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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Coming off of four matches in 10 days, the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team gets a chance to slow the pace down with just two matches over an 18-day stretch. The first of those two matches is Friday night at home against UTEP, in a matchup with a strong 4-2-0 Miners squad that will kick at 7:30 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.
It’s not a schedule quirk that sees UNM play just on Friday night at home over the next two weekends (the team hosts New Mexico State next Friday night as well), it’s a specific plan set in motion by Heather Dyche. There is a method to her scheduling madness. “The next two weekends are one-game weekends for us (and) we’ve done that on purpose because it allows us to actually increase fitness and increase our coaching,” said Dyche. “When you get into the Friday-Sunday grind, it’s hard to ever run a session.”
The Lobos are coming off a tough weekend in which the team felt it had the better of play against UC Davis but lost 1-0, and then dropped a 2-1 double overtime decision to San Francisco on a goal with seven seconds left.
The next two matches, along with being regional rivals, are a chance to fine tune some things, as they represent the final two non-conference matches of the year, a fact not lost on Dyche. “We’re really hopefully we can refine some things over these next two weeks which will be really helpful once we get into conference.”
The one thing that doesn’t need refinement is the play of freshman Alesia Garcia, who added another goal on Sunday and now leads the team with three. “I’ve been really impressed with her, and Alesia does a lot of things off the field that nobody really watches, so she’s working on her own, she’s up watching video and I think it’s really paying off for her because she is starting to play the other side of the ball better,” said Dyche. “I thought defensively against San Francisco she was fantastic, and that’s something you don’t necessarily think of for a forward.”