Women's soccer set to hit the road

The UNM women’s soccer team is nearing its first major challenge of the season, and fans will soon find out how the Lobos handle playing on the road.

Today, UNM kicks off a four-game road trip. First stop on the schedule: Las Vegas, for a two-game tournament, then on to Flagstaff, Ariz., for another tournament, this one hosted by Northern Arizona.

The Lobos will take on Cal State Bakersfield and Illinois State in Sin City before finishing in Arizona with Oakland and Iowa. While the Lobos weren’t that crisp in their season opener against Idaho State, forward Jennifer Williams said UNM fixed what it needed to in practice this week.

“We are working really well together,” she said. “We definitely know how everybody plays. Our chemistry is getting a lot better, and it will show this weekend.”

Cal State Bakersfield has already notched an impressive come-from-behind win over the 13th-ranked team in the nation, San Diego, and is tied with BYU for 10th place in the Pacific Region. CSUB’s prominent scorer, Kassi Massey, will pressure the Lobos’ defense, but the Lobo defense is up for the challenge, said senior defender Jess Quador.

“Our defense is very, very strong,” she said.

The Lobos will also face ISU, a team that was picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference and has already played a top-20 team this season. The Redbirds are an experienced bunch, but Quador said the Lobos aren’t concerned with what their opponents will do. They’re only focused on what they’ll control.

“We know what we have to do to maintain our line to win,” she said. “The best thing we can do offensively is to play simple and to play wide.”

In wrapping up the four-game tour, the Lobos will take on Oakland and Iowa. UNM hasn’t played Oakland since the 2006-2007 season, when the Lobos were victorious, squeaking by 2-1. UNM will be taking its first crack ever at Iowa, and the Lobos have the numbers on their side. Against first-time opponents, UNM is 4-0.