Author: Zach

Men’s Soccer: CUSA Tournament Semis Preview

The match of the day on the opening day of the Conference USA Tournament was, without question, the match between the Lobos (10-6-2) and Kentucky. The Lobos twice found themselves down a goal and twice were able to respond with an equalizer within a couple of minutes. The Lobos were able to get goals from Sam Gleadle and Nick Rochowski to end the match in a 2-2 draw. Since it was in tournament play, it went to the always-tense penalty shootout. Coach Fishbein put in backup goalie and PK specialist Ford Parker for the shootout. What Parker ended up doing is one of the most impressive feats I have seen, saving 4 of the 5 attempts and allowing the Lobos to win the shootout 2-1 to advance to the semifinals. It is strange to say that the man of the match was someone that didn’t actually play a second of the match.

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Women’s Basketball Team Preview

The Lobo women’s basketball team went 2-0 during their exhibition season, winning games against two Division II schools in Fort Lewis (101-48) and Eastern New Mexico (89-70). The Lobos will officially kick off the Coach Mike Bradbury era Saturday afternoon against Fairleigh Dickinson. While there is little that we can take away from the first two exhibitions, we can look at the numbers each player had last season and try to guess what kind of growth we could see in each player. It will be difficult to see what the impact of Coach Bradbury’s system will be on each player, since his system is completely different to what Coach Sanchez ran, so each stat should be taken with a grain of salt.

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Men’s Soccer: CUSA Tournament Preview

The Lobos (10-6-1, 4-3-1) head to Huntington, West Virginia for the Conference USA Soccer Tournament. In the seven team field, the Lobos are the #5 seed and will face Kentucky in the first round. The Lobos are in a situation where they could not make the NCAA tournament at all or could even get a national seed if they are able to win the tournament. As we have seen in the past with seeding, the Lobos can’t leave anything in the hands of the selection committee and must play this tournament like it is their last match of the season. There are two very good wins available for the Lobos in the first two rounds of the tournament, so they have a great chance to improve their resume.

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Men’s Soccer vs. Old Dominion Match Preview

Tonight is Senior Night for the Lobos (9-6-1, 3-3-1), as well as the regular season finale. The Lobos were able to clinch a spot in the conference tournament with their win on Sunday against South Carolina, with goals by seniors Chris Wehan and Niko Hansen. While the field is set, there is plenty for the Lobos to play for on Friday. First, the Lobos could possibly move up to the #3 seed in the tournament with a win and some help. Second, the Lobos look to go undefeated at home this season, which would be a huge accomplishment. Finally, they could end this senior class’ home careers with a huge win against the ODU Monarchs (5-7-2, 2-4-1). This will be a night of celebrating the five seniors that have done so much for this program and I hope that a great Lobo crowd shows up for this match.

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Men’s Soccer vs. South Carolina Match Preview

The Lobos (8-6-1, 2-3-1) return to the friendly confines of the UNM Soccer Complex for their last two matches of the Conference USA schedule. The Lobos are coming off a very important road win at UAB that has opened many possibilities for seeding in the conference tournament. It starts Sunday night against second-place South Carolina (9-5-1, 4-1-1). If the Lobos are able to win this match, it gives them the possibility to move all the way up to the number 2 seed. This is such a huge match for the Lobos, where a win would seal their bid to the conference tournament and gives them a good shot of making the NCAA Tournament.

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Men’s Soccer At UAB Match Preview

The Lobos (7-6-1, 1-3-1) have their final Conference USA road match of the season when they take on UAB (6-6-3, 2-3-1) in a huge conference match tonight. With the disappointing draw against Marshall on Saturday, the Lobos need a result to help cement their spot in the conference tournament. The Lobos have to find a way to rebound from their recent struggles. While the Lobos haven’t played bad this season, they have been unable to finish off big matches, mainly due to struggling in the final third of the field. With there being questions about Niko Hansen’s availability, the Lobos will need for other attacking players to step up. If the Lobos are able to win this match against UAB, it will give them pretty stable position for the conference tournament with two home matches remaining before the conference tournament field is set.

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Men’s Soccer at Denver Match Preview

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.

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Men’s Soccer at FAU Match Preview

The Lobos (7-4-0, 1-2-0) return to action on Saturday with a road match at FAU (3-6-1, 1-2-0). This is a very important match for the Lobos, as a win would keep them in the running to win the conference regular season title. If the Lobos are able to win this match and their match at Denver on Wednesday, a national seed in the NCAA Tournament is still very much in play with only one road match remaining before the conference tournament. The Lobos have more talent than FAU, but the Owls have played much better at home than on the road this season, so the Lobos can’t take them lightly. The Lobos need to put pressure on FAU early in the match and find a goal in the first 60 minutes to put all the pressure on FAU to find a goal.

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Men’s Soccer at Charlotte Preview

After getting two home wins in the last week, the Lobos (7-3-0, 1-1-0) head east to Charlotte (6-2-0, 2-1-0) for the biggest conference match of the season for both sides. The winner of this match will have a great shot at winning the Conference USA regular season title as well as a national seed for the NCAA Tournament. For the Lobos, this is a huge opportunity to get the huge road win that has escaped them so far this year. They have lost three heartbreakers against three nationally-ranked teams, each by the score of 1-0. What was heartbreaking about those three matches is that the Lobos gave up goals in somewhat fluky ways, as the games against Indiana and Notre Dame were each won by a penalty kick, and Kentucky scored on a missed-hit strike that worked wonders. The Lobos are extremely talented and are capable of not just staying with the Charlotte side, but could even outplay them by a good margin. The question will be can they find a goal or two to win the match? Opportunities will be limited in this match, so it is imperative to make the most of any chance that you get. Niko Hansen or Chris Wehan need to do something special to put the Lobos out in front in this match and give the Lobos the huge road win.

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Women’s Soccer at Nevada Preview

The Lobos (5-5-2, 1-3-0) continue their road trip this weekend with a two-match swing against the two Nevada teams. First up for the Lobos is a Friday night date with the Nevada Wolf Pack (4-7-0, 1-3-0) in Reno. The Lobos need to win this match, as a loss could put the Lobos in a very tough spot for the conference tournament. The Lobos should be able to win this match, but the Wolf Pack will test the Lobos offense by packing the backline. If the Lobos are able to get an early goal, it could leave the Wolf Pack scrambling and could make this end up being a 3-0 win. The pressure will be on the Lobos until they score a goal, but then all the pressure will be put on the Wolf Pack. It will be important for Claire Lynch and Maddie Irwin to find a goal in the first 55 minutes of the match, or this match could get dicey for the Lobos.

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