2016 Conference USA Championships
Game 1: (RV) New Mexico vs. No. 12 Kentucky
Wednesday, Nov. 9 – 12 p.m. (MT)
Lexington, Ky. | The Bell
TOURNAMENT NOTES
C-USA BRACKET
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team will take on No. 12 Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 9 in game one of the 2016 Conference USA Championships in Huntington, W.Va. at 12 p.m. The match up will be an opportunity for redemption for the Lobos as UNM fell 1-0 to the Wildcats earlier this season following Kentucky’s early gamewinnner just 5:18 into the match.
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The Lobos enter Wednesday’s contest riding a three-win streak that includes two shutouts over C-USA Tournament opponents. In its three seasons in the Conference USA, New Mexico has yet to advance past the first round of competition. In their first appearance in the tournament in 2013, the Lobos fell to Tulsa by a score of 3-0 before earning a bid to the NCAA tournament and advancing to the NCAA Final Four. In 2014, UNM was knocked out in the first round by Old Dominion, 2-1, and last season the Lobos fell to South Carolina 1-0 in the first round.
Lobos vs. The Field
The Lobos have faced each team in the Conference USA Tournament once this season:
No. 12 Kentucky (11-4-2, 5-3 C-USA) – Game 1: The Lobos faced then-receiving votes Kentucky on Sept. 25 where they fell by a narrow score of 1-0, despite dominating the game statistcally. The Wildcats’ Noah Hutchins scored just 5:18 into the match on a ball that went just over keeper Jason Beaulieu’s head to win the match. The Lobos outshot Kentucky 12-6 and posted eight corner kicks to just three for UK. The contest marks the last time UNM was shut out this season.
No. 5 Charlotte (12-2-2, 7-1 C-USA): UNM took on Charlotte when they were ranked No. 17 in the nation on Oct. 8, falling by just one goal, 2-1. The Lobos struggled early this season with allowing penalty goals against ranked teams. Charlotte score twice on PKs in the first half to send the teams to the locker room with the Lobos down 2-0. In the second half, Niko Hansen scored for UNM in the 55th minute to cut the deficit to one, but the Lobos could not net an equalizer to force overtime. Both teams finished tied in shots, 7-7 and UNM collected six corner kicks to four for Charlotte.
(RV) South Carolina (10-6-1, 5-2-1 C-USA): UNM claimed its first victory over a ranked opponent in 2016 over the visiting No. 25 South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct.30. UNM earned a 2-1 win at the UNM Soccer Complex to continue its undefeated streak at home. Senior Chris Wehan scored in the 37th minute to give the Lobos a 1-0 advantage before USC’s Born Gudjonsson netted the equalizer in the 57th. With the score tied 1-1, Niko Hansen tacked on the game-winner in the 65th minute to claim the victory. Overall, UNM outshot USC 18-7, but fell short corner kicks, 2-4.
Old Dominion (5-8-2, 2-5-1): In their final regular-season game of 2016, the Lobos claimed a 2-0 victory over the visiting Old Dominion Monarchs on the Nov. 4 senior night. The win marked the third straight for UNM and the second shutout in three games. In addition, the shutout marked UNM’s seventh of the season and the sixth solo for keeper Jason Beaulieu. The Lobos spent the majority of the 90 minutes in the offensive third of the field, putting up 16 shots to just five for ODU and posting eight corner kicks to just two for Old Dominion.
FIU (8-6-2, 5-2-1 C-USA): The Lobos scored four goals in just one game this season – against third-seaded FIU. UNM earned a 4-1 victory at the UNM Soccer Complex over the Panthers on Sept. 30. Senior Chris Wehan scored twice (16:54, 42:00) to get UNM out to a 2-0 lead before senior Niko Hansen netted a third in the 55th. Junior Luke Lawrence scored the fourth and final UNM goal in the 74th before a late tally with less than five minutes left from Joris Ahlinvi prevented the clean sheet for the Lobos.
UAB (6-8-3, 2-5-1 C-USA): UNM kicked off a three-win streak to close the regular season with a 1-0 shutout over UAB on the road on Oct. 26. The match marked the only Conference USA game the Lobos won on the road this season. Despite UAB outshooting the Lobos 14-11, redshirt-freshman Devin Boyce notched the gamewinner after 74 minutes of scoreless play to claim the victory.
Last Time Out
The Lobos enter the Conference USA Tournament on a three-win streak including two shutouts over tournament teams Old Dominion and UAB. The Lobos have allowed just one goal in the last three matches, surrendered to South Carolina in UNM’s 2-1 victory over the Gamecocks.
Scoring Streak
The Lobos are currently riding a nine-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 12th in the nation in the NSCAA Coaches Poll.
Away From Home
UNM closed the regular season undefeaed at the UNM Soccer Complex (8-0-1) but has gone just 2-6 on the road. The Lobos will need to find their fire as they face tough opponents on the road in Huntington, W.Va.
The last time UNM went undefeated at home was in 2011 when the Lobos went undefeated on the season, 18-0-4 and 10-0-0 in the MPSF.
Lobos vs. Ranked
With the Lobos slated to enter the 2016 C-USA Tournament on Nov. 9, they will look to face several high-quality, nationally-ranked teams. So far this season, the Lobos have struggled against ranked teams, but UNM has broken the streak with its win over No. 25 South Carolina on Oct. 30. New Mexico has competed closely with ranked teams this season, losing four of its last five games against top-25 teams by just one goal this season. UNM also fell by a one-goal deficit to Kentucky, which was receiving votes then, but is now ranked 12th.
UNM in the Conference
The Lobos are currently ranked first in the league in shots on goal per game with 7.12, and in shots per game (14.94). UNM is also ranked second in fouls per game (9.53) and is in the top three in six other categories.
Hansen Still in the Lead
Senior Niko Hansen closed the regular season the conference leader in five categories including total goals (10), total points (tied, 21), points per game (tied, 1.31), game-winning goals (5) and shots on goal per game (1.69).
Beaulieu Defensive Player of the Week
Junior Jason Beaulieu claimed the final C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor on Monday, Nov. 7 after tallying his sixth shutout of the season. With his six shutout, he now boasts 15 in his career and is tied for fourth all-time in Lobo history.
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.