The UNM men's soccer team plays at its home field for the last time this season against the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Sunday afternoon.
The Lobos (3-10-2, 0-5-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) are still trying to post their first conference win of the season and only get one more chance because the game is the last of the season before the conference tournament. The Lobos are in eighth place in the conference while UNLV (7-7-1, 2-3-1) is sixth.
Three seniors - Ty Hibbert, Ivan Wilson and Jovan Batiste - will be playing their final regular season games as Lobos.
Hibbert said he is optimistic about his last game at home.
"It's kind of sad to say that it is going to be our last college game, but we had a lot of fun this year," he said. "We didn't get the results that we wanted, but I think the team is playing well."
Head coach Klaus Weber says the Rebels, who shut out the Lobos last season, are a much-improved team.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"They are so much stronger offensively then they used to be; they really have teeth and bite in their attack," he said. "They are a very, very fast moving team. They have good speed and they play good possession ball. While we, right now, are sort of a struggling team, they have found their groove."
Leading the Rebels' attack is sophomore Alex Hernandez, who is tied for second in the conference in goals scored with seven. Junior Kelley Frederick is taking weight off Hernandez's and is tied for eighth in the same category with five goals. Both are in the top-10 in scoring in the conference with Hernandez recording 14 points and Kelly collecting 13.
Weber says the key to winning is to play a solid game defensively and play smart.
"I think we are getting better game by game defensively and at home we can make it miserable for just about any team," he said.
Home field advantage may be a plus for the Lobos, but Weber said his team isn't going to rely on it.
"In the old days when you would sort of prep your field a little bit, probably there was (an advantage)," he said. "I think that has greatly diminished, so home fields are no longer weighed advantages. You want to defend your home field and you don't give anything on your home field. But an advantage when the other team plays well and you don't play well, hey, there is no advantage, right."
Weber said he feels that Sunday's outcome is going to make an impact on how the team is going to play in the conference championships, which start next week. He said the conference is very open right now and it doesn't matter where the Lobos are seeded because the team has improved and is working hard for a win.
"We are ready to turn that corner and that's important in the last conference game," he said.
Even though the Lobos lost to UNLV last season 3-0, they still hold a 7-4 all-time record, with their last win in 1999.
The match versus the Rebels is set to begin at 1 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.
