In last weekend’s pair of away fixtures, the Lobos beat the University of Nevada 2-0, but lost 2-1 to UNLV in heartbreaking fashion, surrendering a goal in the final seconds of regulation.
The Lobos also earned a split the prior weekend, beating a strong San Jose State team 3-1, only to lose to Fresno state 3-0 in a disappointing performance.
Despite coming away with a another split in Nevada, head coach Heather Dyche said she was satisfied and encouraged by the performances. The two most recent games were a stark contrast to the match against Fresno State.
“We struggled last weekend against Fresno State and didn’t really show up and the response was very good,” Dyche said in a release. “We beat a very good Nevada team 2-0, and I thought we controlled the game and kept possession better and just played better soccer”.
The Lobos hoped to carry that momentum into a tough match in Las Vegas. Despite UNM’s strong performance, the Rebels managed to grab the victory, scoring with three seconds left in the second half.
“Against UNLV, I thought we outplayed them and deserved to win the game. It ended on more of a basketball finish rather than a soccer finish, as they scored in the last three seconds of the game,” said Dyche in the release. “That was brutal and hurt, but we played a lot harder than we had been for a consistent 90 minutes and I thought that was something to be pretty pleased with despite the result.”
The Lobos (6-6-2, 2-4-0 MW) will play Utah State (9-5-0, 5-1-0 MW) in their Friday night fixture. The Aggies currently reside as the top squad in the Mountain West Conference with 15 points, and are coming off of back-to-back wins against San José State and Fresno State.
Both Boise State and UNLV are only two points behind Utah State in the conference standings. This season, the Aggies have not looked short of attacking strength, scoring an average of two goals per game. The Aggies also appear strong defensively, conceding only 14 goals this season.
UNM will receive a boost this week by getting back sophomore midfielder Jennifer Munoz, who has been out since Sept. 16. Munoz is a member of the Mexican U-20 national team squad.
The Lobos have an overall record of 1-1-2 against Utah. Friday night’s fixture is crucial as the Lobos look to climb up the Mountain West standings. The Lobos are 9th in the table with six points, three points behind the sixth place Wyoming. Only the top six teams advance to the conference tournament, so a win this weekend would put UNM back into that mix.
The Lobos have been away from home for the past four games, so the home atmosphere on Friday should provide UNM with an added incentive.
“It’ll be refreshing to be in front of our fans, and refreshing to not have to travel again,” said Dyche in the release.
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Kickoff against Utah State is on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Matthieu Cartron is a sports reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLoboSports.
