(RV) New Mexico at UAB
Wednesday, Oct. 26 – 5 p.m. (MT)
Birmingham, Ala. | BBVA Compass Field (2,500 cap.)
GAME NOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Lobos are back in action on Wednesday as they travel to Birmingham, Ala. to play UAB (6-6-3, 2-3-1 C-USA) for a 5 p.m. Conference USA matchup at 5 p.m. (MT). UNM is entering the match coming off of a 2-2 tie to C-USA foe Marshall at home on Saturday.
The Lobos (7-6-1, 1-3-1 C-USA) remain undefeated at home but are 5-1 on the road. After Wednesday’s match, the Lobos will finish out the rest of the regular season at home against South Carolina and Old Dominion. South Carolina is currently sitting at the top of the C-USA standings and ranked No. 25 in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll.
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The last three games of the regular season will be paramount for the Lobos as they may decide who earns a C-USA Tournament berth.
Series Record vs. UAB
3-1-0
When UAB Ranked: 2-0-0
In Overtime: The Lobos and the Blazers have not played to overtime
Last Meeting: The last time the Lobos faced the Blazers, UNM claimed a 3-2 victory at home on October 18. UAB got out to a 2-0 lead with a goal in the first half and another just 18 seconds into the second. UNM scored three straight, including the gamewinner by Sam Gleadle in the 71st minute.
Scouting UAB
Despite being chosen to finish seventh in the Conference USA Preseason Coaches Poll, UAB knocked off No. 15 Kentucky by a score of 2-1 on Oct. 8. at home. The Blazers have lost three straight since then including a 1-0 defeat to South Carolina and a 5-0 loss to No. 9 Charlotte. The two teams are currently first and second in the C-USA standings, respectively. Two players are tied for seven points apiece for UAB to lead the Blazer offense including Massimo Ferrin and Henrique Sposito. Sposito has earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors once this season. Defensively, Mathieu Laurent was named Defensive Player of the Week once this season for his strong performance and keeper Joe Kuzminsky has started all 15 games for the Blazers. Kuzminsky has posted a 0.84 goals against average and five shutouts on the season.
Last Time Out
The Lobos finished non-conference play last week and began their final four-game C-USA stint with a 2-2 tie in double overtime to Marshall at home on Saturday. Matt Dorsey scored his first career goal in the 52nd minute to put the Lobos up 1-0 before Marshall tied it eight minutes later. Chris Wehan struck again for UNM in the 70th minute with his fourth goal of the season to once again take the lead. With just over five minutes left on the clock, Marshall scored again to force overtime.
Overtime Madness
The Lobos have played three straight overtime games heading into Wednesday’s match including the 2-1 loss at FAU, the 2-1 loss at Denver and the 2-2 tie to Marshall. The last time UNM had three straight overtime games was in the last three games of the 2011 season when the Lobos advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Additionally, all three games this season went to double overtime. The last time the Lobos played three straight double-overtime games was in 2010 when UNM tied three straight games 0-0 from Oct. 24-31.
The last time the Lobos played four consecutive overtime games was in 2005 on their way to earning NCAA Runner Up.
Scoring Streak
The Lobos are currently riding a six-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 18th in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll (last updated Oct. 18).
Road Struggles
UNM remains undefeated at home with a 6-0-1 record but has struggled on the road this season. The Lobos have played six games on the road (including a neutral-site match up) and have lost five of them. Four of those losses came vs currently ranked opponents including Notre Dame, Indiana, Kentucky and Charlotte.
UNM in the Conference
The Lobos are currently ranked first in the league in shots on goal per game with 6.79, and in shots per game (14.93). UNM is also ranked second in fouls per game (9.86) and is in the top three in four other categories.
Hansen Still in the Lead
Despite missing the Lobos’ last game, senior Niko Hansen continues to lead Conference USA in five categories: total goals (9), total points (19), goals per game (0.69), points per game (1.46), shots on goal per game (1.85).
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.