By Nicole Mehta, Staff Writer After coming away with two upset-ties against Mountain WestConference powerhouses BYU and Utah, the San Diego State women’ssoccer team has all the confidence it needs going into this weekendagainst Wyoming and New Mexico.
The Cowgirls (7-3-4) and Lobos (5-6-0) are tied for first in theMWC, both winning conference openers against Air Force. Despite theirrecords, head coach Michael Giuliano does not think they will pose abigger threat than Utah and BYU did.
“Look who they played,” Giuliano said. “There’s no comparisonbetween the schedules from Utah and Wyoming. Wyoming and New Mexicoare good teams, but straight out records don’t mean anything. Theirrecords don’t scare us.”
The Aztecs will battle Wyoming Friday atop the SDSU Sports Deck.The Cowgirls just came off a 4-0 win against Northern Arizona, soSDSU will have to do everything in its power to stop Wyoming’smomentum. The Aztec defense has been performing well for the past fewgames, but they will definitely have to step up their offense againstWyoming. Cowgirl senior forward/midfielder Mari Gomes is the leadingscorer for the team with seven goals, fewer than SDSU’s season total.Aztec senior goalkeeper Sophia Perez, who was named MWC DefensivePlayer of the Week, will have her hands full trying to stop Gomes andcompany.
Wyoming sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Hawthorne will be a wall toreckon with on the other side of the field, making a career-high sixsaves in Wyoming’s last game. The Cowgirls have recorded six shutoutsthis season and have held their opponents scoreless in their last twogames. SDSU, in the meantime, has had trouble getting the ball in thenet all season. In order to stay in the running for a conferencechampionship and stop Wyoming’s defensive dominance, the Aztecs willhave to step up their offense and find a way to score.
SDSU will also be making some changes on the defensive end becauseof the type of teams it will be playing this weekend. Junior AlexisSolovij, who played in the backfield and moved to forward at thebeginning of the season, will be moved back to help defend the goalthis weekend.
“Utah had big, fast forwards but Wyoming has even fasterforwards,” Giuliano said. “We need to prepare for a very direct styleof play.”
On Sunday, the Aztecs will face New Mexico. The Lobos are comingoff two straight wins, including their first conference win againstAir Force. They will play UNLV before coming to San Diego. The Rebelshave the best overall record in the MWC, but are 1-1 in conferencewith a win over Utah and a loss to BYU. The Lobos’ game against UNLVwill definitely be a tough one which can swing momentum either infavor for or against them going into Sunday’s game against SDSU.
The Lobos are a very young team with only two seniors, however,this is not necessarily a disadvantage as New Mexico’s leading scoreris freshman forward Katelyn Ley. She has recorded three goals thisseason – including the game winner against Northern Arizona- and was nominated for MWC Player of the Week.
The Lobos’ defense will also pose a threat to the Aztecs. NewMexico junior goalkeeper Kristen Winters is the reigning MWCGoalkeeper of the Year. SDSU is putting a strong focus on offensethis week and changing some formations that will hopefully help getthe Aztecs on the scoreboard.
“This is a big weekend for us,” Giuliano said. “We just have tofind a way to score. If we can get two wins, we will be right in thehunt for the conference championship. This week can changeeverything.”
