Women’s Soccer 2017 Preview: Part 2

by Zach

This is the second part of our Lobo Women’s Soccer season preview, along with a preview of today’s match against San Francisco. If you missed part 1, which covered the key players and some general thoughts about the team, you can find it here.

Result or Loss

Here’s where I put on my predicting hat and try to guess whether the Lobos will get a result (that is, a win or a draw) or a loss in each of their games. Because this is a preseason list, my predictions on a game to game basis will probably change (hopefully for the better!), so don’t hold me to them too much. Unless I get them all right, in which case you’ll be hearing from me anyway.

  • San Francisco 8/18- Result
  • Grand Canyon 8/20- Result
  • AT NMSU 8/24- Result
  • AT UTEP 8/27- Result
  • VS. Portland 9/1- Result
  • AT Washington 9/4- Loss
  • Houston 9/15- Result
  • Northern Arizona 9/17- Result
  • UNLV 9/22- Result
  • Nevada 9/24- Result
  • AT Boise State 9/29- Loss
  • AT Utah State 10/1- Loss
  • Fresno State 10/6- Result
  • SJSU 10/8- Result
  • AT AFA 10/13- Result
  • AT Colorado College 10/15- Result
  • CSU 10/20- Result
  • AT Wyoming 10/22- Loss
  • SDSU 10/27- Result

Final Count: 15 Results and 4 Losses. Of those 15 Results, I am pretty confident that the Lobos will come away with a result in 10 of them, leaving 5 matches that look like toss-ups. I think it is realistic to predict the Lobos getting results in 13 or more matches this season heading into the conference tournament.

Bold Predictions:

  • The Lobos will finish in the top 4 of the conference and challenge for the regular season title.
  • The Lobos will finish top 2 in either the Regular Season or Conference Tournament.
  • A member of the Lobos will win a huge conference honor (Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, or Player of the Year).
  • Lobos will win at least 6 of their 10 home matches, and obtain a result in at least 8 of the 10 matches.
  • The Lobos will win 11 or more matches this season.
  • Claire Lynch will score at least 12 goals this season.
  • Jennifer Munoz will have at least 5 goals and 5 assists this season.
  • Jessica Nelson will lead the team in assist, with at least 3 off of throw-ins.
  • The Lobos will allow less than a goal per game.
  • The Lobos will have 8 shutouts this season.
  • The Lobos will place at least 5 players on All-Conference Teams.

San Francisco Match Preview:

After beating CSU-Pueblo 3-1 in their lone exhibition match of the season, the Lobos will host their first match of the season against San Francisco, who went 7-12 last season with a 1-10 record on the road. San Francisco struggled scoring last season, averaging 1.03 goals per match. Due to San Francisco’s struggles on the offensive side last season and the strength of the Lobos’ defense, this should be a good showing by the home team. I believe this will be a match that if the Lobos can find an early goal (first 20 minutes), they will run away with this match win by 3+ goals. The match could swing back to an even match if the Lobos don’t score in the first 55 minutes, giving San Francisco belief and hope in getting a win in this match.

Key to the Match:

The key to this match for the Lobos is the ability to put pressure on the San Francisco backline. If the Lobos are able to get Claire Lynch and others in good scoring positions early in the match, they should be able to find a goal early on. The mistake the Lobos could run into is trying to feel out the match early and see the chance of an early goal slip away. I don’t think this will be a problem and I would wager on seeing a Lobo goal in the first 15 minutes.

Players to Watch (San Francisco):

  • Center back #11 Autumn Smithers: Returns from injury last year and will be tasked to stop Claire Lynch and the Lobo attack.
  • Midfielder #16 Samantha Jehnings: Returns from injury last year, but scored 7 goals two seasons ago and could be the leading scorer for San Francisco this season. The Lobos will have to keep an eye on her and limit her impact on this match.
  • Goalkeeper #1 Olivia Camera: Started four matches as a freshman and will see more time in goal this season. The Lobos will look to test Camera early and often, the question will be if she is up to the task to keep San Francisco in the match.

Match Prediction:

There are always question marks surrounding openers to a season, and with San Francisco’s probable top two players returning from injury, there could be questions on how much impact they will have early in the year. I was impressed with how the Lobos probable starting 11 played against CSU-Pueblo, and while this should be a decent step up in competition, the Lobo 11 should be ready for the challenge. I believe the Lobos are the better team, but the Lobos could feel the pressure of playing at home for the season opener. I am giving the Lobos a 81% chance of getting a result and a 45% chance of getting the win in the opener. I see the Lobos getting the early goal from Claire Lynch, and two more goals in the match with the final score being 3-0.

Let’s get this season started off with a win in front of the home crowd!

Game Information:

Who: New Mexico Lobos (0-0) vs. San Francisco Dons (0-0)

When: Friday August 18th, 7:30 PM MT

Where: University of New Mexico Soccer Complex, Albuquerque NM

Stream: LoboTv (Mountain West Network)