ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The conference portion of the schedule begins at home on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Colorado College in the Childhood Cancer Awareness Match. T-shirts will be on sale at the match with proceeds going towards childhood cancer scholarship funds.
Admission to the match is free and for those unable to attend, the match will be streamed on the Mountain West Network with live stats available.
UNM enters the match 4-2-2 with Colorado College 3-3-2.
CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Lobos are 15-6-5 in MW openers, 9-2-1 when opening conference at home. Under Coach Heather Dyche, the Lobos are 5-3-2 and 3-2-0 in conference openers.
UNM opened with Colorado College in 2016, a 1-0 Lobo loss.
WHERE THEY STAND
As a team and individually, the Lobos rank amongst the best in the Mountain West and the NCAA in several statistical categories.
Through nonconference, UNM is: 65th in assists per match (1.88), 66th in goal differential (9), 50th in points per match (6.38), 40th in scoring offense (2.25), 80th in shots per match (15.13) and 47th in shots on goal per match (7.5). Additionally, UNM is 68th in total goals (18), 74th in shot accuracy (.496) and 51st in shutout percentage (.500).
On an individual level, Fiona Jenkins is tied for second in assists per match (0.88) and sixth in total assists (7), while Savanah Sanchez is tied for 59th in GWG (2). Nicole Anderson is 80th in goals per match (0.57) and 86th in SOG (1.57).
UNM is first in the MW in points (51), goals (18), goals per match (2.25) and goal differential (9), as well as second in assists (15) and assists per match (1.88). The Lobos are fourth in shots (121) and shots per match (15.13).
Anderson is tied with Alejandra Puerto for fourth in goals (4), and is fifth in shots (23), but second in shots per match (3.29). She is tied for seventh in the MW in points (8) with Puerto. Jenkins leads the conference in assists (7) and assists per match (1.0) with Celina Frenz and Mercedes Morris tied for sixth in assists (2).
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
The Lobos were picked seventh in the Mountain West Preseason Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Poll with two first-place votes and 80 points, one of five teams to receive first-place votes.
The Lobos play three teams picked ahead of them in the polls at home and don’t play one of the teams picked in the top three.
Utah State, which the Lobos will host on Oct. 16, was the preseason favorite with six first-place votes and 128 points. Boise State, which the Lobos host on Oct. 19, was picked to finish second with three first-place votes and 121 points. Colorado State (111, one first-place vote) and San Diego State (109 points, one first-place vote) round out the top four with new MW member Grand Canyon, which UNM hosts on Oct. 9, picked fifth at 93 points.
UNLV was picked sixth at 87 points, with Wyoming (59 points), Nevada (55 points), Colorado College (54 points), Fresno State (50 points), Air Force (44 points) and San José State (23 points) picked below UNM.
In addition, Nicole Anderson, Kennedy Brown and Fiona Jenkins were among the Mountain West Women’s Soccer Watch List, comprised of three players from each school that is expected to lead their respective programs.
The trio started all 18 matches for the Lobos a season ago with Anderson the second-best goal scorer from 2024 behind four goals. Jenkins played 90 minutes in 12 of the 18 matches, playing the most minutes of any position player, and scored her first collegiate goal and was credited with her first collegiate assist against conference opponents last season. Brown played 90 minutes in seven matches and also was credited with her first collegiate assist in 2024.
HOME IS WHERE THE GOALS ARE
In the three home matches, UNM is outscoring opponents 15-3 and outshooting opponents 57-30 (19-10 average) with a 31-13 advantage in shots on goal.
Nicole Anderson leads UNM with four goals at home with three players (Alysa Whelchel, Alèjandra Puerto and Savanah Sanchez) each have scored three goals.
Of the 15 goals, 10 have been scored in the first half, outscoring opponents 10-2 in the first 45 minutes and 5-1 in the second half.
Additionally, the Lobos are outshooting opponents 31-11 in the second half.
DEFENDERS GO THE DISTANCE
The Lobo defense has been a display of stamina, with five defenders playing the full 90 minutes multiple times this season.
Morgan Juran, Allie Anderson and Fiona Jenkins have played 90’ in five matches, and Kennedy Brown has played 90’ in the last seven matches this season. Ashley Moody has played 90’ in four matches.
Juran (665), Jenkins (686), Anderson (650) and Brown (691) have all played over 600 minutes this season, with Jenkins leading and playing in over 95% of the minutes.
THROUGH THE NONCONFERENCE
UNM has scored 18 goals through its nonconference schedule, with UNM needing 14 matches last season to reach that total (Oct. 17 vs. Fresno State).
The 18 goals are five shy of the total goals scored last season (23).
The Lobos went unbeaten through their first six matches (4-0-2) with the last time the Lobos achieved this back in 2010 (4-0-2).
Their 2-0-2 record through the first four matches of the season was the second time in three years that the Lobos have gone unbeaten in their first four games to start the season (2023, UNM also went 2-0-2).
UNM is outshooting opponents 121-105 and 60-37 in shots on goal. The Lobos have had the edge in shots in three of the matches, but in on goal in four.
As a defensive unit, the Lobos are allowing 13.1 shots a match, 37 shots on goal (4.6 per match), shutting out opponents in four matches.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Colorado College shared one non-conference opponent with UNM in New Mexico State, with the Tigers winning 2-1 in the season opener.
The Tigers have scored nine goals, led by four from Kendall Memoly and two each by Jessica Anderson and Tyler Rose. Nadia Cassamajor and Kylie Smith leads with two assists.
In net, Regan Wallace has played 687 minutes in eight matches, allowing nine goals and making 42 saves. Skye Pratt has played in one match and 34 minutes, making one save and without allowing a goal.
As a team, Colorado College has scored three goals in the first half and six goals in the second half, with opponents scoring five goals in the first half and four goals in the second half. Opponents are outshooting the Tigers 107-89, 53-33 in the first half, but outshooting opponents 56-54 in the second half.