Pack the Pitch slated for Friday; home again on Sunday
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| NEW MEXICO LOBOS 5-4-0 (1-1-0 MW) |
NEVADA WOLF PACK 2-7-0 (1-1-0 MW) |
UNLV REBELS 3-7-0 (0-2-0 MW) |
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Friday, October 4 – 7:30 p.m. |
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Sunday, October 6 – 1 p.m. |
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Kicking Off
After a second lengthy stretch of road games, the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team is back at home this coming weekend as they will play host to Nevada on Friday and UNLV on Sunday. The pair of games are a part of the second week of Mountain West play and the Lobos will enter with a 1-1-0 record in the MW after losing 1-0 in overtime to Colorado State and then shutting out Wyoming 3-0. They will also be just the third and fourth home games for the Lobos this season as seven of their first nine have been on the road.
The shutout of Wyoming was the Lobos’ fourth of the season and the three goals tied a season-high set in the Lobos’ last home game against Northern Arizona back on September 15. Nevada enters the game on Friday at 2-7-0 overall and 1-1-0 in MW play. The Wolf Pack are looking to carry the momentum from their opening weekend of MW games as they dropped a one-goal game to league-leading Boise State and then bounced back for a double overtime win at home against Utah State this past Sunday.
Prior to playing the Lobos on Sunday, UNLV will take on San Diego State on Friday night. Heading into that matchup, the Rebels are 3-7-0 overall and 0-2-0 in MW play after being shutout in both of their league games last weekend. In fact, the shutout streak against UNLV stretches back three games. Perhaps an anomaly, but the Rebels have won each game that they have scored in and have been shutout in each defeat.
A pair of promos highlight the weekend as Friday night’s game against Nevada is Pack the Pitch Night and all tickets will be just $2! There will also be a post-game autograph session with 2019 commemorative schedule posters. On Sunday, the team will host AYSO Club Day.
UNM News and Notes
Balanced Scoring
Last season, the Lobos set a new program record for goals with 45. An impressive note to that record was the fact that the team had 13 different goal scorers. This season, the Lobos have put forth another balanced scoring attack. With 11 goals to this point of the season, there have been six different goal scorers and five of those are tied for the team lead with two goals.
Between the Pipes
Going back to last season, the Lobos have had quality options of goalkeeper with Emily Johnson and Malia Vanisi equally as capable. Last year, Johnson received a majority of the time in goal for the Lobos and started the first two games this season, which included an impressive 1-0 shutout of then-ranked No. 22 Texas Tech, but an injury has sidelined Johnson opening the door for Vanisi to step in.
In the seven games that Vanisi has played, she has allowed five goals and posted 27 saves while registering a trio of shutouts.
Combined, Johnson and Vanisi have turned in four clean sheets. Last season, the Lobos had just one defensive shutout.
Offense Gaining Momentum
After scoring two goals through their first four games, the Lobos offense has began to pick up steam as they have scored nine goals over their last five games. The Lobos have won four of those five games.
One-Goal Difference
Thus far, seven of the nine games played by the Lobos this season have been one-goal games. In those games, the Lobos are 3-4. Last season, the Lobos played 12 one-goal games and posted a 7-5 record.
EJ Named MW Defensive Player of the Week
Senior goalkeeper Emily Johnson earned the first MW Defensive Player of the Week award for the 2019 season after she withstood an unrelenting offensive attack by the No.22-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders for the entirety of the 90-minute match en route to a clean sheet.
In the first half, Johnson faced 10 shots and made three saves. In the second half, with the Lobos holding a 1-0 lead, Johnson was forced to face 12 shots and made four more saves. The individual shutout posted by Johnson was her eighth as the Lobo goalkeeper and the weekly conference plaudit was the second in her career as well.
Knocking Off Nationally-Ranked Foe
Historically, the Lobos have played 33 matches against a ranked opponent coming into the 2019 season. All-time the Lobos’ record vs. ranked opponents was 4-25-5. Coming off of their NCAA Second Round run a year ago, UNM’s first opponent, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, were ranked No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
This year’s meeting marked the fourth time that the Lobos would play the Red Raiders when they were ranked. In those games, the Lobos were 0-3-0, but a “1” was added to the win column for the Lobos after they pulled off a 1-0 upset win of the Red Raiders.
The win snapped what was a five-game losing streak to the Red Raiders and was the first win for the Lobos over a ranked opponent since 2010 when they beat No. 8-ranked BYU.
Garcia and Game-Winners
Sophomore forward Alesia Garcia wasted little time in establishing herself as one of the top scoring threats in the MW as she ranked in a tie for second with seven goals. While any goal is important, all but two of Garcia’s were extremely important as they ended up being game-winning goals. Her five game-winners as a freshman were tied for the second-most by a Lobo in a season and already place her in a tie for sixth on the career list.
Garcia has wasted no time in adding to her total as her penalty kick goal in the waining seconds of the first half against No. 22-ranked Texas Tech stood up as the game-winner. Garcia, now with six career game-winners to her credit is tied for fifth all-time.
Hix Knocking on Door of Top-5 in Goals
A two-time All-Mountain West First Team selection, Jessie Hix has turned in a stellar career thus far for her hometown team. Her prowess on the pitch is most evident offensively. For her career, Hix has found the back of the net 16 times to place her currently sixth all-time at UNM. In her senior campaign, Hix is now just two goals away from moving into the top-five in program history.
Road Warriors
Home games were kind to the Lobos last season as they went 8-1-1 while playing at the UNM Soccer Complex, but this year, the Lobos will be forced to be road warriors as 11 of their 18 scheduled regular season games will take place away from the Duke City. Currently, the Lobos are 3-3-0 on the road.