With the 2017 season underway, the New Mexico women’s soccer team isn’t focused on the fact that this year marks the 25th season of the program — they’re focused on their matchup this Friday with Houston. It didn’t take long for the inaugural team to make its mark, going 11-5-1 in their first season and quickly laying down a foundation of success for all future iterations of the team to strive for, one that has lead to an all-time record of 211-197-57.
In terms of support, the Lobos have one of the strongest contingents in women’s collegiate soccer. The team finished 24th in the country in average home attendance, drawing 1,058 fans per game and 6,348 overall. By comparison, the men’s team averaged 1,361 fans per game, 21st in the nation.
“I definitely think each year I’ve been here, the crowds have been growing larger and larger, and I think that’s a really awesome thing for women’s soccer,” Senior Claire Lynch said. “Because (when) going out of town to a lot of places and playing a lot of different areas, there usually aren’t that many fans. Sometimes even we have more fans at away games than the home teams do. I think it’s really awesome that we have a crowd comparable to the men’s games.”
One of the factors of having collegiate women’s sports, especially successful teams, is the influence that they have on the young girls in their communities, something Lynch was able to speak to firsthand as a native of Albuquerque:
“I remember being really young on my club team and shagging for the Lobos and going to their games a lot,” she said. “I always looked up to them, and now being a part of it, it’s kind of weird to think that little girls look up to me as a player. But yeah, I definitely remember coming out to the games and being a huge fan of all the girls that played here.”
This season, Lynch wants the team to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, a feat that can only be accomplished by winning the conference tournament.
“I want us to make it to the conference tournament, win the conference tournament, get into the NCAA Tournament. I think even just having a really productive year where we make a lot of progress as a team, maybe not winning always, growing as a team will help the team in the future to grow more and more and become a very competitive team.”
For Lynch, who is fourth all-time in goals at UNM, it’s her last chance at NCAA Tournament play, but even if the team is unable to accomplish that goal, it won’t diminish what being a Lobo means to her:
“To me being a part of this program brings me a lot of pride, the environment is awesome here, we’re like a family, I’m close to so many girls on the team, and I feel like everyone on the team wants the same thing and we all get along which is really awesome, because you don’t see that a lot. Just the environment and the coaches and everything about this program.”
The program is lead by Heather Dyche, another Albuquerque native who played her college soccer at Nebraska and Florida State. She touts an extensive resume that includes assisting the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) with scouting and analyzing opponents at the 2016 Olympics, as well as serving on the instructional staff for The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the governing body that oversees all of the countries in the northern half of the Western Hemisphere. She has also assisted national teams from Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis and Grenada. Because of her roots, guiding the Lobos is something special for Dyche.
“It’s a really special thing for me, because I’m from Albuquerque, I grew up watching the Lobos and following the Lobos and was here when the program started,” Dyche said. “Almost came here, I didn’t end up playing here but it’s a really special place in my heart, and when you’re from New Mexico, I think you take a lot of pride in the Lobos and being from New Mexico, and this team and this culture is something really cool to be a part of.”
Entering her third season, Dyche hasn’t seen the need for anything drastic. For her, it’s been all about building on the foundation that was already laid, including in how she recruits players. She said she wants to match what she saw as a high school recruit.
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“I think, in a lot of ways, we’re trying to match that,” she said. “This team has always been very good in the classroom, they’ve always been good in the community, they’ve been good on the field, and we’re just trying to increase on that culture that was already good and make it a place you really want to play and that leads to all of those things being excellent.”
When asked about the program’s progress in terms of equality, fanbase and structure compared to the men’s team during her time here, this is what Dyche had to say:
“I know it’s all soccer, but it’s really two separate games,” she said. “There are over 300 Division I women’s teams, and I think less than 200 Division I men’s teams, so it’s a different beast. I’m always really prideful when our men do well. I want to be a part of making Lobo soccer great, I don’t really view it as a competition. The better they do, the better we do; it’s all good for our school.”
For a team that went 9-7-3 last season, there are certainly question marks about how the team will fare this season, but with Dyche bringing the same mentality to the Lobos that the USWNT has, she believes greater success will follow:
“I think the consistent message when you get to work with U.S. Soccer and you get to go to the Olympics and you get to go to all these things, it’s professionalism, it’s being kind to people, it’s making sure that you’re prepared and doing your job, and I think all these things apply to our staff and our players. At times, it’s kind of a different caliber of athlete, but I don’t think it’s any different in terms of expectations and the professionalism that’s required,” she said.
This season is about seeing where the improvements the team makes every day will take them. Whether that’s to the NCAA Tournament or not, it’s possible that along the way, the team may create the next Claire Lynch, and someday she’ll be the one inspiring the next generation of Lobos.
Cameron Goeldner is a freelance sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s soccer but also contributes content for baseball, basketball, football and track and field. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Goeldfinger.
