The Lobos return home today for a very important match against Conference USA leading 49ers. The Lobos are coming off a disappointing tie against Marshall, where they outplayed Marshall and had two headers that seemed headed for goals only to be cleared by defenders at the last second. It is important for the Lobos to build off the last three matches where they are 1-0-2, as if the Lobos want to make the NCAA Tournament, they need to continue to get results and find ways to make the most of the chances they create. Look for both sides in this match to play their style of play, with a lot of space to create, so taking care of the ball in the midfield will be imperative for the Lobos if they want to win this match. This will be a very exciting match so make plans to go out to UNM Soccer Complex and plan to lose your voice.
Author: Zach
Men’s Soccer at Marshall Preview
The Lobos head to West Virginia to take on a struggling Marshall team that is looking for their first Conference USA win. The Lobos are coming off their thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win against UAB on Sunday, where they rallied from a 2-0 second half deficit to win the game in regulation. This is a very important match for the Lobos, as they look to get back on a roll after their early conference struggles. A Lobos loss in this match would not be good for their NCAA Tournament hopes, so I expect for the Lobos to come out and take care of Marshall from the first whistle. It will be interesting to see if the Lobos can control the pace of the game, as I expect for Marshall to pack it in on the backline and try to steal the match from the better Lobo side.
Women’s Soccer vs. Colorado College Preview
The Lobos head up I-25 this weekend to take on Colorado College and Air Force in Colorado Springs. The Lobos play Air Force on Sunday, so the focus today is the match between the 3rd place Lobos and the 4th place Tigers. If you’re surprised by this being a conference matchup, remember that although Colorado College is a D-III college, they are a D-I women’s soccer program, which allows them to be an affiliate member of the Mountain West Conference and allows the conference to have 12 teams playing women’s soccer. Both the Tigers and the Lobos are looking to secure their spot in the Mountain West Championship, which the top six teams qualify for, and this match will likely decide which of these teams ends up with a better seed in the tournament. It will be interesting to see what the field conditions will be like this afternoon after the all the rain the last two days. The Lobos will need to be careful with every pass they make and be extra careful with every clearance on the back line. I view these teams as being very even, so this match truly can go either way.
Weekly Roundup (10/21/15)
This is our weekly round up which will look at what happened in Lobo Sports in the last week and look ahead to the games and events that the week ahead will have for Lobo Sports. This will not be game previews or game recaps instead it will look at awards awarded to Lobo players, the outcome of games, as well as giving you a one post location for the week ahead.
Men’s Soccer vs. UAB Recap
The Lobos (7-4-2, 1-3-0) were looking for their first win of their Conference USA season against UAB Blazers (4-8-0, 1-3-0) and they found what they where looking for in dramatic fashion. It has been a surprise that after their great start to the regular season the Lobos would start the conference season 0-3-0 and be in trouble of missing the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos needed a win and hopefully this will be the beginning of a long winning streak over the final four conference matches.
Men’s Soccer vs. UAB Preview
It has been a disappointing start to the Conference USA schedule for both New Mexico and UAB, as they both look to get their seasons back on track in their match Sunday night in Albuquerque. The Lobos have played well for the most part, but haven’t been able to find results that they wanted in the last five matches. The Lobos’ NCAA Tournament hopes are still alive, but they need to start getting results or they will miss the Tournament for the second straight season. Look for the Lobos to come out with enough fire and passion to find the win they have been looking for. This should be a very entertaining match with a lot of action on the attacking sides.
Women’s Soccer vs. Fresno State Match Preview
Coming off a tough overtime loss Friday night against San Jose State, the Lobos return to action Sunday afternoon to take on the Bulldogs of Fresno State. The Lobos need to get the win in this match to still have a realistic chance to win the regular season conference championship. They will need to make the most of their chances in this match and find at least one first half goal to put pressure on the Bulldogs. I believe that the Lobos will be able to control the match from the first whistle and shouldn’t have much trouble with the Bulldogs. That being said, you still have to stick to your game plan and bring your best game because you don’t know what the Bulldogs are going to bring. This will be an interesting match to see how it plays out; this will be evident when we look at the season stats for both teams.
Women’s Soccer vs. San Jose State Preview
The Lobos and Spartans square off in a key Mountain West conference Friday night at UNM Soccer Complex at 7 PM. This match will have a lot to say about who will end up being the regular season champion, as SJSU is currently tied with SDSU for the conference lead, two points ahead of the Lobos. It will be interesting to see how many Lobo fans will be in attendance with the Lobo Howl at the same time as the match, so hopefully there are plenty of fans in the mood for some soccer. A key factor to watch for in this match will be the weather. Depending on if the wind dies down or not, it could dictate how the teams will play in order to take the wind out of the match. It will be key for the Lobos to be able to put pressure on the Spartans and find an early goal in the match.
Men’s Soccer vs. Valparaiso Recap
It was a most eventful night to be at the UNM Soccer Complex for the match featuring the Lobos and the Crusaders, and that was even before the game actually began. The match started 40 plus minutes late, as the west sidelights were unable to turn on. The Crusaders and the Lobos eventually agreed to start the match with just the one bank of lights and it didn’t take long for the Lobos to get on the board, when Sam Gleadle found Chris Wehan in the first minute for a goal that gave the Lobos an early 1-0 lead. The goal was Wehan’s ninth goal of the season and marked only the second match this season in which the Lobos scored in the first half. The rest of the first half didn’t have much excitement, with most of the Crusaders shots coming from way out side the 18 yard box and the only other great chance for the Lobos was when Niko Hansen hit the post in his chance to give the Lobos a 2-0 lead.
Men’s Soccer vs. Valparaiso Preview
After a tough loss on the road against nationally-ranked Old Dominion, the Lobos return to Albuquerque to take on a solid Valparaiso team from the Horizon League. This is a very important match for the Lobos to rebound after a 0-3-0 start to the Conference USA schedule. The Lobos have seemingly lost all of their momentum built during the non-conference slate and must pick up results in almost all their remaining matches to have a good chance of making the NCAA Tournament. While this is a tough task, the Lobos still have talent. They need to come together as a unit and find a way to come out of this match with the victory. They also have to find a way to play better in the first half so they don’t keep on putting pressure on themselves to come from behind in the second half.