New Mexico clinched a spot in the Mountain West women’s soccer tournament following a 1-0 victory over Colorado College Friday afternoon in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Midfielder Claire Lynch scored her fourth goal in the season nearly 18 minutes into the game, benefitting from an assist from midfielder Dylann O’Connor.
Last Friday’s loss may have kept New Mexico out of second place in the Mountain West women’s soccer standings, but the Lobos are still in the hunt for a conference tournament bye. Three points separate second, third and fourth place heading into the last three regular season games: with San Jose State at 18 points on the season, UNM at 16 and Colorado College at 15.
The Lobo men's soccer team got its first Conference USA win on Sunday, and this week it will be on the hunt for a second one. Before the team’s 3-2 victory over UAB, UNM was going through what Lobo keeper Jason Beaulieu described as a “tough stretch.” Beaulieu said his team has not given up during the rough patch, during which they have only garnered one victory in their five most recent matches.
After having found some consistency at home this week, New Mexico will go back on the road in hopes of climbing the Mountain West standings ladder. The Lobos (11-9, 4-3 Mountain West) currently sit among the four teams in the conference with a winning record in MW play. Wyoming holds a half-game advantage with their 5-3 MW record (15-5 overall), and Boise State has a full game on UNM at 6-2 (14-6 overall).
New Mexico finally has a chance to change the way it's perceived. For years, ever since the Rocky Long era, the Lobos have been seen as underdogs by their competition. That will likely remain true this year, with only five games left in the season, but UNM has a chance to change that with a win or two.
The New Mexico women’s basketball team excited its fans with song and dance at the Lobo Howl on Friday, Oct. 16. Tuesday’s media day was all business. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said Tuesday that she is not looking to build a team that is good for a year. The four-year head coach said she has been building her program up to have a much longer run than the 2015-16 campaign.
Another Lobo men's soccer player earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors: this time it's Francesco Casucci. The New Mexico freshman midfielder recorded two goals and an assist during Sunday's 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Alabama-Birmingham, propelling UNM to its first conference victory of the season.
The Mountain West announced on Monday wide receiver Carlos Wiggins received MW Special Teams Player of the Week recognition. Wiggins ran a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in UNM’s 28-27 comeback victory over Hawaii on Saturday. It's Wiggins' first such honor of his career.
Head Coach Heather Dyche called Friday’s overtime loss particularly hard because it had been the best New Mexico has played this year. The Lobos made sure on Sunday that their best resulted in a win. UNM’s offense clicked into a gear not seen since the Sept. 3 Idaho State game, scoring three first-half goals en route to a 5-1 victory over Fresno State at the UNM Soccer Complex. The game saw the most Lobo goals scored this season, and the most they’ve had since netting four against the Bengals during nonconference play.
Head Coach Jeff Nelson’s newly added zone blocking scheme has rejuvenated New Mexico’s defensive muscle, translating to a jumpstart in the Lobos’ offense. For the first time since Oct. 6, 2011, the Lobos garnered a home victory over the UNLV Rebels. Coming into Saturday’s 3-1 victory, New Mexico had a 1-5 record for the previous six meetings between the clubs.
If anyone is questioning the No. 1 ranking of the New Mexico women’s cross country team, they are still searching for reasonable doubt. The UNM women’s cross country team not only took first place at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Friday, but it dominated the field in the six-kilometer race and won by 156 points. The Lobo men, meanwhile, finished in 23rd place.
The Lobos kept grinding and finally got their reward. After losing its first three Conference USA matches this season, the UNM men’s soccer team (7-4-2, 1-3-0 C-USA) got a much-needed “w” in a 3-2 home victory over the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Sunday night.
Quarterback Austin Apodaca proved he’s ready for any situation. After sitting on the bench the entire game, Apodaca was inserted to construct an 80-yard drive with just 2:14 left in the game and trailing Hawaii 27-21. The Lobos had the opportunity to win the game after Hawaii missed a short field goal attempt that would have sealed the victory. Apodaca came through when he hit wide receiver Dameon Gamblin for a 28-yard touchdown off a double-move for a 28-27 win over Hawaii at University Stadium on Saturday. The quarterback finished the drive 6 of 10 for 70 yards.
For the second consecutive home game, New Mexico’s defense stepped up in the second half, eventually earning the team a late victory. Head coach Bob Davie said the game was a lot like the New Mexico State game on Oct. 3, where the Lobos didn’t come out with enough fire in the first 30 minutes of play.
Call the San Jose State Spartans overtime warriors. New Mexico became their latest victim. Forward Dorthe Hoppius scored a game-winning goal in overtime to lead first-place San Jose State to a 2-1 victory over the Lobos Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex.
To get the freshmen acclimated to the ambiance of WisePies Arena, aka The Pit, everyone is required to take part in the annual dance at the Lobo Howl. Barring injury, this is non-negotiable. For incoming freshman guard Emily Lines, the dance was the most worrisome part of her introduction to New Mexico fans.
Craig Neal definitely knows how to make an entrance. At the annual Lobo Howl, the men’s basketball team began its portion with Lobo Louie dancing through the decades to various hit songs. The crowd of 6,676 erupted when Louie took off his head to reveal himself as the team's head coach.
New Mexico and San Jose State are both trying to position themselves to knock off three-time Mountain West women’s soccer champ San Diego State. After this Friday's game, one of them could have an inside track against the Aztecs. The third-place Lobos host the Spartans, who are tied with San Diego State atop the standings, in a potentially pivotal contest Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex. Only two points in the standings separate UNM (6-6-1, 4-1-1 MW) from the two co-leaders at the conference’s midway point.
The Lobo cross country team is ready to compete at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Friday. The women’s team showed why it is worthy of its No. 1 national ranking, winning in dominant fashion at Notre Dame. The event saw five Lobos finish in the top 12 and senior Courtney Frerichs receive Mountain West Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.
All season, Nelson has been trying to find a way to limit the errors and find a rotation that worked to his advantage. He may have just found some answers. With a new blocking scheme, a unique look at the libero spot, and limited errors, the Lobos took down Fresno State 3-0 Thursday night at Johnson Center.
Solutions by The State News
