The season is over for the New Mexico men’s soccer team. The field for this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship was announced Monday morning, but with an 11-6-1 overall record, the Lobos did receive an at-large bid.
In the space of just seven days Chantale Riddle has climbed to the top of the record books with two prestigious New Mexico volleyball records. With 18 kills on Nov. 8, Riddle became New Mexico’s all-time leader in points, and on Saturday Riddle ascended to claim sole possession of UNM’s kill throne. Both records were held by Lobo alumnae Tania Gooley.
On a night full of turquoise-accented jerseys the New Mexico men’s basketball team found itself in a dogfight with Cal State Fullerton. The Lobos led almost the entire game, but could never seem to shake the pesky Titans. Five straight free throws by sophomore guard Cullen Neal sealed the game for the Lobos in a 67-59 win on Saturday at the Pit.
New Mexico is starting to gain a reputation for being competitive, but that reputation isn’t backed up by many wins this season. That didn’t change Saturday against Utah State in Logan, Utah. UNM found itself back in the game when redshirt freshman quarterback Lamar Jordan hit wide senior receiver Tyler Duncan for a 59-yard touchdown, cutting Utah State’s lead to just 28-21 with 4:17 left in the game.
Both the men’s and the women’s New Mexico cross country teams will be packing their bags to compete in the national championships. The women were able to breathe easier knowing they were headed to Terre Haute, Indiana, directly following the second-place finish in the 6-kilometer race at the UNM North Golf Course on Friday. The men, on the other hand, did not get an automatic bid to the national stage following their seventh-place 10-kilometer bid at the Mountain Region Championships. Instead, the Lobos earned an at-large bid from the Division I Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee on Saturday.
Shooting was an issue for the New Mexico men’s basketball team in its first two exhibition games. UNM seemed to have come out of its slump in its season opener against the Idaho State Bengals in a 79-55 win on Friday night.
The New Mexico women’s basketball team will open its season in Chicago against opponents that will give the Lobos some much needed experience. UNM boarded nine underclassmen on the plane to the Maggie Dixon Classic that begins today against University of Texas Pan America. The Lobos only have one starting senior following Ebony Walker’s suspension. “We’re going to be able to get out there and play three tough games,” head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. “These guys are looking forward to it and so are we.”
A pair of late goals ended the New Mexico men’s soccer team’s Conference USA tournament run in a 2-1 loss to Old Dominion Wednesday. The Lobos traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to face the tournament host Old Dominion for quarterfinal action. The Lobos had defeated the Monarchs 4-0 earlier this season, and were looking for yet another victory against them. But this time, the tables turned.
njuries have been the curse for the men’s basketball team’s preseason, and it may continue into Friday’s season-opener. Head coach Craig Neal said junior college transfer Jordan Goodman will not play against Idaho State. Neal also said guard Cullen Neal may not play due to a heel injury that has been nagging at him recently. Both of them participated in practice on Wednesday and looked to be healthy. Goodman has been recovering from a knee surgery that he went through in June and has still not fully healed. Wednesday was his third straight practice for the Lobos.
New Mexico’s bowl game chances are slowly slipping away. The Lobos sit at 3-6 (1-4 Mountain West) on the season and must win its remaining three games in order to be bowl eligible for the first time in seven years. The last time UNM made a bowl game was in 2007 when it won the New Mexico Bowl 23-0 over Nevada. First, UNM must win at Utah State this Saturday in Logan, Utah. The Aggies are 7-3 (4-1 Mountain West) on the year despite losing their top three quarterbacks this season. Utah State is an 18-point favorite over UNM.
The UNM men’s soccer team ended its regular season on a high note, but now it’s crunch time. The No. 5 seed Lobos will begin their tournament season today as they face the No. 4 seed and Conference USA host, Old Dominion.
One more yard was all New Mexico needed to extend Saturday’s game. For the first time in the game, UNM found itself trailing Boise State 53-49. The Lobos were able to drive the ball to midfield on their next possession, but faced a critical fourth-and-2 situation at their own 48-yard line with 4:11 remaining. After a timeout, redshirt freshman quarterback Lamar Jordan tried to dive for the first down by keeping the ball on an option run. At first the referees signaled that Jordan had gained enough for a new set of downs. However, the play was reviewed and subsequently overturned as the replay official saw Jordan’s elbow hit the turf before he made it to the first-down marker.
A poor shooting night for the New Mexico men’s basketball team resulted in a much closer game than fans had hoped to see. UNM defeated the Adams State Grizzlies 62-50 in a Friday night exhibition at The Pit, but the Lobos shot a measly 27 percent (20-73) from the floor. They also shot 61 percent (17-28) from the free-throw line. “I’m really concerned about our shooting, concerned about our turnovers and our free throw shooting today,” head coach Craig Neal said.
The history books will have to be rewritten for New Mexico’s volleyball program. With 1,838 kills, redshirt senior Chantale Riddle took sole possession of UNM’s points record during the Lobos’ 3-1 victory over San Diego State (11-13, 6-7 MW) Saturday from Tania Gooley, UNM’s previous point leader (1,818). The right side hitter seemed shocked after breaking the record at home, in front of the previous kill record holder and the team’s fans.
Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said New Mexico took a hit without the team’s starting center, but that the depth inside will overcome Ebony Walker’s presence down low. That depth came through in the Lobos’ exhibition game Sunday. UNM outscored Eastern New Mexico 42-8 in the paint despite losing Walker to a suspension after her being charged with domestic violence on Nov. 4. Sanchez said, following UNM’s 61-49 victory over Eastern New Mexico, that it was a refreshing change of pace after a hectic week.
Senior Night proved successful as the New Mexico men’s soccer team finished its regular-season campaign with a 2-1 victory over South Carolina on Friday. With the win, the Lobos (11-5-1, 4-4-0) earned the No. 5 seed and will face the Conference USA tournament host Old Dominion (fourth-seed) on Wednesday for quarterfinal action. “I was real proud of our guys,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “There were some nerves going in because it was a big game. It was important to get that (win) under the belt and send the seniors out in style.”
Sophomore halfback Teriyon Gipson answered the call Saturday night after New Mexico’s leading rusher, Jhurell Pressley, limped off the field with an ankle injury in the second quarter. Gipson had a great night on the ground following the Pressley injury, rushing the ball 24 times for 205 yards, both career highs. In Saturday’s 60-49 loss to Boise State (7-2, 4-1 MW), UNM’s rushing attack stayed strong despite losing a key contributor. “I thought he was good, I thought our entire power offense was pretty impressive,” head coach Bob Davie said of the running game. “We had 400 yards of offense in the first half ... That’s with a redshirt quarterback, a true sophomore running back, and a redshirt freshman tailback.”
Chantale Riddle added yet another accomplishment to her list of achievements throughout her tenure at New Mexico. The All-American said she was surprised, but not completely shocked at receiving the Sports Imports/AVCA Division 1 National Player of the Week, on Tuesday.
New Mexico hasn’t had much of a home field advantage this season. The Lobos are 0-4 at home this season and have lost by an average of 15 points per game.
The New Mexico men’s basketball team has had an up and down offseason, but hopes to fix many of the issues that have been the reason for the inconsistency.
Solutions by The State News
