September 10th, 2012
Lobo Faithful,
The University of New Mexico Soccer home opener was scheduled for 7:00 pm, Friday night the 7th, versus #25 ranked UAB. Huge crowd expected…. Field perfect…. Great media exposure… I was thinking a sell out! Mother Nature wasn’t kind to the Lobos. After perfect weather all week, unexpected and unseasonable clouds and rain pelted the Lobo Soccer Complex Friday night. The stands were still crowded with over 3,000 Lobo Faithful willing to brave the elements, until lightning ruined a bit of the fun. Before the match could kick off, lightning caused a 30-minute delay. Our supporters stayed tough and watched the first half in a downpour! The good news is our newly-sodded field drained well and hardly took a beating. More on the game later.
A special promotion by our marketing department had the Lobos wearing custom “Nuevo Mexico” jerseys with vintage turquoise and red lettering. The jerseys looked incredible and received national exposure in several publications. The boys loved the look, and the fans were fired up! Here is some info on the custom jerseys and how to get replicas and game worn jerseys: “Nuevo Mexico” replica t-shirts for sale at the Lobo Den Store in The Pit. These t-shirts are awesome! Limited availability and going fast. Click on the link for more information and where to buy.
Our department is auctioning off some team issued/game worn “Nuevo Mexico” jerseys on GoLobos.com if you are interested, here is the link to purchase official jerseys from the match.
#8 LOBOS VS #25 UAB: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH, 7:00 PM. ALBUQUERQUE, NM
The boys were pumped to be back at home and playing in front of our home supporters…. The best in the country! James Rogers was back in the lineup for his first minutes of the season, but we were without Blake Smith. Pit was a pretty exciting attacking group complementing a veteran defensive unit. We were excited to get back on the field. The opening half was played in a downpour. UAB was a very physical team built for direct play, playing off second balls and set pieces. One of the tallest teams we’ve ever faced. The rain and slippery field played into UAB’s strengths. The game would be a battle with a bit of soccer thrown in. We “weathered the storm” and our boys challenged for every tackle and aerial duel. We couldn’t develop a playing rhythm but hung tough and dealt with the elements.
The rain cleared and the second half provided a much different environment. Our players took full advantage of the good conditions and took it to UAB. We connected passes, changed the point of attack through our fullbacks and created chances. In the 57th minute, some wonderful combination play involving Michael Calderon and Nik Robson, led to a world-class strike from Robson. Nik collected from Calderon and hit a left-footed blast from 20 yards to notch his first goal of the season and put the Lobos up 1-0.
20 minutes later, Calderon would once again be involved in a Lobo finish. Beating his man off the dribble, Calde fired a shot, which the Blazer GK could only block. Great follow up by Rogers with a left footed finish. 2-0 Lobos and Rogers finding his first goal of the season.
Great game for the Lobos and our most complete 90 minutes of the young season. We battled when we needed to battle and played quality soccer when the elements allowed. It was a very composed and well-played match. 2-0 Lobos over #25 UAB with Robson and Rogers tallying their first goals of the season. Link to article and video.
UAB was our first of five consecutive matches at home. We face “top 30” Dartmouth this Friday at 7:00 and #15 UC Irvine on Sunday at 1:00 pm. Two exciting matches versus nationally ranked opposition.
Thanks for all your support and GO LOBOS!
Coach