ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team heads on the road for its final road swing of the year, but this one has no flights involved, and no hotel switches either. The Lobos will head to Colorado Springs for their final two road games of the season, taking on Colorado College on Friday at 3 p.m. and then Air Force on Sunday at noon.
The Lobos, who are 7-7-1 overall and 5-2-1 in conference play, can lock down a spot in the conference tournament this weekend with as little as a tie this weekend, but four points would clinch a spot. The Lobos are in third place in the league with 16 points, five back of San Diego State and two behind San Jose State. The Lobos face San Diego State next week, but first up is the team directly behind the Lobos, the Colorado College Tigers. CC is 7-9-1 overall and 5-3-0 in conference play, one point back of the Lobos.
The Lobos are coming off a solid weekend play-wise, if not resluts-wise. UNM lost in overtime 2-1 to San Jose State and then rolled up on Fresno State 5-1. Head coach Heather Dyche called it her team’s most complete weekend of the season.
“To lose a game like we lost on Friday night and for the players to still have a good atmosphere about them. When the energy is right and the atmosphere is right, the rsults matter, but not quite as much as how they feel,” said Dyche.
With three games left in the season there is stil a ton to sort out. “I think with only three games left just two are mathematically eliminated (editor’s note, it’s actually just one, Colorado State) which is crazy,” said Dyche. “Really only San Diego State and San Jose State control their own destiny. We need someone to nick a result off of one of those teams and then win out to get to first or second and that bye, which is our goal. Our problem is we have three of the toughest teams left, two on the road.”
As for Colorado College, the Lobos know that with both teams fighting for a top-two seed, it’s going to be a battle. “It’s sort of a must-win both ways. It’s a really tough game but it’s a game I like. I like it when you play teams that really play soccer instead of those really direct, physical teams.”