This past weekend, both soccer teams started their conference play and, unfortunately, didn’t get the results that they wanted. They’ll look to get back to their winning ways this weekend, with the women taking to the road and the men coming back home. Read more
Category: Lobo Soccer
Men’s Soccer at Kentucky Match Preview
The Lobos (5-2-0) will open their Conference USA schedule with a tough road test at Kentucky (4-2-1, 0-1-0). The Lobos look to get past their struggles the last two years in C-USA play and get back in the hunt for a conference title. This matchup will be very interesting to watch, as both teams play a very similar style of soccer, playing tough defense while looking for chances to counter-attack to score goals. This match will be decided by which team can make the most of their limited opportunities. The Lobos will need Niko Hansen and Chris Wehan to come up big in this match, as a win tonight would put the Lobos in good shape for the conference title after just one match.
Women’s Soccer vs Colorado College Match Preview
The Lobos (4-2-2) open their Mountain West Conference schedule this weekend with matches against two Colorado Springs teams. First, they will take on Colorado College (4-4-0) tonight in Albuquerque. The Lobos look to continue their six-match unbeaten streak, and they have a good shot at doing so. The Lobos should be able to control play against Colorado College, but it will be important for the Lobos to find a first half goal to put the Tigers on the ropes. If they are able to find a first half goal, I could see it getting ugly in the second half. To do so, the Lobos will need to apply pressure throughout the course of the match, much like they did against NMSU last weekend. I like the Lobos in this conference opener, which is a match that they can’t drop if they want to win the regular season championship.
Weekly Soccer Recap (9/21/16)
After three straight weekends of playing two games each, both Lobo soccer teams took it a little easy this week with only one match. They made those matches count, however, with the women pulling out a 2-0 win against NMSU in their first home game while the men took to the road to beat UC Irvine 3-1. Both teams are on a roll right now, which is great timing, as conference play starts this weekend.
Women’s Soccer vs. NMSU Preview
The Lobos (3-2-2) finally get to have their first home match of the season and it happens to be against their in-state rival, NMSU Aggies (2-6-0). The Lobos are playing well right now and will look to make a statement in front of the home fans. Last season, the Lobos played better on the road, so they will be looking to improve their play at home this season, which should start tonight against a struggling Aggies side. If the Lobos are able to find an early first-half goal, it is possible that this game could get ugly.
Catching up with Lobo Men’s Soccer
After starting the season with two 1-0 losses, the Lobos got back to their winning ways with four straight shutouts to improve to 4-2-0. It is remarkable that in the six regular season and 3 exhibition matches, the Lobos have yet to give up a goal in game action (allowing only 2 penalty goals). As mentioned in our season preview, this year’s defense has a chance to be one of the best defensive teams in the country, and it has been looking the part. There are many positives to take from these last two weekends, and maybe a couple of concerns to look out for.
Pat Grange and Ben Ashwill Memorial
This past weekend at the Grange and Ashwill Memorial Tournament, we not only saw some great soccer be played, we were able to pay our respects to a couple of Lobo legends and also be reminded of how fragile life is. Pat Grange and Ben Ashwill may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten and their legacy will continue as long as this program is around.
Men’s Soccer vs. Cal Poly Preview
The Lobos (1-2-0) look to go to 2-0-0 on the weekend when they play host to Cal Poly (0-3-0) Sunday night. On Friday night against Cal State Northridge, the Lobos where able to control the play and find a goal in each half with brilliant finishes by Niko Hansen and Devin Boyce. Cal Poly will be an interesting test for the Lobos, as even with their 0-3-0 record, they have played one of the toughest schedules in college soccer and played well against North Carolina and Wake Forest. If the Lobos want to win this match relatively easily, they need to put pressure on Cal Poly defense from the opening whistle. The Lobos will have more talent on the field, but Cal Poly isn’t a team that can be taken lightly.
Women’s Soccer at Weber State Preview
The Lobos (1-2-0) continue their seemingly endless seven-game road trip with a trip to Ogden, Utah to take on Weber State (1-1-0) on Friday afternoon. The Lobos are coming off a 5-2 win against Pacific on Sunday, and will look to build on the success of that game. If the Lobos are able to win both matches this weekend – the other being on Sunday at Idaho State – they will set themselves up for a very successful season. It will be important for the Lobos to put pressure on Weber State early in the match and find an early goal to take pressure off the Lobo attack. This should be a game that the Lobos can control the pace of the game and play in the attacking half for most of the match.
Lobo Soccer Thoughts
Spending last weekend out on the road, the Lobo soccer teams showed a lot of fight against some of the top teams in the country, with each losing tight games against tough opponents. Although both teams are currently saddled with losing records, there were plenty of positives that bode well for the rest of their schedules.
Men’s Soccer
The Lobos (0-2-0) had one of the most interesting, and heartbreaking, weekends that I can recall in men’s college soccer, losing both matches 1-0 with both goals coming on penalty kicks. While the end results were disappointing, this past weekend still feels like a very good start to the season. While results are what you want, the process is still very important, and I saw more positives then negatives. Because of that, I expect a big showing at home against two California schools this weekend.
Positives:
- The Lobo defense was exceptional against two great teams in Indiana and Notre Dame. Going 180 minutes against these two teams without allowing a goal in game action is a great feat.
- The Lobos passing this past weekend was great. There were multiple times during the Notre Dame match where the Lobos were inches away from scoring a goal, thanks to their ball movement.
- The Lobos played an even match with Indiana, the #13-ranked team in the country. It was a match that seemed destined for overtime, but a penalty with 30 seconds left in the game gave Indiana a 1-0 win.
- The Lobos outplayed the 9th-ranked Notre Dame in every aspect of soccer, except the one place that ultimately matters. The Lobos were the aggressing team that put pressure on Notre Dame all match, but once again, a penalty was given against the Lobos in the 42nd minute that gave Notre Dame a 1-0 win.
Negatives:
- While it’s a trend that I don’t see continuing, simply giving the ref a chance to make a call in the box is something you don’t want to do. Although the handball against Indiana was a little questionable, the foul in the Notre Dame match wasn’t necessary to commit, as the player had no angle and was looking for a foul to go down on. The Lobos defense needs to be smart in the final 18 and force the ref to make a call.
- Despite making several good opportunities with their passing, actually finishing chances was something the Lobos couldn’t do this weekend. The Lobos need to find a way to make the most of their opportunities in the final third, especially against tough competition. Most matches against top teams are going to end with a final score somewhere between 0-0 and 2-1, so getting even one goal in these matches gives you a great chance to get a result.
Players of the Week:
This week there isn’t one player that I want to single out, as the whole backline of Tom Smart, Matt Constant, Nick Rochowski and Aaron Herrera was phenomenal and so was the play of Jason Beaulieu in goal. Because of this they share this week’s award.
Up Next:
Lobos return to Albuquerque for their home-opening weekend to take on Cal State Northridge (Friday at 7 PM) and Cal Poly (Sunday at 6 PM). Make plans to make it to the soccer complex this weekend to cheer on the Lobos to victory.
Women’s Soccer
The Lobos (1-2-0) have the record that most would have predicted after the first two weekends. The Lobos will continue their road-heavy schedule this weekend with two winnable matches, and I think there’s a good chance that they take both of them. Without video feeds for the matches this past weekend, it is hard to tell how the matches played out on the pitch, but one thing we can tell is that the Lobos dominated Pacific on Sunday, winning 5-2. There are some positives and negatives that can be taken from the first three matches.
Positives:
- They showed great fight and heart against Texas Tech and California. Those two matches could have been much worse than the 2-1 and 2-0 finals, but their resilience kept them in the games.
- The Lobos have scored 6 goals so far this season, with 5 different players scoring and the other off of an own goal. This shows that they have multiple players that could potentially score goals on this year’s team, which could lead to a nice, balanced attack.
- Tayler Hammack has played well in the first 3 matches this season in goal, but I wouldn’t be surprised if another goalie gets a look in the near feature. That’s especially true if the Lobos find themselves in a blowout soon. It would be great to have depth at this very important position.
Negatives:
- The Lobos have yet to play a full match without a letdown. If the Lobos want to win the Mountain West Conference, they need to be able to go a full 90 minutes without any lapses.
- The Lobos need to find one or two players that can be consistent goal scorers, both to drive the offense, and to draw the attention of their opponents. If they are able to have two scorers with 7 or more goals, this team has a chance to be a force in the Mountain West.
Up Next:
The Lobos will make a trip up to Weber State (Friday 3:30) and then to Idaho State (Sunday 11 AM). These are two winnable matches that could get the Lobos above .500 on the season. I am excited to see the growth of this Lobo team and am ready for their home opener in a few weeks.