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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Ninety minutes of soccer is draining. It’s a physical toll taken upon the human body that is hard to fathom for most people. It’s a technical game, played in stifling heat, awful humidity, freezing cold, sleet, rain, basically anything. It’s a grind, and that’s not counting that if you don’t leave the field, you might run anywhere from eight to 11 miles.
It’s hard to do that once.
In 2017, after a draining season, UNM’s women’s soccer team did that four times in nine days. While playing an additional 59 minutes and 53 seconds of overtime. While playing in two penalty kick shootouts. And oh yeah, one that went to extra kicks. With all of that, it’s not a shocker that UNM fell in the championship game to a very well rested San Diego State Aztec squad.
The goal of the 2018 Lobos is crystal clear and very simple. Take that last step and win the 2018 Mountain West title.
“To be that close and taste it,” said Dyche, referring to last year’s championship match loss. “I thought we were competing and in it, which was shocking considering how much soccer we played.”
Dyche added, “I hear a lot of talk among the players and among the staff that this year, these are the things we need to do and these are the ways to turn the corner.”
The program finished tied for third in the Mountain West last year and went 12-8-2 overall, falling in the Mountain West title game. Now, getting back to said title game and winning it is the clear goal for UNM, which last won the tournament back in 2011, which was also UNM’s last NCAA Tournament trip.
UNM lost plenty of front-line talent from a year ago, including three of the team’s top six scorers in Claire Lynch (10 goals, two assists, 22 points) Eileen Zendejas (three goals, one assist, seven points) and Emily Chavez (two goals, one assist, five points). Plenty of solid pieces return for Dyche, including Jessie Hix, who was second on the team with eight goals, and the tandem of Jennifer Muñoz and Jessica Nelson, two seniors who each tied for the team lead with three assists.
Those two seniors are part of a very small upper class, as the Lobos enter 2018 with just three seniors and three juniors. The remainder of the roster is eight sophomores (three redshirt) and 14 freshmen (five redshirt). However, that doesn’t seem to concern Dyche at all.
Preseason training is in full swing, we are continuing to build our house one session at a time. #strongerasone #golobos pic.twitter.com/d9OPm1WVeW
— Lobo Women’s Soccer (@UNMLoboWSoccer) August 5, 2018
“I’ve been floored by all of our freshman,” said Dyche. “You can’t really tell they are freshmen. There have been a few that have been shining.” If there was any thought that it’s just coach-speak, a look at Saturday’s fitness test results would end any such notion.
“The freshmen came in incredibly fit. They were the top four finishers in the fitness test.”
However, it’s rare that a freshman leads the way, and most likely that won’t be the case, not with a senior class of Muñoz, Nelson and Amelia Bierle. Both Bierle and Muñoz are in their fourth year, with Nelson in her second after transferring from Arizona.
Of UNM’s 34 goals last season, 16 return, half belonging to Hix. The others are Nelson and Jenna Killman with two, and then Muñoz, Jill Olguin, Alexa Kirton and Aspen Headrick with one each.
Emily Johnson is back for her junior season after playing every minute in 2017, recording six shutouts and a 1.32 goals against average. Johnson’s biggest saves came in big moments, including several PK stops in both the quarterfinal and semifinal shootouts, including one that would have ended UNM’s season had she missed. Behind her is talented redshirt freshmen Malia Vanisi.
Those two will need a very young backline to be ready in a hurry, as Jessica Nelson is the lone upperclassman, although Sarah Lucero and Aspen Headrick saw action in the back.
Overall, the 28-person roster has players from New Mexico (11) as well as Arizona, Illinois, Washington, California, Colorado and Texas. UNM will open exhibition play with a home game on Tuesday, August 14 against CSU Pueblo at 7:30 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex. The season will officially open on Friday, August 17 at Texas Tech.