After a tough, 2-1 loss on the road to 19th-ranked Texas Tech, the Lobos (0-1-0) get back to work today against Cal (1-1-0). The Golden Bears are now ranked either 19th or 21st, depending on who you ask, so they will be another tough test for the Lobos, especially on the road. They’ve already given one strong effort on the road, so there’s reason to believe that they’ll be ready for the challenge.
Category: Lobo Soccer
Men’s Soccer vs. Indiana Preview
The Lobos (0-0-0) kick off their regular season with a road trip to South Bend, Indiana to take on the #13-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in a “neutral” game. Coming off of a 3-0-0 showing in the exhibition season, where they outscored their opponents 8-0 and finished with 3 clean sheets, the team has to be full of confidence heading into what will be a tough weekend. The Hoosiers are one of the premier soccer programs in the country and have an active 29 year NCAA Tournament streak. It will be a stiff test in the opener for the Lobos, but they should be ready after beating Washington 1-0 in the last exhibition game. This weekend will give the Lobos an opportunity to be on the national radar, so hopefully they will make the most of it.
Men’s Soccer Schedule Breakdown and Bold Predictions
The Lobo Men’s Soccer team kicks off their regular season at Indiana on Friday, so before they get started with what should be a fun season, we’ll take a quick look at their season schedule and give our bold predictions for what we think/hope/dream will happen this year.
Women’s Soccer at Texas Tech Recap
The Lobos (0-1-0) fought hard in their first match on the road against a tough Texas Tech squad (1-0-0) before falling 2-1. It was a great and encouraging opener for the Lobos, as with the exception of the first 20 minutes of second half, the Lobos played on even terms with the Red Raiders. After the Red Raiders scored their second goal so quickly after their first, it wouldn’t have surprised me if the final score was 4-0. However, the Lobos rallied to outplay the Red Raiders for the last 20+ minutes.
Women’s Soccer at Texas Tech Match Preview
After beating ENMU 2-1 in an exhibition match, the Lobos kick off their 2016 campaign with a tough task on the road against Texas Tech. Last year in the matchup, the Lobos lost a 1-0 game in Albuquerque against the then nationally-ranked Red Raiders team. The Lobos are coming off a solid 10-8-2 year, in which they went 6-3-1 on the road, and they hope to keep up that road warrior mentality. Both teams will be looking for answers to questions in their season openers, and without much to go on, the first game can lead to a weird match. The Lobos will need to make the right decision on who is starting in goal and hope that they are able to go all 90 minutes. This should be an exciting match against the two regional rivals.
2016 UNM Women’s Soccer Preview
The Lobo Women’s soccer team looks to build on year one of the Heather Dyche era, where they finished 10-8-2 overall and 7-3-1 in Mountain West play. One of the more surprising things from last year was how much they struggled at the Lobo Soccer Complex, where they went 3-5-0, but they showed great resolve on the road, where they finished 6-3-1, including an unbeaten 5-0-1 in conference play. It will be important for the Lobos to continue the great play on the road and find a way to play better at home if they’re going to build on last year’s successes. To that point, the Lobos will only play one non-Conference home game against NMSU, meaning the Lobos will be on the road for the first month of the season, including games at Texas Tech and California. The Lobos need to keep their head afloat in that first month and find their top form in time for the conference tournament.
2016 UNM Men’s Soccer Preview
After two straight disappointing seasons, the Lobos men’s soccer team looks to bounce back, get back to the NCAA Tournament, and once again be a national title contender. This is a very important year for the program, since perception of a program can change very quickly and hurt scheduling and recruiting. A good thing for the Lobos is they have been young and unlucky the last two season, which shouldn’t be the case anymore. Although they can’t control the luck aspect, they will be an experienced squad. The Lobos will have multiple-year starters, key transfers, and a highly regarded recruiting class this year. All that makes me think that if the team can come together to fulfill their potential, it could be a very exciting and special season.
Men’s Soccer vs. South Carolina Recap (CUSA Tourney)
The Lobos played a good match against South Carolina, but were unable to find the net on their dangerous chances. That ultimately gave South Carolina a chance to stay in the match and they found the game-winning goal late in the second half, likely ending the Lobos’ season in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. The season didn’t go as many Lobo fans had hoped, but there is hope for the future and the youth on this year’s team will get better with more experience. The South Carolina game summed up the Lobos’ season very well, as they were unable to score in the first half, unable to find ways to score from more than one person, and unable to prevent giving up late goals off of broken plays. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Men’s Soccer program, so this feels more like a temporary misstep than the start of a downward trend. This is still a very good college soccer team and program.
CUSA Conference Tourney First Round: UNM vs. South Carolina
After a strong finish in their last couple of games, the Lobos enter the seven-team Conference USA Tournament as the #6 seed. This tournament will take place Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, when the Championship Match will determine who will get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The field is a very solid one, as it has the potential for five or six of its teams to make the NCAA Tournament this year. With Charlotte being the host, they will be considered one of the two favorites along with #1 Seed Kentucky.
Men’s Soccer vs. FAU Match Recap
The Lobos needed a win on Senior Night this past Friday to lock up a spot in the Conference USA Tournament and they found it with a convincing 3-0 win. It looked a little dicey there for the first 70 minutes of the match, as the Lobos hadn’t found a goal, but the Lobos controlled the match from start to finish. Although they were held scoreless for a while, they did find the post two times and had a few other dangerous chances, which made it seem as though a goal was inevitable.