Redshirt senior forward Madisyn Olguin netted an unassisted goal early in the second half against NMSU to lead the New Mexico women's soccer team to its first victory of the season.
The New Mexico men’s soccer team will travel to California this weekend to open up its regular season against one of the toughest competition in the country: UCLA. The Bruins are ranked No. 1 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.
There's no tougher way to start the season than what the New Mexico women’s soccer team experienced at the Lobo Invitational this past weekend. The Lobos faced two top-15 teams, including No. 1 in the nation, at their season-opening classic in Florida State and Texas Tech. The Lobos dropped both games, 3-1 on Friday night to the defending national champion Seminoles, and 1-0 Sunday to the No. 15 Red Raiders.
The New Mexico Soccer Tournament Complex in Bernalillo witnessed plenty of action throughout the Rio Rapids Open on Saturday and Sunday. Youth teams affiliated with the Colorado Rapids from New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Colorado made the trek to the biggest soccer complex in the Albuquerque area. The preseason tourney showcased players ranging from U-9 through U-14 for both boys and girls. More than 125 teams across four age classes competed in a minimum of three games for a chance to take home some hardware.
For a moment in the second half, the Lobos were within one goal of the best team in the country. Thirty seconds later, No. 1 Florida State took it away. Claire Lynch’s goal on Florida State midway through the second half electrified the crowd and gave New Mexico a spark, but the Seminoles’ strong offense struck back leading to a 3-1 win in the Lobo Invitational.
It’s simply a coincidence that Heather Dyche will face her alma mater in her first regular-season coaching outing for the UNM women’s soccer team. The game was also scheduled prior to Florida State’s 2014 national championship victory and its No. 1 preseason ranking. With that in mind, Dyche said she and the Lobos expect a tough game Friday night when the Lobos host the top-ranked Seminoles in the 2015 Lobo Invitational at the UNM Soccer Complex. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. following the 5 p.m. match between USC and Texas Tech.
New Mexico wanted a shutout after its first exhibition game, in which the Lobos allowed a goal 22 seconds before the final whistle was blown. The Lobos got their shutout on Wednesday night against the Grand Canyon University Antelopes, winning 3-0 in their last home preseason match.
The Lobos will continue its preseason action Wednesday when they face Grand Canyon University for their second and last home exhibition of the year. GCU is trying to become a top-notch soccer school. Not only is Grand Canyon getting a brand new soccer stadium this year, they also just hired a new coach with a wealth of experience. Schellas Hyndman was the head coach for FC Dallas, a Major League Soccer team, from 2008-13. In 2010, Dallas made it to the MLS Cup Final, and Hyndman was named Coach of the Year.
The UNM women’s soccer team was dull to start its exhibition Monday night at the UNM Soccer Complex, but the Lobos hit their stride as the game progressed and took a 3-1 win over Fort Lewis. The Lobos controlled the ball for much of the first half, keeping the ball in their offensive end for large periods of time.
The UNM men’s soccer team kicked off the 2015 fall sports season with a 2-1 win over Air Force during an exhibition game Saturday. Light rain was frequent, and a 42-minute lightning delay interrupted the first half of the match. However, unpleasant weather was not enough to stop the 1,180 fans who came to support their team. “That was awesome,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “People are behind this team, and you can feel their energy.”
Women’s soccer looks forward to strong season behind returning starters While the New Mexico women’s soccer team features a brand new coaching staff, the Lobos have plenty of experience returning for the upcoming campaign. The team will bring back 10 of its 11 starters from a roster that finished third in the Mountain West Conference. Three of those players — redshirt senior goalie Cassie Ulrich, senior midfielder Dylann O’Connor and redshirt sophomore defender Emily Chavez — earned all-conference recognition a year ago.
One year removed from a hazing scandal that rocked the New Mexico women’s soccer program, two returning players said Tuesday the team has put the events behind it and is ready to move forward to its 2015 campaign. Both senior goalkeeper Cassie Ulrich and midfielder Dylann O’Connor said they and the rest of the team take responsibility for their actions when upperclassmen hazed freshmen last August. UNM’s investigation uncovered underage drinking and the spraying of a “soap and water” mixture on the freshman.
New Mexico will play the Auburn Tigers in the first round of ESPN’s Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. On Thursday ESPN released the entire bracket for the eight teams playing in the tournament. UNM drew the Tigers and play is set for Dec. 22. The SEC-member Tigers finished 15-20 during the 2014-2015 season and went 4-14 against their conference opponents.
The UNM men’s soccer team debuted a new player this spring, and his name is Yuri Domiciano. Domiciano, a 6-foot defender from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, is one of the six members of the 2015 recruiting class announced by the UNM men’s soccer program earlier this year. He arrived to the United States in 2012 and spent two years at Iowa Western, a junior college. In 2014 he was named a Junior College All-American and helped his team advance to the national semifinals by holding opponents to just .45 goals per game.
The UNM men’s soccer team earned a 2-1 victory over Air Force Saturday in its last home spring match of the season. The Lobos hosted the Falcons at Robertson Field and to pull off the win after 90 minutes of regulation time and 20 minutes of overtime.
The New Mexico men’s soccer team won its first spring home exhibition of the year with a 4-2 victory over Fort Lewis on Saturday. With the match tied at 2, sophomore midfielders Olav Hovstad and Wayde Scibilia scored goals late to lift UNM. “Our quality showed throughout the match,” UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said in a press release. “We scored two late to win 4-2. Overall, we were a little casual in our approach to the game, but it’s hard to recreate the atmosphere we usually play in front of when it’s the spring and a day game.”
With six seniors and one junior gone, the UNM men’s soccer staff needed to find new talent — and it looks like they’ve found it. Last week the UNM men’s soccer program announced six members of the 2015 recruiting class, a group that has big shoes to fill, as four former Lobos are currently in preseason with MLS clubs and a fifth is on trial with the USL LA Galaxy II. Two or three additional players are expected to sign in the upcoming months.
It’s one extreme to the next for Heather Dyche. After years of working at the club and Olympic level, Dyche will be moving onto the collegiate ranks following her introduction as the new head coach of the New Mexico women’s soccer program on Thursday.
Forward James Rogers became the second former Lobo taken in the MLS SuperDraft when Sporting Kansas City selected him 53rd overall Tuesday. The Sierra Leone native joined former teammate Oniel Fisher as one of the 84 players selected in this year’s draft. Fisher was selected by Seattle Sounders FC with the40th overall pick on Thursday during the second round.
The 2015 MLS SuperDraft began Thursday and one Lobo has already been selected: Oniel Fisher. The former UNM midfielder/defender was selected by Seattle Sounders FC during the second round of the SuperDraft. Fisher was the 40th overall selection and the third player selected by the Sounders.
Solutions by The State News
