It’s hard to picture a better start to the 2019 season for the Lobo Women’s Soccer Team, as they beat Nationally-ranked Texas Tech 1-0 on a penalty kick from sophomore Alesia Garcia. While there were times throughout the match that they didn’t play to their best form, the Lobos found a way to start the season 1-0 and put themselves on the college soccer map with this win. There are a lot of things to take away from this match, but these are the things that stood out to me:

Best Win of Coach Dyche’s Career: The first four years of Coach Dyche’s career has been a huge success, having gone 44-29-9 overall and 26-14-4 in Mountain West play (with a couple of trips to the MW Tournament Championship Match). One of the last big checkmarks missing from the first four seasons was a win over a ranked team, which to be fair, there were very few opportunities available. That goal was checked off with this win over Texas Tech. This was the best win of Coach Dyche’s career as a head coach, but don’t be surprised if this gets topped in the future. If you haven’t paid attention to what Coach Dyche and Co. are building at UNM, now is the time to jump on board and enjoy the ride.

The Heroics of Emily Johnson: While there may be a timeshare between the posts with sophomore Malia Vanisi, Johnson once again showed Lobo fans what she is able to do and why she will probably see the most time on the field. There were a couple of incredible saves made by Johnson, including a few shots that would have beaten a good number of keepers. While Johnson and the backline did get a little help for the post, which Texas Tech hit twice, the bend don’t break mindset paid off for the Lobos. Coach Dyche mentioned that she is excited to have two high-quality keepers that are able to support and push each other to be better. [Note: On Monday, Johnson was awarded MW Defensive Player of the Week.]

The Legend of Jessie Hix: It’s hard to believe that we are already at Hix’s senior season,  which also means that we are entering year four of me telling people how great Hix is. I think people are finally taking notice and last night was another example of how much impact she has on the Lobo program. Hix helped control the middle of the field for the Lobos and made Texas Tech change their attack plan. There were countless times that she would stop a Texas Tech attack with a strong tackle, allowing the Lobos backline to keep their form. During the final minutes with the Lobos hanging on to the 1-0 lead and trying to fend off the Texas Tech onslaught, Hix took a solid strike to the face and kept the Lobos in front. Coach Dyche later commented on that play saying that most would have turned away from the ball, and not get the job done. Instead, Hix showed how willing she is to put herself on the line to help the team win. She will keep the Lobos in many games this season, helping them win some matches because they have Hix and the other side doesn’t.

Have I Seen This Before?: The answer is, yes you have. This is the second time in her career that Alesia Garcia won a 1-0 match with the goal coming off a PK, the first being last year’s match against NMSU. When asked about who decides who take the PK, Coach Dyche simply stated: “They do.” Garcia has shown that she is more than capable to finish from the spot and was given confidence last year when they picked her to take the PK against NMSU. Garcia will score a good amount of goals this season and will score most of the those away from the spot, but it was great to see a player step up to win a match from the spot for the second time in a young career.

Was It a Penalty?: The Lobos were awarded the penalty with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half, leaving most of us were wondering if it should have been given. The answer we received was that there was a foul in the box and that signals that a penalty should be given, even away from the ball. So, from all accounts, I guess the Lobos should have been given the penalty. The real question is why would you put the official in the position to make a call with less than 10 seconds left in the half? Texas Tech had played the better first half and would have been disappointed in going to the half tied 0-0, but when a silly foul away from the ball – when the Texas Tech keeper had the ball, no less! – gave the Lobos a penalty and a 1-0 lead at the half, they had to be demoralized.

Confidence?: Coach Dyche mentioned that the team was disappointed in their play the first 45, even with a 1-0 lead, showing that this team isn’t satisfied with just results if they aren’t playing well. While the Lobos played Texas Tech 0-0 in the second 45, they looked to play with better form and found a way to keep Texas Tech attack from finding the equalizer and the game-winner. While they didn’t gain confidence at halftime from the PK, they can take a lot of confidence going into the big games they have these next couple of weeks and into MW play. This team is playing for more than just one match which is a great sign of what’s to come this season.

Finding Corners?: The last couple of seasons the Lobos were fortunate to have Jessica Nelson and her flip throws, which acted as additional corners. Nelson and the flip throws are gone, so the Lobos will have to find ways to draw more corner kicks than throw-ins at that end of the field. The Lobos will adjust and will find creative ways of finding attacking spots off of throw-ins, but it the Lobos need to find more corners to allow Hix to win some headers in the box, which could be one of the best ways for the Lobos to score.

Up Next: The Lobos don’t get a chance to take a breath, as they have another huge weekend on the road in Seattle. They will face two very strong programs in Portland and Washington, with both games being played at Washington. The two teams played each other in their season openers to a 0-0 draw, with Washington following that up with another 0-0 draw against Seattle U. If the Lobos are able to get in the attacking third, they could find themselves with a good weekend. There are chances for the Lobos to work themselves into the at-large consideration, and these first five matches will go a long way towards that.