(RV) New Mexico vs. No. 25 South Carolina
Sunday, Oct. 30 – 6 p.m. (MT)
Albuquerque, N.M. | UNM Soccer Complex (6,200)
GAME NOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico Lobos will play host to No. 25 South Carolina in an important Conference USA matchup on Sunday evening at the UNM Soccer Complex at 6 p.m.. The Lobos are 2-3-1 in C-USA play while South Carolina is 4-1-0 in the league after losing its first conference game on Wednesday to No. 8 Charlotte.
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Sunday’s game is expected to be an exciting match between two nationally-recognized squads and will be a battle as UNM looks to continue its undefeated streak in Albuquerque. While South Carolina is currently ranked No. 25 in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll, New Mexico has lost all of its games this season against ranked opponents by a narrow, one-goal margin. Each of those contests were also on the road.
Series Record vs. South Carolina
1-3-0
When USC Ranked: N/A
In Overtime: 0-2-0
Last Meeting: The last time the Lobos faced the Gamecocks was in the last game of 2015 in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament. South Carolina claimed the victory by a score of 1-0 to end the Lobos’ season.
Scouting No. 25 South Carolina
South Carolina has been undefeated in Conference USA play and sitting at the top of the league’s standings until this week when the Gamecocks fell to No. 8 Charlotte by a score of 2-1 on Wednesday. The loss knocked USC out of the top spot as the Gamecocks are now 4-1-0 in conference play.
USC is led by Danny Deakin who has collected 19 points on seven goals and five assists this season, followed by Bjorn Gudjonsson who has 11 points on five goals and one assist this year. Defensively, South Carolina has been a tough opponent posting four shutouts while allowing just 11 goals for a 0.83 goals against average. Keeper WIlliam Pyle has notched a .807 save percentage so far this season and was recently named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 17).
Last Time Out
The Lobos notched their sixth shutout of the season on Wednesday night and just their second road win of 2016 with their 1-0 victory over C-USA foe UAB. The match was an important one for UNM as it moved the Lobos up to tie for fifth in the C-USA standings. After a scoreless first half, redshirt-freshman Devin Boyce netted his second goal of the season in the 74th minute to claim the victory for the Lobos.
Scoring Streak
The Lobos are currently riding a seven-game scoring streak. The last time UNM was shut out was on Sept. 25 in a 1-0 loss to Kentucky. The Wildcats were not ranked at the time, but are currently 14th in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll (last updated Oct. 25).
Homeward Bound
UNM remains undefeated at home with a 6-0-1 record and looks to continue that streak as the Lobos close out their final two regular-season home games in Albuquerque. The next two matches will be extremely important in determining whether or not the Lobos earn a berth in the 2016 Conference USA Tournament.
Lobos vs. Ranked
So far this season, the Lobos have struggled against ranked teams, but UNM has been on the cusp of victory several times. New Mexico has lost all four of its games against top-25 teams by just one goal this season. UNM also fell by a one-goal deficit to Kentucky, which was receiving votes then, but is now ranked 14th. The Lobos will look to break the streak and take down a top ranked foe Sunday.
UNM in the Conference
The Lobos are currently ranked first in the league in shots on goal per game with 6.80, and in shots per game (14.67). UNM is also ranked second in fouls per game (9.73) and is in the top three in four other categories.
Hansen Still in the Lead
Senior Niko Hansen continues to lead Conference USA in five categories: total goals (9), total points (19), goals per game (0.64), points per game (1.36) and shots on goal per game (1.71). Senior Chris Wehan follows close behind Hansen in shots on goal per game with 1.20 for fifth in the C-USA.
Beaulieu Between the Posts
With his shutout on Wednesday against UAB, junior Jason Beaulieu has tied his season-best five shutouts, which he first acheived as a freshman in 2014. He now boasts 14 shutouts in his career and is seventh in Lobo history. One more shutout would put him tied for fourth and would get him halfway to the program record 30 set by current Lobo assistant coach Mike Graczyk in his 2004-07 career.
Preseason Honors
The Lobos were picked to finish tied for fourth in Conference USA with South Carolina as voted on by the league’s coaches. In addition, seniors Chris Wehan and Niko Hansen were selected to the 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA Team. Wehan was also named to the MAC Hermann Trophy preseason watch list for the second straight season.
Lobo Soccer: A Mile High and Louder Than …
The UNM Soccer Complex is building a reputation as one of the nation’s toughest venues to play in. In addition to being “a mile high and louder than…”, New Mexico has turned Albuquerque into one of the hottest tickets in college soccer. The Lobos have ranked in the top 15 in attendance nationally every season since the NCAA began keeping those statistics in 2001. It was first in attendance nationally in 2005 and ranked in the top 10 from 2009-2014. In 2015, the Lobos continued the streak among the nation’s attendance leaders hosting 16,918 fans (1,691 per game average) for 15th overall in the country.
International Pride
While the diversity of the team roster is obvious, many Lobos have some serious international credentials. Five have represented their country in top-level international competition: Patrick Khouri (Jamaica U20 World Cup qualifier, US U15), Aaron Herrera (US U20 – currently preparing for U20 World Cup qualification); Matthew Constant (US U17 National team and Canada U20 National team); Billy Jones (captained New Zealand U17 in select World Cup qualifying matches); Rafa Jimenez (Australian U20 World Cup qualifying team).
Excelling Off the Pitch
Lobo Soccer has a rich tradition of academic success. During the Fishbein era (2002 to present), UNM has had 19 Academic All-Americans – more than any other men’s soccer program in the country among all divisions. In addition, the Lobos have garnered 92 Academic All-Conference honorees and 12 NSCAA Scholar All-Americans under Fishbein’s tutelage. As a team, the Lobos have earned the NSCAA Academic Team Award in 12 of the last 13 seasons.