Nov. 3, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two teams will take to the pitch at the UNM Soccer Complex for a game that means simultaneously nothing, and everything to opposing sides in turn.
The Lobos (15-0-2/9-0-0) have clinched the regular season Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference title. They’ve clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round BYE in the conference tournament next week. They’ve shattered the previous program record of 11-straight games unbeaten with their current 17-game streak.
New Mexico is ranked No. 1 unanimously by all three major national polls, and is the only remaining unbeaten team in the nation. The Lobos have closed out the road portion of their regular season without a loss and on Saturday, will seek to become just the second team in university history to finish an entire regular season, undefeated.
In 1927, New Mexico football finished out its regular season with an 8-0-1 record. On Saturday, another New Mexico football team will look to mark their own place in the record books with a 16-0-2 record.
In short, the Lobos have much riding on the final game of the season.
Standing in the way will be the Rebels of UNLV who, on the opposite token, have little to lose in Saturday’s match. The Rebels (3-13-0/2-7-0) are second to last in MPSF standings. They’ve fallen out of the conference tournament race, and lost six of their last seven contests. Just this past weekend they fell to San Jose State (2-1) and Sacramento State (2-0), the two teams that New Mexico shutout on opposite days.
For UNLV, Saturday’s game marks nothing but the end of what will inevitably prove to be a shorter than desired season. It marks nothing but that, and the opportunity to hang a loss on the last undefeated team in the nation — the opportunity to deny perfection.
With the cards laid out on the table, it is obvious that the stakes are much higher for one team; but the Lobos are up for the challenge.
They have the upper hand on the lifetime series over UNLV having won 16 games to 10, including the Oct. 1 meeting earlier this season in Las Vegas, 2-1. Additionally, they have the momentum of 11 consecutive wins and three straight shutouts on their side.
Furthermore, Saturday night marks the Lobos annual Senior Night – additional motivation for the team, and two seniors in particular, to strive for perfection. Michael Green and Lance Rozeboom will both have exhausted their eligibility at the end of this season, each having played four back-to-back years starting in the fall of 2008.
The two seniors will be honored just prior to the announcing of the starting lineups, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. While the Lobo squad is already deserving of the hightest honors hopefully, 90 minutes later, there will be yet another milestone to celebrate.