New Mexico opened up the Lobo Classic with a bang on Thursday night, defeating Arkansas 3-1 behind senior Julia Warren’s career mark at WisePies Arena. Head coach Jeff Nelson said going into the match that he wanted to see some major production from his senior pin hitters, and all three tallied double-digit kills on the night.
The Lobos (1-0) and Aggies (0-1) will meet for the 107th time Saturday as the teams square off in a rivalry that goes back longer than New Mexico has been a state. Head coach Bob Davie’s mantra for the season opener was that the Lobos “just had to be the best team in the stadium that night.” He said the upcoming game is a big one since it is a rivalry game, but that the focus remains on improving with each matchup, no matter who the opponent. One game does not necessarily have any bearing on the next.
New Mexico’s final road trip that will break nearly a month on the road has arrived, and head coach Heather Dyche could not be more pleased. “This next weekend we’re going to get through.
Two opponents will do battle against New Mexico before the Lobos’ highly anticipated match against No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday night. The Lobo Classic begins on Thursday against Arkansas, followed by an exhibition on Friday against Montreal.
The Lobos registered a pair of individual performance honors on Monday after some strong season opening showings, according to a release. Linebacker Dakota Cox and kicker Jason Sanders were named Mountain West Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, respectively.
After trailing early in Thursday’s season opener at University Stadium, New Mexico hit its stride after making some big plays in all three phases of the game. The Lobos registered plenty of explosive plays on both sides of the ball, but it was a pair of big plays on special teams that seemed to shift the game’s momentum.
Not panicking turned out to be the best strategy for the Lobos. New Mexico (2-2) recorded its second 2-0 shutout of the weekend after taking down the Cal Poly Mustangs (0-4) on Sunday night to emerge victorious from the TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational.
It wasn’t a perfect weekend, but New Mexico closed out the USF tournament by dominating Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon. UNM made the trip to Tampa, Florida despite the threat of Hurricane Hermine, but the six teams who made the trip to the Sun Dome were not affected by the weather.
Saturday’s preseason meet featured competing spots, community runners and high school competitors as UNM hosted the Lobo Invitational. Many of the starters for the men and the No. 1 defending national championship women’s squad were sidelined to prepare for the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 30, when meet results officially count towards standings.
New Mexico put on a shooting clinic in its trip to Weber State on Friday afternoon, but to no avail in a 0-0 tie to Weber State. Right off the bat, the Lobos began to threaten Weber State (1-1-1) by ripping off three shots – two on goal – but sputtered at the danger zone for the Wildcats.
Three double-doubles were not enough for New Mexico in game two of the USF Tournament on Friday night. Sophomore Carson Heilborn, alongside seniors Julia Warren and Devanne Sours, individually posted a solid outing against South Florida, but UNM (4-2) couldn’t close in the second match of the day after taking down Stetson 3-1 in the first contest of the day.
New Mexico shut out California State University, Northridge in hits home opener by a 2-0 count on Friday night. Not only was the contest UNM’s (1-2) first home game on the year, but it was also the Lobos’ first victory.
As if defending a national championship wasn’t big enough, the women’s cross country team heads into the 2016-2017 campaign as the No. 1 team in the nation. The target on UNM’s back does not intimidate head coach Joe Franklin, he said in a phone interview. The preseason rankings are nothing but a token of respect from what his team was able to accomplish last season.
Another week brings another road trip for New Mexico. This time UNM will head north to take on the Webster State Wildcats Friday night, and the Idaho State Bengals Sunday afternoon.
For a few short minutes it looked like New Mexico might be in trouble against South Dakota. Trailing 14-7 in the middle of the first quarter, UNM let a couple of mistakes – a fumble and a missed tackle – allow USD (0-1) to gain an upper hand. That score didn’t last long as the Lobos went on to score the next 28 points, taking control of a game that would end up being a 48-21 win Thursday night at University Stadium.
After nearly sweeping the weekend, New Mexico turns its attention to the Sunshine State to partake in the USF Tournament. The tournament will consist of Stetson, South Florida and Western Carolina in Tampa, Florida. Stetson will be first on the horizon for the Lobos, with first serve scheduled for 9 a.m. MT.
Bob Davie knows who will take the first snap for the Lobos in its season opener Thursday, but fans and the opposing team will not find out until kickoff. The New Mexico head coach declined to name a starter in Monday’s press conference, but did say that both Lamar Jordan and Austin Apodaca would see time on the field.
Aaron Herrera started his 2016 fall campaign on a high note. The sophomore defender for the UNM men’s soccer team was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after his performance during the Lobos’ season-opening weekend at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
Two games, two losses. Both for the same reason. The Lobos fell 1-0 to the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday, in what was the second game they lost on the weekend due to a penalty kick, having also fallen to the Indiana Hoosiers 1-0 on Friday.
New Mexico put on a scoring clinic as it cruised past Pacific 5-2 Sunday afternoon in the team’s last game of the California road trip, picking up its first win of the season in the process. The Lobos scored the most goals on the road since 2009 with the huge margin of victory.
Solutions by The State News
