Lobo Soccer Back on Home Pitch, Hosting Colorado College and Air Force
“We’re really happy to be home and at least be on our field and play in front of our fans”
-- Head coach Heather Dyche
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After being on the road for the past two weeks, New Mexico is back on its home pitch for its final matches at home this season. The Lobos are set to host Colorado College on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (MT) and Air Force on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Lobos faced some tough challenges on the road the past two weeks, which resulted in two losses, a tie and ended in a huge 2-1 win over Fresno State. The 2-1 win against Fresno State put the Lobos back atop the conference standings, tied with the Bulldogs at 5-2-1. Hoping to build on their newfound rhythm and utilize their home field advantage, the Lobos will close out their final home weekend against Colorado College and Air Force.
Colorado College (3-9-3, 2-3-3 MW) have ended their last two matches in draws after double overtime. The Tigers tied Boise State, 2-2, on Oct. 14 and tied Utah State, 1-1, on Oct. 17. The Lobos hold a 10-7 advantage in the all-time series against Colorado College. New Mexico has won its last six matches against Colorado College. Jacqui Hand leads the Tigers with 45 shots (20 on goal), three goals and four assists. Goalkeeper Taryn Benham has 37 saves in 15 starts for Colorado College.
Air Force (6-7-2, 3-4-1 MW) is coming off a 2-1 win over Boise State in overtime. New Mexico holds a 17-10-1 lead over the Falcons in the all-time series. The Lobos have won their last two matches against Air Force. Faith Lee leads the Falcons with 33 shots (14 on goal), five goals and three assists. Cammi Bych has recorded 55 saves in 15 starts.
Two Lobos are close to making history this weekend. Alexa Kirton is set to break the program record for career games played by a single Lobo. She currently sits at 81 games played and the record in 82 games played (Liz Nare, 2010-13). Emily Johnson sits at 38 wins in her career, already in second place of most wins in program history. Although she won’t break a record, 40 wins is a huge milestone nonetheless.
Jadyn Edwards and Zaria Katesigwa remain tied for the most goals in the conference, along with San Diego State’s Denise Castro, with eight goals each. Edwards is also the MW leader in shots (64), shots on goal (29), and points (21).
Head coach Heather Dyche sees the team’s hard work paying off as they found a great rhythm in their win against Fresno State and hopes to keep that style of play through the rest of the season.
“We had a great rhythm to how we played and made a few adjustments that really brought some life into our lineup,” Dyche said. “We saw some of these players rise to the occasion… and those are the things we need to win conference.”
“[These seniors] have built this program and [now it’s] our opportunity to honor them and play in front of our home crowd is something we’re really looking forward to,” Dyche said.
Dyche recognizes that the upcoming opponents will be just as difficult as any they have faced so far.
“[Colorado College is] a very, very good opponent, they always are. They always come in and play kind of fiery. They play a really nice style of soccer,” Dyche said. “Air Force is Air Force. They go hard and you respect them for many different reasons.”
Dyche knows that playing on their home pitch motivates the Lobos.
“We’re really happy to be home and at least be on our field and play in front of our fans,” Dyche said.