Lobo Soccer- at UNM Soccer Complex (6,200) in TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational
When: Friday at 7 p.m. (MT) vs. Missouri State; Sunday at 6 p.m. (MT) vs. No. 21 American
Who: Missouri State Bears, No. 21 American Eagles, No. 18 LMU Lions (neutral)
GoLobos.com: Live stats, box score, live stream, postgame recap
Video: Both matches will be streamed live on the Mountain West Network and will be available at GoLobos.com
Weather Forecast: 80 degrees, clear on Friday; 83 degrees, clear on Sunday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men's soccer team looks to continue a solid stretch of play when it returns home this weekend to host Missouri State and No. 21 American in the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational. The Lobos are on a four-game unbeaten streak that includes three straight wins, two of which are over ranked teams: then-No. 13 UCSB and then-No. 19 LMU. The Lions will also be in Albuquerque for the tournament this weekend as the neutral team and play both the Bears and the Eagles.
UNM's defense earned its first shutout of the season at CSUN last Friday night as keeper Jason Beaulieu made three shutouts en route to his second Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week Award of the season. Chris Wehan scored the game-winner on a penalty in overtime.
Wehan also added the game-winner at LMU on a free kick in the 76th minute, just two minutes after UNM's two center backs tied the game. Chris Gurule sent in a cross from the right wing, and it took a deflection right to Nick Rochowski at the back post. He tapped it in for the Lobos' first goal of the season scored by someone other than Wehan.
The Lobos will need to continue to get contributions from their whole squad this weekend as they face a pair of teams with contrasting styles. Missouri State has scored just one goal all year, but that was in overtime in the Bears' last game to give them their first win of the season. They have allowed just two goals, though, and haven't allowed on in their last 347:25 of action.
American, on the other hand, is one of the top offenses in the nation and has spurred its rise to the top 25. The Eagles rank second in the NCAA in goals per game, scoring 3.33 per contest. They have a staggering six players with multiple goals, with Joel Hart leading the way with four. Liam Robley (2 G, 8 A) has been involved with half of their goals this season. The Eagles' team defense isn't far behind its offense in terms of quality, either, as they have conceded just six goals in six matches. Their last game, a 4-3 double overtime defeat to Farleigh Dickson, was the first time all season they had allowed multiple goals in a match.
Here's another comparison for the Bears and Eagles: Missouri State has two points as a team this season (one goal, no assists), and the Eagles have a whopping 57 (20 goals, 17 assists). New Mexico has 19 while playing one of the more difficult schedules in the country so far.

Series Record vs. Missouri State: 3-2-1
Home: 3-0-1; Road: 0-2-0; Neutral: 0-0-0

Last meeting: The Lobos defeated Missouri State 2-0 in Albuquerque last season. Oniel Fisher and Chris Wehan scored for UNM in the second half.

Series Record vs. American: 1-0-0
Home: 1-1-0; Road: 0-0-1; Neutral: 3-0-0

Last meeting: UNM defeated the Eagles 1-0 in OT at home in 2006 in the only 
Up Next: The Lobos open Conference USA play with a road match at South Carolina on Friday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m. MT.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE ...  The Bears have scored just one goal on the season, and it came last weekend in their 1-0 overtime win against St. Mary's on Friday. James Routledge came off the bench vs. the Gaels to score the game-winner. However, they've also allowed just two goals all season, with both coming in their season-opening loss at USF. Keeper Liam Priestly has played every minute for MSU this season and has six saves. The Bears come in 18th in the nation in team goals against average at 0.44.

SCOUTING AMERICAN ...  The Eagles are one of the top offenses in the NCAA, ranking second in goals per game (3.33). Sophomore Joel Hart leads the team with four goals, but seven other players have multiple tallies to their credit.  They just suffered their first loss of the season on Sunday vs. Farleigh Dickson, dropped 4-3. That was the first game all season they had allowed more than one goal.

SCOUTING LMU ...  The Lions will be the neutral team in the tournament, and they are coming off their first loss of the season, which happened to be against UNM Sunday night, 2-1. They've allowed just four goals in six matches, but all four have come in their last two games. Alvaro Madrigal, who scored vs. the Lobos, and Grant Sampson each have three goals to their name.

LOBOS SWEEP AWARDS ... UNM swept the C-USA Players of the Week Awards this week. Chris Wehan repeated as Offensive Player of the Week after scoring both game-winning goals for the Lobos. Jason Beaulieu earned his second Defensive Player of the Week award this year after earning his first shutout of the season Friday and making eight saves on the weekend.

WEHAN CONSENSUS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK ... Chris Wehan swept the National Player of the Week awards by major publications following his back-to-back two-goal games against San Diego and UCSB Sept. 4 and 6. He earned the honor from College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and the NSCAA.

LOBOS CO-CHAMPS OF TOURNAMENT ... UNM earned a share of the championship in the Grange & Ashwill Memorial Invitational the weekend of Sept. 4-6 after a 2-2 draw with San Diego and a 2-1 win over No. 19 UCSB.  The Lobos shared the championship with the University of Denver, which had identical results. Chris Wehan was named Tournament MVP and Off. MVP, and keeper Jason Beaulieu was named Defensive MVP of the tournament. Josh Goss,Josh Dye and Chris Gurule were named to the All-Tournament Team.

FOUR GOALS EQUALS C-USA OFF. PoW ... Wehan was also named Conference USA's Offensive Player of the Week following his four-goal weekend.

BEAULIEU C-USA DEF. PoW ... Sophomore goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 for his performance against No. 1 UCLA in the season opener. He made six saves, which was the second most he'd ever made in a single match, and posted an .857 save percentage. It was the first such honor of his career.

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

ECNL Girls N. Atlantic Players to Watch

Women's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview

Best of Men's College Soccer Week 13