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| NEW MEXICO LOBOS 3-9-0 (1-3-0 C-USA) |
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS 3-7-0 (0-4-0 C-USA) |
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Saturday, October 13, 2018 | 6 p.m. |
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team continues its push to the upcoming Conference USA Tournament this Saturday as they will host South Carolina at the UNM Soccer Complex. Entering play, the Lobos are 1-3-0 in C-USA action while the Gamecocks are 0-4-0. Including Saturday’s with South Carolina, the conference season for men’s soccer is down to just four games.
South Carolina, 3-7-0 overall, is coming off of a 1-0 loss at home against Charlotte last weekend, but were able to register an upset in a non-conference mid-week match as they upended then-ranked No. 19 Virginia Tech, 2-1, on the road. On the season, the Gamecocks have scored 11 goals with Justin Sukow leading the team with three.
The Lobos as a team hold advantages over the Gamecocks in several offensive stat categories including: points (51-32), goals (17-11), assists (17-10) and goals per game (1.42-1.10).
vs. South Carolina
Series Record: 2-3-1
In Overtime: 0-2-1
When SC is Ranked: 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Last year, the Lobos and Gamecocks met in Columbia, S.C. That late September contest ended in a 2-2 draw. After a scoreless first half, the two teams traded goals in the second half beginning with
the Gamecocks’ first goal in the 50th minute. UNM’s Simon Spangenberg tied in the 61st minute off an assist by Aaron Herrera. A USC goal in the 72nd minute gave the Gamecocks a 2-1 lead, but in the 89th minute, Sam Gleadle corralled a deflection just outside the box for the equalizing goal.
Stretch Run of Conference Play
C-USA play is about a month old, but there is also just a month left as the Lobos are down to four more games in conference play. During C-USA action,the Lobos produced their first shutout of the season against Florida Atlantic (W, 2-0). Freshman goalie, Alex Fetterly, saved four shots on goal to give the Lobos their first win in conference play.
In being down to four more games to play in the conference regular season, UNM will host two more games at the UNM Soccer Complex with matches against South Carolina (10/13) and Marshall (10/27). Final road games of regular season will be at Kentucky (10/21) and Charlotte (11/3).
It Starts With One
The Lobos have proved that they have more than just a few go-to players, but rather a whole team of talent which provides for an offense that is hard for opponents to track.
With their first shutout of the season against Florida Atlantic (9/22), the Lobos had two new scorers to add to the stat sheet. Senior Simon Spangerberg and redshirt sophomore Billy Jones both posted their first goals for the 2018 season against FAU. It was also Jones’ first career goal for the Lobos.
Schedule Full of Ranked Teams
Four of UNM’s first five matchups of the season were against ranked squads at the time of the game including No. 22 Seattle (8/24) , No. 24 Washington (8/27), No. 30 Cal State Fullerton (9/2) and No. 23 Tulsa (9/7). Half of those ranked matchups came at home with the Lobos hosting Seattle and Washington in consecutive games. UNM went 1-1-0 against those opponents and were also 1-1-0 against ranked teams on the road during that early stretch. In their victories against Seattle and Cal State Fullerton, the Lobos scored a combined nine goals with five coming against Cal State Fullerton.
CSUN was also ranked at one point this season, making the first five squads the Lobos have taken on, be top-30 teams in 2018. Old Dominion was receiving votes in the national poll at the time of the game against the Lobos and now the Monarchs are currently ranked. Saint Mary’s, UNM’s opponent on September 26 was ranked No. 10 at the time making them the sixth opponent the Lobos have played be ranked at the time of the game.
On the horizon, the Lobos are set to take on Kentucky on the road in C-USA action. The Wildcats have spent most of the year ranked and are currently as high as No. 4 in the latest College Soccer News poll.
Offensively Speaking
In 12 games, the Lobos have racked up 51 points on 17 goals with 17 assists, ranking the team fourth in goals and points in the C-USA and third in assists. Individually, Tom Smart is first in the C-USA in assists, racking up six thus far. Matt Puig and Nick Taylor are also in the top-10 list in the C-USA for assists, ranking in a tie for sixth with three assists each.
Scoreboard
Entering play this weekend, the Lobos have scored 17 goals in 12 games. Freshman Omar Grey currently leads the team with five goals, followed by sophomore Matt Puig with four. Sophomore Nick Taylor is third
on the team with three. Seniors Simon Spangenberg and Antoine Vial have two goals each while redshirt sophomore Billy Jones accounts for the remaining goal with one.
Freshman Phenom
Freshman midfielder Omar Grey has gotten his collegiate career off to a resounding start. The Seattle, Wash. native has not started a game yet for UNM, but has played in all 12 games thus far. Despite not being a starter, Grey has come off the bench and sparked the Lobos’ offense as he currently leads the team with five goals. Four of those came in consecutive games (9/2 – 9/15).
Two Protecting One
Redshirt-junior Ford Parker and true freshman Alex Fetterly have both seen time in goal for the Lobos this season with Parker getting the lion’s share of the work thus far. Parker has started nine games and registered 40 saves for a .716 save percentage in 823:40 minutes. Fetterly has started three games and logged the lone shutout for the team this season, blanking FAU. On the season, Fetterly has saved 84% of shots on goal he has faced.