Though he has built a career playing professionally around the globe, former Albuquerque soccer standout Ben Spencer has always had a vision for the place he calls home. Spencer moved away from the Land of Enchantment at the age of 15 to pursue his dream of playing soccer professionally.
Alice Wright, who came to UNM from England, was part of the National Championship cross country team that the Lobos ran last fall. The Daily Lobo caught up with Wright -- this year a redshirt junior runner on the team -- to discuss what it has been like in the 10 months since emerging victorious in the NCAAs, getting used to New Mexico, and her goals for the future.
The touchback on kickoffs was moved from the 20 to the 25-yard line in college football for this season, but something else was recently unveiled between those points on Branch Field at University Stadium. Numbers usually appear in 10-yard increments on a football field, but in its home opener against South Dakota, the Lobos honored one of its fallen teammates by placing the number 22 at the corresponding yard lines. Markel Byrd, former Lobos safety, wore number 22 during his tenure at New Mexico. He had just ended his sophomore season, in which he helped the team earn its first bowl appearance since 2007.
New Mexico State started slow in both halves of the game, but relied on strong finishes to earn its first win over New Mexico since 2011. Early in the contest, the Lobos offense was rolling and the defense tightening up anytime the Aggies got near the red zone, forcing NMSU to settle for field goals.
New Mexico will play host to some of the best teams of the country in the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, which opens on Monday morning. Despite heavy competition, head coach Jill Trujillo has no shortage of expectations for her team, and expects to hoist the trophy in her four seniors’ final tournament at home.
New Mexico ended the NAU Mountain Classic and its grueling seven game road trip with a 0-0 tie against Northern Arizona on Saturday night. The Lobos (3-2-2) played the Lumberjacks in a tight and equal match on paper
UNM took down the Grand Canyon Lopes 1-0 thanks to another goal by senior forward Niko Hansen and shutdown defense on Sunday night. The lone goal gave the Lobos (4-2-0) their second win of the Grange and Ashwill Memorial Tournament weekend, and their fourth straight overall. All four wins have been shutouts under junior goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu.
An opportunity to get better or a chance to play in an electric postseason atmosphere? Either way, New Mexico did not back down against the number one team in the nation in front of 4,473 fans, the fourth largest crowd in program history.
Last season, New Mexico State controlled the first half before blowing a lead in the second. On Saturday night at Aggie Memorial Stadium, New Mexico State returned the favor en route to a 32-21 loss in the Rio Grande Rivalry. It’s the first time NMSU has beaten UNM since 2011. The Lobos controlled the action for most of the game, but the Aggies made big plays on offense, defense, and special teams to scrap its way back and score the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
As they close a rigorous stretch of road matches, the Lobos opened the NAU Mountain Classic with a 2-0 victory over Grand Canyon University at Lumberjack Stadium. After a quiet first half by both clubs, New Mexico announced its arrival in after the break, sparked by junior midfielder Casey Murphy’s goal in the 51st minute.
It took 109 minutes and 32 seconds, but the grinding paid off. The Lobos took a 1-0 victory over the Colorado State University, Bakersfield Roadrunners on Friday, the first night of the Grange and Ashwill Memorial Tournament. The win came with 28 seconds remaining in the second period of overtime.
The past two nights, teams have not been able to master its serves. In both contests UNM has played in, the Lobos and opponents have combined for 42 service errors, 21 each night. New Mexico (6-2) would eventually find its groove and complete a 3-0 sweep over Montreal in an exhibition match on Saturday night.
New Mexico will be looking for two more wins at home this weekend. The Lobos will be hosting the Grange and Ashwill Memorial Invitational this weekend, where they will once again face two teams.
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.
Solutions by The State News
