Women's soccer heads south to take on NM State
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| NEW MEXICO LOBOS 3-3-0 (0-0-0 MW) |
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES 1-3-2 (0-0-0 WAC) |
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Friday, September 20 – 4 p.m. |
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Kicking Off
One final non-conference game awaits the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team this coming Friday and it’s their in-state rival, New Mexico State. The game against the Aggies wraps up a challenging non-conference slate that saw the Lobos play five of seven contests on the road, take on three teams from Power 5 conferences with one of those being nationally ranked.
Prior to the NM State game, the Lobos have posted a 3-3-0 record during that challenging non-conference slate and will enter the game having won two straight as well. This year’s edition of the Rio Grande Rivalry will take place in Las Cruces after the Lobos and Aggies met last year in the Duke City.
Last year’s game was hard-fought and scoreless until the 75th minute when UNM’s Alesia Garcia made good on a penalty kick opportunity. That goal ended up standing up as the only tally in the game. It also avenged the first loss for the Lobos against the Aggies in the all-time series after NM State beat UNM 1-0 on a goal in the 90th minute in 2017.
This year, the Aggies come into the game at 1-3-2 overall. In each of their last two games, the Aggies have played into double overtime, going 0-1-1 in those games. They tied 1-1 with Texas State on September 8 and lost 2-1 to UTEP on September 12. Both of those games were played at home for NM State where they are currently 0-2-2 on the season. The game with the Lobos on Sunday continues a season-long four-game home stand for the Aggies.
UNM News and Notes
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 five goals over their last two games, both wins. Additionally, those five goals have been scored by five different players.
One-Goal Difference
Thus far, five of the six games played by the Lobos this season have been one-goal games. In those games, the Lobos are 2-3. 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.
Looking To Build off Last season
Last season was a banner year for the UNM women’s soccer team. In the fourth season under head coach Heather Dyche, the Lobos posted their most wins since 2009 with 13. The 2018 squad also posted a 7-2-2 record in the Mountain West to claim a share of the regular season title. Additionally, the Lobos appeared in the MW Tournament title game for the second-straight season, narrowly missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
By the Numbers
Here is what is returning and missing for the 2018 Lobos.
| Returning | Lost | % Returning | |
| Goals | 37 | 8 | 82% |
| Assists | 16 | 17 | 48% |
| Points | 90 | 33 | 73% |
| GK Saves | 87 | 0 | 100% |
Potent Top-25 Offense Paces the MW
Last season, UNM women’s soccer possessed one of the most potent offenses in the country. Having scored multiple goals in 15 of their 21 games, the Lobos ended the year with 45 goals. Those 45 goals established a new single-season program record, led the Mountain West and ranked 25th in all of Division I.
Nine Newcomers to the Fold
The Lobos did not lose much from their team a year ago as the 2018 iteration boasted just three seniors. Despite that, the Lobos have bolstered their roster with depth and talent thanks to the addition of nine newcomers to the fold. Listed among those newcomers are Allison Arend, Alexis Christiansen, Alix Hailey, Myah Isais, Juliana Kotsios, Paris McKenzie, Dani Mosher, Akane Takada and Maysa Walters. Takada is the lone newcomer not entering as a true freshman as she is transferring from junior college power Tyler JC.
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 15 times to place her currently sixth all-time at UNM. In her senior campaign, Hix is now just three 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 1-2-0 on the road.
Awards and Accolades
The 2018 season was one of the most successful in program history with 13 wins (tied for second-most) and an overall .686 winning percentage (highest since 2009 and third-best). That team success also yielded a bevy of individual awards.
At the conference level, the 2018 Lobos had the second-most all-conference honorees all-time with five. Of those, Jessie Hix, Gwen Maly and Jennifer Muñoz were named to the first team; matching the program standard of three first team honorees set in 2010.
Those three first team selections also went on to earn All-Pacific Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches. It was the first time since 2011 that the program had an all-region performer.