by J.R. Oppenheim
assistantsports@dailylobo.com
@JROppenheim
The race to the Conference USA title comes down to one simple solution: a Saturday win over Kentucky results in a regular-season title for New Mexico.
The Lobos managed to place its destiny in its own hands after two key victories last week against Alabama-Birmingham and Old Dominion. All three teams have occupied the top spots in the conference standings for much of the C-USA schedule.
The team that finishes first in the regular season is granted a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the conference tournament, which takes place Nov. 13-17 in Charlotte, N.C. The seven-team field is set, though seeding positions remain at stake this weekend.
“Man, it’s been a good conference,” UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “There’s five top teams in this conference, and the other five aren’t bad. The other five are pretty good.”
Now that first-place UNM (10-4-2, 6-1-1 C-USA) beat the other top squads in the conference, the Lobos hold the tiebreaker should there be a tie at the top. The only hope for Old Dominion (9-4-1, 6-2-0 C-USA) rests on a win over South Carolina – also on Saturday – coupled with a UNM tie or loss.
The Gamecocks currently hold the third-place slot in the standings over UAB by two points. Both teams have four C-USA wins, but South Carolina has one conference loss and three ties while UAB suffered three losses with one tie. Charlotte, Tulsa and Kentucky also made the tournament.
“The challenge now is, can we keep our focus and can we be good this Saturday against Kentucky?” Fishbein said. “A lot at stake for this one, a conference championship. Probably more importantly, it’s a bye in the conference tournament. We’ll be prepared for Kentucky.”
The Wildcats (6-8-2, 3-3-2 C-USA) take a lot shots but don’t have many goals. In 16 games Kentucky has attempted 267 shots, the second most of any C-USA team. Only 22 resulted in scores. That ranks eighth among the 10 conference squads. Tyler Riggs accounts for six goals, while Brad Doliner has five and Isak Krogstad has four.
New Mexico, meanwhile, ranks among the highest-scoring teams in the league. The Lobos’ 29 goals are tied for second-most with Charlotte. Seven of those goals came from freshman Niko Hansen, who is among the top six in scoring. James Rogers and Michael Calderon also have six apiece.
Fishbein expressed some concern about the possible field conditions at the UNM Soccer Complex. By the time UNM takes the pitch Saturday, eight Mountain West Conference women’s tournament games will have taken place on the field.
“We’re a team that wants to play and we want a good surface,” he said, adding the school’s greenskeepers have done a good job maintaining the field throughout the season.
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The conference continues to be strong in the national RPI rankings with four members among the top 30 – UNM at No. 8, ODU at 21, Charlotte at 26 and UAB at 30. UAB and Tulsa also rank 63rd and 65th, respectively. The RPI is taken into account when it comes to selections and seedings for the NCAA tournament.
“We might get five out of 10 in (the NCAA tournament), and it’s just hard to know. Is the whole RPI thing, is that the best way to do things?” Fishbein said. “Regardless, you have to play the game and it’s made us a much better team and much more attractive playing in Conference USA. It’s gone pretty good. Knock on wood.”
