In their previous match two weeks ago, the Lobos beat Northern Arizona 5-2 after a difficult battle. Prior to the NAU fixture, the Lobos had lost four matches in a row, a disappointing run considering that the Lobos had managed to put together a five-match winning streak beforehand.
It appears that the Lobos, thus far this season, have been heavily impacted by momentum.
The Lobos have had two weeks without matches to prepare for the Mountain West Conference, something UNM head coach Ben Dunbar believed his squad needed.
“We feel really good about the rest of the year,” Dunbar said. “We’re going to have everyone back and healthy, which means that everyone will be able to contribute.”
The win against NAU two weeks ago will have reassured the Lobos, but they face a difficult opponent in their Mountain West Conference opener. They play Fresno State at home, a team that beat them 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the Mountain Pacific Invitational earlier in the season. The Bulldogs (9-10) have lost five of their last six matches, but have typically performed better away from home this season — winning four and losing three.
UNM (7-9), albeit playing mostly away this season, are undefeated at home (3-0). Conversely, the Lobos are 2-4 away from home and 2-5 in neutral-site games. With a host of away fixtures ahead of them, the Lobos will need to find a way to improve their away form.
The Lobos will then travel to Reno, Nevada, to face the University of Nevada. The Lobos have yet to play the Wolfpack this season, but in the 2016 conference play campaign, UNM won narrowly 4-3 after Lobo junior Bart Van Leijsen clinched the deciding match 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. The Wolfpack (5-6) have won their last two matches, their most recent loss coming against New Mexico State in early March.
“We like the schedule that we have — having UNLV, Fresno State and San Diego State come here, and then going to certain places that are at altitude, too,” Dunbar said. “We are a good altitude team. If you look at our record, you can see that we haven’t done so hot playing at sea level.”
The Lobos lost in the quarterfinal of the conference tournament last year to UNLV. In the 2015 and 2014 seasons, the Lobos lost to Boise State in the semifinal and final of the Conference tournament, respectively.
The Lobos will host Fresno State on Friday at the McKinnon Family Tennis Stadium at 4:00 p.m. MT. They will then play Nevada on Sunday in Reno, Nevada. The time for the UNM-Nevada fixture is to be determined.
Matthieu Cartron is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers women’s soccer. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cartron_matt.
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