Lobos look to get back on track at Portland State

NEW MEXICO LOBOS 1-3-0 (0-0-0 MW)	PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS 0-4-0 (0-0-0 Big Sky)
Sunday, September 8 – Noon Hillsboro Stadium | Hillsboro, Ore. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | UNM NOTES | PSU NOTES

Kicking Off
The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team is set to conclude their four-game tour of the Pacific Northwest on Sunday afternoon as the Lobos play at Portland State. The Lobos will enter the game 1-3-0 overall and are also looking to snap a three-game skid.

In their most-recent action, the Lobos applied pressure offensively against Oregon State and out-shot the Beavers 13-9, but the Lobos were unable to put one in the back of the net, ultimately losing 1-0. Despite the outcome, the Lobos remained strong on defense limiting the Beavers, who remained unbeaten on the season, to the aforementioned nine shots and holding them to the fewest goals scored in a game with the one.

The Lobos are now turning their attention toward Portland State. The Vikings will enter the game in search of their first win of the season as they have opened their 2019-20 campaign at 0-4-0. In those four games, the Vikings, like the Lobos, have only scored two goals, but unlike the Lobos, Portland State has surrendered 10 goals on the season compared to the four given up by UNM.

This will be the third meeting all-time between the Lobos and the Vikings with the Lobos having won the previous two. It will also be the first meeting since early September of 2004.
 
UNM News and Notes
One-Goal Difference
Thus far, all four games played by the Lobos this season have been one-goal games. In those games, the Lobos are 1-3. 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.

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 14 times to place her currently in a tie for sixth all-time at UNM. Entering her senior campaign, Hix is just four 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. Last season, the Lobos had a mixed results on the road going 3-4-1.

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.