New Mexico forward Niko Hansen and defender Nicholas Rochowski both earned Conference USA Player of the Week awards, marking the second week this season the Lobos have taken both awards.
There wasn’t much of a rhythm to New Mexico’s offense at Arizona State on Friday. The issue was at a key position: quarterback. UNM’s Lamar Jordan and Austin Apodaca both struggled, resulting in a 34-10 loss to the Sun Devils in Tempe, Arizona. Jordan, who started the game, went just 4-11 for 22 yards. Apodaca did slightly better, going 8-18 with 89 yards and an interception. Both quarterbacks took the same number of snaps, leading the Lobos to just 295 yards of total offense.
New Mexico is looking to build exposure in addition to finding hidden talent for its newest sport. The Lobo beach volleyball program is hosting tryouts Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 for anyone who thinks they can make the cut. Head coach Jeff Nelson said he’s been approached by several individuals on campus interested in trying out. “I just think it’s time we give kids on campus a shot,” Nelson said. “There will be a three-day tryout, and we’ll just see how it goes.”
Crucial errors down the stretch hindered New Mexico’s five-set bid in the title game at the Days Inn and Suites Lobo Invitational against LSU on Saturday night. After taking the first matches against Cal State Northridge and Long Island University Brooklyn, the Lobos hit a lull for a 3-2 loss against the Tigers in the final game the squad will play this season at WisePies Arena aka The Pit.
\The No. 15 UNM men’s soccer team took down the No. 21 American University Eagles 2-1 in overtime on Sunday at the UNM Soccer Complex. With the win, the Lobos claimed the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational Championship. It was a good victory for the Lobos, but by no means an easy one, UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said.. "We were fortunate," he said.
New Mexico came out with a new rotation Friday night, giving the red-long-sleeved jersey to Ashley Kelsey in UNM’s 3-1 victory over Cal State Northridge. Kelsey, listed as an outside hitter, took over the libero duties for the first time this season after Mercedes Pacheco’s difficult tournament at the USC Classic last weekend.
The Missouri State Bears had gone 411 minutes and 26 seconds without allowing a goal. Friday night, the Lobos put a stop to that shutout streak in a 1-0 victory over Missouri State. New Mexico (4-1-1) defeated MSU (1-2-2) 1-0 with a second-half goal during their first match of the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational. Five minutes into the game MSU’s forward Conor Ingram took the first shot of the match.
New Mexico quarterbacks Lamar Jordan and Austin Apodaca almost played an equal amount of snaps at Arizona State on Friday. However, neither of them were able to get UNM’s offense into a rhythm in a 34-10 loss.
New Mexico will host the Days Inn and Suites Lobo Invitational for three home games, away from the team’s home court. For the first time in three years, UNM will be playing a home game at WisePies Arena aka The Pit. Although head coach Jeff Nelson said the Lobos prefer to play in the team’s home gym at Johnson Center, he doesn’t anticipate any less of an advantage despite venturing down the street. “Home is home,” Nelson said. “Home is where your fans are.”
The No. 17 UNM men’s soccer team looks to build on its three-game winning streak this weekend. The Lobos will compete at home in the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational. They will face the Missouri State Bears (1-1-2) on Friday and the American University Eagles (5-1-0) on Sunday.
The crowd seemed to cheer a little louder for UNM’s freshman libero Mercedes Pacheco during UNM’s home opener against Santa Clara. Looking into the crowd, an enormous group was on its feet cheering and stomping for New Mexico’s newest starter. Pacheco, born and raised in Albuquerque, chose to stay home and play volleyball at the collegiate level instead of trying her luck by playing elsewhere.
The city of Tempe, Arizona hasn’t been kind to New Mexico. In the history between UNM and Arizona State, the Lobos are 1-12-1 all-time in Tempe with that lone victory coming in 1934. If UNM is able to garner a win in Sun Devil Stadium this Friday it will be a big upset. The Sun Devils are a 28-point favorite over the visiting Lobos.
New Mexico’s women’s golf team tied for sixth with Oregon at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational. The invitational saw 18 schools from across the country come together to compete at the UNM Championship Golf Course. The field included more than 100 players from nine top-25 programs, including the defending champion Stanford.
New Mexico is the No. 1 women’s cross country team in the nation, according to the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll. UNM overtook Iowa State sits for the top spot in the poll, which was released Tuesday. The Lobo women accumulated 354 points, including eight first-place points, for the top ranking.
Shaky play in UNM’s 40-21 loss to Tulsa on Saturday night left New Mexico’s offense exposed. Things started out just right for New Mexico as the squad strutted down the field on a six-play, 75-yard drive in under three minutes. However, not many drives after that went as smoothly as the first series of the game. Part of the problem for the Lobos was at the line of scrimmage, head coach Bob Davie said. The dive play was not working, which limited how much his offense could do after Tulsa took away a major component of New Mexico’s ground game.
Sometimes people don’t realize the leadership skills they have or the impact they can make until later in life. For one student, some of the low points he experienced may have been exactly what forged his abilities as a leader. Clifford Kindred, a sophomore business administration major, is the team captain and alumni coordinator for the UNM men’s rugby team. Kindred said he moved to Albuquerque from Colorado in 2009 and was excited to play football and start school. Along the way, Kindred said, he started experimenting with drugs and going down the wrong path.
They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but maybe the better strategy would be to become stronger before you get hurt. This is where strength and conditioning coaches come into play. These coaches, also known as sports performance coaches, work with a specific athletics coach to design programs that meet the particular needs of an athlete or team. In other words, their job is to combine the theory of training with the actual act of training.
Keeping local talent in New Mexico has been a priority for many UNM athletics programs. Recruiting in-house allows players to remain close to family members while also providing another level of excitement for the fan base. Jeff Nelson, head coach of UNM’s volleyball team, said he has experienced first-hand what it means to feature New Mexico-based players on his roster.
Heather Dyche never coached a NCAA Division I soccer team before the 2015 season, but that doesn't diminish her qualifications. She’s been around the game for quite a while. A coach licensed with organizations like the U.S. Soccer Federation, CONCACAF, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the U.S. Youth Soccer Association, the Albuquerque native also served as an assistant for the U14 U.S. national team. Her playing days included a stop at Florida State University.
Until Saturday, UNM had been one of the most disciplined teams in the country. However, New Mexico committed 14 penalties that cost them a total of 154 yards in a 40-21 loss to Tulsa at University Stadium.
Solutions by The State News
