The 2025 season for the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team kicks off next week with their season opener at home on Aug. 14 against Texas Southern University — the first Lobo sporting event of the 2025–26 season.
The Lobos played an exhibition game this week on Aug. 7, starting the year off strong with a 4-1 win against University of Texas, El Paso, where several players including newcomers and goalkeepers had minutes on the field. While the victory could be a hopeful sign for the future, the game will not count towards the overall season record.
The season spans a total of 19 games, concluding with the Mountain West tournament in November for qualifying teams.
UNM Women’s Soccer Head Coach Heather Dyche said the level of training since they started this summer has been high, and she thinks they will have a “gritty” team this season.
“I think that’s been driven by the players,” Dyche said. “We really feel like the best teams are led by the players. We want to give them that autonomy to run it and they’ve been unbelievable.”
Three Lobos — forward Nicole Anderson, defensive midfielder Kennedy Brown and defender Fiona Jenkins — will be players to watch this season with their inclusion on the 2025 Mountain West Women’s Soccer watchlist after starting all 18 games last season. Newcomer freshman midfielder Mia Barela was 3-time varsity captain of Las Cruces High School. She joins with 106 goals and 52 assists during her high school career.
Brown — born and raised in Albuquerque — said this season she wants to get out of her comfort zone by “being more of a threat” as an attacker.
“Whether that’s playing through balls or attacking myself, I think that’s a big focus of mine this year,” Brown said. “I’m very defensive-minded, but trying to get out of that habit.”
The Lobos are bringing in 13 new freshman this season. A large portion of the roster are from New Mexico with eight players — including five freshmen — from the state, and the remaining 19 are from out of state.
Based on last season’s results, UNLV and San Diego State appear to be challenging opponents for the Lobos, as the Lobos lost by a three goal deficit in both of those games.
Dyche said the team outperformed their opponents in possession, set pieces and shots on goal last season, but that they need to work on executing better in the hard moments of the game.
“In the last minutes of games, we’ve been giving up too many goals and not scoring,” Dyche said. “So for us, it’s really like those moments, like the hard moments, can we score goals when we need to and prevent them when we need to.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Alysa Whelchel — a midfielder from Torrance, California — said this season she is most excited about the possibility of making the Mountain West tournament.
“I think we have full capability of doing that and as long as we’re staying mentally tough and just being there for one another, I think we can win it too,” Welchel said.
Dyche said that she loves where women’s soccer is headed both globally and in New Mexico, with the hope of New Mexico to have a professional team, and three Women’s Premier Soccer League teams competing in New Mexico this summer.
Dyche said she played in the Women’s United Soccer Association — the world’s first fully professional women’s soccer league, founded in 2001 and disbanded in 2003.
“I think New Mexico loves soccer,” Dyche said. “We’re such a soccer-oriented state, and you see the amount of people that show up. I always think that the more opportunities for women, the better.”
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on X @paloma_chapa8
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa is the multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @paloma_chapa88
