Friday’s Lobo Howl was a friendly reminder that college basketball season is just around the corner. But it was also a reminder that it’s time to get to work. The UNM men’s and women’s basketball teams made its first 2016-2017 season appearance in front of 5,463 fans on Friday.
New Mexico (3-3, 2-1 MW) got back to the .500 mark by staving off a late comeback from Air Force (4-2, 1-2 MW) Saturday in a Texas shootout at the Cotton Bowl, escaping with a 45-40 victory. It’s hard to praise a defense that surrendered 40 points to an opponent, but the Lobos managed to clamp down when it mattered. UNM’s defense got burned again by some big plays, but came up huge in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
New Mexico women’s soccer entered Friday night 9th in the Mountain West Conference and facing 1st-place Utah State. The Lobos appeared to be set for a tough match, but found a way to vault into the top half of the standings with a win. New Mexico dominated from the start, and spent the majority of the first 45 minutes attacking in Utah State’s half of the field. The Aggies (9-6-1, 5-2-0 MW) were completely pinned back, and did not register their first shot on target until 10 minutes before the end of the game.
Both New Mexico cross country teams finished with solid performances at a very competitive Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, as the women took 4th and the men won the open race on Friday in Madison, Wisconsin. “It was a great day,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “We made a lot of progress.” Women’s cross country won the event last year, but were unable to defend their crown at the intense meet. Nonetheless, the runners were solid, earning their second fourth-place finish of the year.
New Mexico volleyball showed fight, but finds itself bogged down in a seven-match losing streak, their latest defeat a 3-1 affair at the hands of Utah State Thursday night in Logan, Utah. The Lobos (10-11, 1-7 Mountain West) couldn't find their way out of some tough holes in the conference match, unable to to play consistently and falling in four sets (25-23, 25-27, 25-18, 25-19) to the Aggies (8-10, 3-4 Mountain West).
The New Mexico cross country team expects to polish its weapons at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Friday in Madison, Wisconsin, and it gets ready for the upcoming championships. “I expect the team to have better performance this weekend,” head coach Joe Franklin said. The women’s team stormed to a dominant performance at Wisconsin last year with a team score of 32 points, and aims to pick up wins this Friday to compete for a ticket to the NCAA Championship.
In last weekend’s pair of away fixtures, the Lobos beat the University of Nevada 2-0, but lost 2-1 to UNLV in heartbreaking fashion, surrendering a goal in the final seconds of regulation. The Lobos also earned a split the prior weekend, beating a strong San Jose State team 3-1, only to lose to Fresno state 3-0 in a disappointing performance.
New Mexico volleyball countered after dropping the first set, but still fell 3-1 to UNLV in an intense match Tuesday night in the Johnson Center. “They are second place in the conference, we had a chance to win,” UNM head coach Jeff Nelson said in an interview. Although the Lobos (10-10, 1-6 Mountain West) suffered their sixth straight loss, falling in four sets, 25-16, 19-25, 32-30, 25-16, the team may have gained some momentum from its bout with the Rebels (17-2, 6-1 Mountain West) before beginning its road trip.
The UNM men’s soccer team is back on the road this week in hopes of a more successful weekend. The Lobos, who have won only one conference match so far in 2016, fell 2-1 to the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday. Charlotte, ranked No. 17 at the time, scored both of its goals against New Mexico from penalty kicks during the first half of the match.
New Mexico football looks to get back in the win column as the nation’s number one rushing attack meets the top-ranked rushing defense at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas on Saturday. The Lobos (2-3, 1-1 Mountain West) have the best running game in college football, touting a healthy 354 yards per game. But something has to give, as Air Force (4-1, 1-1 Mountain West) has only allowed 80.2 yards per game on the ground, also tops in the country. Both teams rely heavily on the option, and are proficient in both running and stopping the run. But the game might actually come down to which team makes the most of its opportunities in the passing game.
The New Mexico men’s and women’s tennis teams prepare for its respective USTA/ITA Regionals, with the women playing first — beginning Wednesday — as the host of the event. Women’s tennis head coach Stephanie Wooten-Quijada said she has never hosted the event before, but expects the environment to be an exciting one when the tournament kicks off. The women’s regional tournament will likely take place at the McKinnon Family Tennis Center, weather permitting, from Oct. 12 to 16. The men’s team will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to compete from Oct. 19 to 23.
The New Mexico men’s tennis had a solid outing as the host of the Balloon Fiesta Invitational, taking home one singles title and two in doubles over the weekend. The squad was unable to field a team of six due to the absence of Hayden Sabatka and Bart Van Leijsen, who were competing at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. New Mexico’s duo, ranked 15th in the nation, won their opening match in straight sets. However, they were knocked out in the round of 16 in their next match by Notre Dame’s Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter.
In the 90th minute and tied at 1-1, the Rebels and the Lobos appeared to be destined for overtime at Peter Johann Memorial Field. That all changed with just three seconds to go, when UNLV senior midfielder Jordan Magnin fired a looping ball into the top corner of the net, giving junior Lobo goalkeeper Taylor Hammack no chance.
New Mexico’s goal of winning a division title took a serious hit Friday night, as the Lobos lost its first conference game after getting dominated 49-21 by No. 19 Boise State. The Lobos looked like they might be able to hang around early in the game, playing to a 7-7 tie after the first couple of series, but then Boise State started to assert itself. Both teams were somewhat one-dimensional, but the Broncos could not be stopped in the passing game, while the Lobos were never able to challenge despite strong numbers in the run game. New Mexico played the game without Teriyon Gipson, who suffered a hamstring injury in last week’s 48-41 victory over San José State.
For the third time this season, mistakes in the 18-yard box haunted the UNM men’s soccer team. The Lobos fell 2-1 to Charlotte on Saturday night after two first-half penalties by the 49ers. This type of situation is nothing new for the Lobos, who dropped their first two matches of the 2016 fall season 1-0 due to penalty kicks.
UNM faces a big test on Sunday as head coach Heather Dyche’s squad seeks a third win in conference play. The Lobos (6-5-2, 2-3-0 MW) beat Nevada on the road comfortably on Friday night, but will face a tough UNLV squad that is currently tied for second place in the Mountain West conference on Sunday.
Cassie House recorder career kill No. 1,000 in New Mexico’s 3-0 loss to Wyoming on Saturday afternoon in Johnson Center. After winning the conference opener, UNM has dropped its past five games in the Mountain West. This is a developing story check back in at Dailylobo.com for the full story.
After suffering arguably their worst defeat of the season to Fresno State, the Lobos desperately needed a good result in Reno, Nevada on Friday night. That is exactly what they got. The Lobos put on a commanding show, and were largely untroubled defensively by Nevada in a 2-0 win.
Boise State avenged last season’s loss by thumping New Mexico 49-21 Friday night as its quarterback heated up for 368 yards and five touchdown tosses — in the first half alone. UNM head coach Bob Davie said No. 19 Boise State is a handful for anyone to try to slow down. The quarterback-receiver tandem created problems and the Lobos, unable to match their torrid pace, played from behind almost the entire game.
Weather permitting, the Lobos are getting ready to take on Charlotte by storm. After back-to-back wins at home, the UNM men’s soccer team is hitting the road for a match against the Charlotte 49ers in hopes of getting its second Conference USA win of the season. The game on Saturday will be the first of three road matchups in the next two weeks.
Solutions by The State News
