Weather permitting, the Lobos are getting ready to take on Charlotte by storm.
After back-to-back wins at home, the UNM men’s soccer team is hitting the road for a match against the Charlotte 49ers in hopes of getting its second Conference USA win of the season.
The game on Saturday will be the first of three road matchups in the next two weeks.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough game. It’s always been very physical with (Charlotte),” said Lobo defender Nick Rochowski. “It’s always exciting playing in front of other teams’ crowds. We are ready to give them a game.”
The Lobos (7-3, 1-1 C-USA) got their first conference win when they took down FIU 4-1 last Friday. On Tuesday, the New Mexico offense showed up once again to shut out LMU 3-0 during a non-conference match.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he was happy with the energy he’s been seeing from the Lobo offense, and that he thinks the team is in a good spot at the moment.
“We’re excited for the next one. Saturday is going to be a great test for us,” Fishbein said. “Going into some potential bad weather as well.”
The same attacking effort the Lobos showed in the last two games will be needed if New Mexico wants a chance at taking down the 49ers.
Charlotte is currently ranked No. 17 by the NSCAA Coaches poll. The team holds a 6-2 overall record — 2-1 in conference — and is currently undefeated at home with a 4-0 record.
The 49ers defense has allowed four goals from opponents in their eight games this season, amounting to half a goal per game. The New Mexico defense has been just as resilient, having allowed five goals in 10 games.
“They’re very organized defensively,” said Lobo goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu. “That’s what their strength is, they don’t give other teams any openings and they counterattack.”
When it comes to the offense, Charlotte is averaging 2.25 goals per game, having scored a total of 18. Junior forward Harrison Steadman owns five of those goals.
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The Lobos have scored 16 goals, averaging 1.6 goals game. Senior forward Niko Hansen is the leading scorer with eight goals.
Last year, the 49ers shut out the Lobos 2-0 in Albuquerque. Beaulieu recorded a career high of nine saves during this match, but he wasn’t thrilled about the loss.
“It was a pretty bad performance last year against them,” he said. “That’s why I made so many saves, but we conceded two goals too. It was probably our worst game of the year.”
Beaulieu says he expects this year to be different.
“This year I think we are very prepared. We have a very focused group for this game and we don’t feel like we are going there to lose or to tie,” he added. “We know we can win that game, and we are very confident about it.”
The governor of North Carolina has declared a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Matthew, but so far, the soccer match is still schedule for Saturday evening.
“Apparently it’s good to play now,” Beaulieu said. “They’ve told us that we can go and play so whatever the weather is, we are going to be ready.”
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
