Lobos Start September with San Diego Sunday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— A week after their last match, the Lobos return to the pitch to host San Diego on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. MT.
The Lobos are 2-1-0 on the season and have won their last two, while USD is 0-2-2 on the season and has tied its last two matches.
UNM is in the middle of a five-match homestand and is 2-0 at home after defeating UC Riverside on Aug. 22 1-0 and Oregon 3-1 on Aug. 25. The stretch is the longest period at home of the season and comprise half of UNM’s total home matches this season. UNM is 46-21-11 at home under Coach Heather Dyche.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
UNM has won the last two matches, the latest a 3-1 win over Oregon. The Lobos had three different goal scorers and outshot Oregon 19-8 with a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal. Alysa Whelchel recorded her first career goal to open the scoring 5:48 into the match, followed by Presley Devey scoring UNM’s second goal in the first 10 minutes at 9:12. Nicole Anderson scored to make it 3-1 on her second career goal in the 56th minute.
For San Diego, the Toreros had a scoreless draw against UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night, a match featuring UNM’s next two opponents.
SERIES vs. SAN DIEGO
This will be the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs with the series 1-1-1, but the first time in Albuquerque. The first match was back in 1994, a 5-0 loss in San Diego and the last match in the series last season, a 1-0 Lobo win in San Diego.
Last year, a penalty kick in the 68th minute by Brynn Boeyink proved to be the game-winner after Nicole Anderson was taken down inside the box to draw the penalty. UNM outshot USD 18-7 and 8-6 in SOG with Allie Davis earning the clean sheet.
JURAN, JENKINS AND ROBLES WILL DEFEND YOU
UNM defenders Fiona Jenkins, Morgan Juran and Taryn Robles have been a solid and steady presence on the pitch with Jenkins playing all 270 minutes this season, followed by 254 minutes for Robles who has started all three matches, and Juran at 206 minutes and has started the last two matches and played all 90 minutes against Oregon.
The Lobo defense didn’t allow a shot by UC Riverside until the 55th minute and just one shot on goal.
In the last two matches, the Lobos have held opponents to 17 shots, four on goal, and has allowed one goal. In the first half of the last two matches, opponents have taken a total of four shots, while the Lobo offense has outscored opponents 3-1.
DEVEY DELIVERS
UNM junior forward Presley Devey scored two game-winning goals and contributed on three of the four goals scored by New Mexico, earning the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 26.
Devey led the Lobos with two goals and an assist on the week for a team-best five points, including one goal and one assist in the win against Oregon on Sunday. Her assist on Alysa Whelchel’s goal in the 6th minute to open the scoring was her first career assist, and combined with her own goal in the 10th minute, her three points in the match set a career high.
Sunday was Devey’s second game-winner on the week, as the Lobo scored the only goal of the match on Thursday against UC Riverside in the 11th minute.
Of note, her two goals in the first three matches of the season ties her career best in any of her three seasons (scored two goals last year), and her five points already surpasses her career best in points.
She leads the Lobos in points (five), goals (two) and shots on goal (four), is tied for second in assists (one) and second in shots (seven).
Devey is averaging 1.67 points per match, 2.33 shots per match, 0.67 goals per match in the fewest amount of minutes amongst all starters (147 minutes).
THE WINNING RECIPE
In UNM’s two wins, the Lobos have scored first in the match and have held a lead at the break.
In addition, the Lobos have outshot opponents 35-17 with a 19-4 advantage in the first 45 minutes and a 14-4 advantage in shots on goal (.400-.235).
UNM led for 79:08 in the match against UCR and 84:12 in the match against Oregon, for a total of 163:20 on the week.
Callie Droitsch has allowed one goal in the last two matches, making three saves.
UNM has had three goal scorers, led by Presley Devey with two goals and one each from Alysa Whelchel and Nicole Anderson, and Natalie DeGagne has assisted on two of the four goals.
NATALIE NOTES
UNM midfielder Natalie DeGagne is a veteran on the roster, with the Washington native in her fifth season with the Lobos.
DeGagne has logged 3496:41, the most of any Lobo on the team, and has played in 62 matches with 37 starts. She has started the last 29 matches dating back to Colorado College on Oct. 2, 2022.
DeGagne has contributed at least one point in each match in 2024 to date, opening 2024 with a goal in the season opener at New Mexico State with a goal in the 28’ and added an assist in the last two matches against UC Riverside and Oregon.
DeGagne leads the team in assists (two) and shots (eight) and is second on the team in points (four). She has also played the full 90 minutes twice this season (New Mexico State and UC Riverside) and 76 minutes against Oregon. The Lobo is averaging 1.33 points per match, 2.67 shots per match and 0.67 assists per match.