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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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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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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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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The Lobos (6-3-0, 1-1-0) take a break from Conference USA play with a non-conference match against LMU (6-4-0) tonight at the UNM Soccer Complex. While this match doesn’t affect the conference championship race, it does have impact on their quest for a national seed for the NCAA Tournament. LMU have a chance to give the Lobos a real challenge and this isn’t a game where the Lobos can just show up and win. It will be interesting to see how the two sides match up against each other, as both teams aren’t offensive powerhouses, but the Lobos are a great defensive team and LMU is a good defensive team. This game will be decided by which team can have players make a great effort in the final third and punch in a goal or two. As is the case with any match against the Lobos this season, the expectation will be a low scoring match unless the Lobos have an offensive explosion.

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The Lobos (5-3-0) return to the 505 tonight for their first home conference match of the season. After dropping a 1-0 match against Kentucky in the conference opener, the Lobos look to take care of FIU (3-4-1, 1-1-0). This won’t be an easy match for the Lobos, but this could have the making of an offensive breakout for them. While FIU has controlled the amount of shots they have given up, they have allowed a goal on almost every 9 shots. I could also see this becoming a match were FIU could get into trouble early with a red card and have to play a man down for most of the match. If this is the case, the Lobos could open the floodgates and make this an ugly game. The Lobo defense really has just one player to stop and should be able to just that. I am very intrigued to see how this match plays out, and I just hope that the Lobos don’t get involved with FIU physical play, but can stick to their own style.

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