansen and Chris Wehan, as well as Devon Boyce, Sam Gleadle and Luke Lawrence if they are in the starting eleven. While the Lobos have struggled on the road so far this season, the only disappointing result based on pre-match expectations was the match against FAU, so you have to think that the Lobo backline will want to get back on track after allowing two goals against FAU.
Denver Stats:
| Denver | Opponents | |
| Goals | 24 (13 1st Half, 11 2nd Half) | 7 (3 1st Half, 4 2nd Half) |
| Goals Per Game | 1.71 | .50 |
| Shots On Goal | 81-188 (.431) | 29-99 (.293) |
| Shots Per Game | 13.43 | 7.07 |
| Assists | 32 | 3 |
| Corner Kicks | 93 | 47 |
- Denver has a very balanced and talented attack with five players with at least 3 goals and ten players that have scored a goal. Blake Elder leads the Denver attack with 6 goals.
- Denver attacks through many different players, and this is evident by the six players with at least 3 assists. They are led in assists by Sam Hamilton who has 7.
- Denver has played one goalie with great success. Nick Gardner has played 1300 minutes and has allowed only 7 goals this year for a .48 Goals Against Average.
- Denver has a familiar face on their coaching staff, as former Lobo captain Levi Rossi is in his second season as the second assistant.
Lobo Stats:
| New Mexico | Opponents | |
| Goals | 18 (5 1st Half, 13 2nd Half) | 9 (4 1st Half, 5 2nd Half) |
| Goals Per Game | 1.5 | .75 |
| Shots On Goal | 84-171 (.491) | 49-111 (.441) |
| Shots Per Game | 14.2 | 9.2 |
| Assists | 11 | 4 |
| Corner Kicks | 86 | 50 |
- After not allowing two goals in the first ten matches of the season, the Lobos have allowed two goals in each of the last two matches. The Lobo backline will face a tough task in this match to get back on track and possibly get a shutout.
- With Luke Lawrence scoring his second goal of the season against FAU, it gave the Lobos four players with multiple goals this season. Still, the Lobos need someone to help Niko Hansen with the scoring load.
- Jason Beaulieu will be very important in this match. If he is able to make two or three special saves in this match it could lead the Lobos to a huge road win.
NCAA Tournament:
With two straight road losses, the Lobos are still in a good position for a NCAA Tournament bid. While there is still work to be done, a win against Denver would go a long way in making the tournament and possibly getting a national seed. The Lobos will have three of their last four matches of the regular season at home, before the C-USA Tournament at Marshall, so that gives them a great opportunity to solidify their spot in the NCAA Tournament. If the Lobos are able to finish with 11 wins before the conference tournament, they will be fighting for seeding instead of a tournament bid.
Match Prediction:
Denver is the favorite in this match, but that doesn’t mean that the Lobos don’t have the talent to win this match. As we have seen throughout this season, the Lobos have out played pretty much every nationally-ranked team on the road only to lose on penalty goals. I have the odds of the Lobos winning this match at 27% and coming back home with a result at 60%. I predict at 1-1 draw with Niko Hansen getting his 10th goal of the season. I hope the Lobos can prove me wrong and come home with the huge road win.
Game Info:
Who: New Mexico Lobos (7-5-0, 1-3-0) at Denver Pioneers (12-0-2)
When: Wednesday, October 19th, 2016, 7PM M.T.
Where: Ciber Field at The University of Denver Soccer Complex, Denver, Colorado
TV: Altitude Sports