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.
The final game of the UNM Tournament on Saturday night had a different rotation than what most were expecting, one boasting a more youthful appearance. After a thrilling 3-1 victory over Arizona State late Friday, the Lobos came out flat in the first game of Saturday’s double header, head coach Jeff Nelson said.
The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team looked to bounce back after their 2-1 loss last Friday at Tech Texas, but fell short in a 2-0 loss to No. 21 California on Friday to remain winless on the young season. The Lobos came out of the gate aggressive and finding opportunities early. During the first 15 minutes of the game the Lobos outshot the Bears 4-2.
30 seconds was all it took to change the outcome of the game. After what seemed to be a statistically even match, the Lobos fell 1-0 to the No. 13 Indiana University Hoosiers during their season opener at South Bend, Indiana, on Friday.
Head coach Jeff Nelson knows how to start a season on the right foot. The UNM volleyball team took two wins on Friday, its opening day of the 2016 fall season. This was also the first day of the UNM Tournament, which is happening this weekend at Johnson Center.
Following New Mexico’s season opening loss to No. 19 Texas Tech on the road, the women’s soccer team is headed to the west coast to take on yet another ranked opponent in the California Golden Bears. The Lobos (0-1-0) scheduled to start the season away from home, playing its first seven matches away from the UNM Soccer Complex.
New Mexico is not shying away from heightened competition at the start of the 2016 campaign, and that's just how head coach Jeff Nelson likes it. Two of last year’s top competitors in the nation will be heading to Johnson Gym to participate in the UNM Tournament this weekend.
The Lobo secondary could be one of the keys to success on an improving defense. Head coach Bob Davie said safety is one of the positions where a few players have separated themselves. He said Ryan Santos and Daniel Henry are ahead of the pack at this time.
Solutions by The State News
