Oct. 13, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An undefeated band of Lobos return home after a three-game stint on the road for this weekend’s match-ups with the Pioneers of Denver and the Falcons of Air Force. It will be the second consecutive weekend that UNM has gone head-to-head with both Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) opponents.
New Mexico notched two wins this past weekend in Colorado, first downing Denver, 3-2 on Friday, Oct. 7 in their fifth come-from-behind effort of the season. True freshman Mathew Gibbons, an international out of New Zealand, scored his first career goal and game-winner as a Lobo in the 85th minute to clinch the win for UNM.
Sunday’s game against Air Force was another barn burner, as Blake Smith notched both goals, including his first game-winner of the season with 44 seconds to play, allowing New Mexico to slide by the Falcons 2-1. Smith was named to Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News’ National Teams of the Week, and was voted the MPSF Player of the Week following his performance.
The two road wins preserved the Lobos’ perfect 3-0-0 record in MPSF play and their overall 9-0-2 record. Sunday’s victory also served to tie New Mexico’s longest unbeaten streak in program history. The record was set originally in 1992 (Sept. 20 – Oct. 21) under former head coach Klaus Weber, and tied once under Coach Fishbein. Fishbein’s team went without a loss for 11 straight (from Sept. 2 – Oct. 14) en route to their 2005 College Cup run.
Denver heads into Friday night’s game coming off a 3-1 win over UNLV on Sunday, Oct. 9. The Pioneers are 3-5-3 overall, and split with UNM last season. They’ll be looking to continue that trend at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14 at the UNM Soccer Complex.
Air Force is riding a two-game losing streak, having fallen to New Mexico on Oct. 9 and to UNLV two nights prior, 0-1. The rematch between the Lobos and the Falcons is slated for 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16.
Both games this weekend are the second game in double-header affairs with the Lobo women’s soccer program. Friday night is “Think Pink” night sponsored by UNM Hospitals, and will feature both teams sporting pink jerseys. The men’s game will also showcase a performance by the Bandalier Jump Rope Team at halftime.
Tickets are available for the general admission price of $5 and will be good for both the men’s and women’s games. For more information on tickets, call 1-800-955-HOWL or 925-LOBO.