OPENING NIGHT
UNM women’s soccer team begins its 2016 season today on the road.
The UNM women’s soccer team begins its 2016 odyssey in earnest today when it visits 19th-ranked Texas Tech.
Heather Dyche’s Lobos are a gentle mix of precious experience, a sprinkle of youth and a breath of confidence.
“For us it’s going to be an interesting year,” said Dyche, who is in her second season in charge of the program. “We lost six starters, our starting goalkeeper and three out of our four leading goal scorers. …
“We have a lot of talent, I feel, but we don’t have experience. … I think it will be a year I don’t know quite what we’re getting ourselves into. I think we can be very good.”
Maddie Irwin, a senior midfielder/defender, started all 20 matches for UNM last season and scored three goals.
“I think we have a lot of potential,” Irwin said. “I think we need to realize that and act on it. Sometimes we talk about, ‘Oh, we can do this and we can do this.’
“But it doesn’t always play out the way we want it to. But I think there’s a different mentality on this team this year.”
Senior midfielder/forward Katie Hinman, who is making the transition to be more of an attacking player, is equally confident.
“Our goal has always been to make it to the (NCAA) Tournament,” she said. “This year, I really think we will. We’re working really hard and we have so much depth on the team.”
Dyche said that depth allows her to adjust on the fly.
“We’ve worked really hard to discuss different systems and the ‘Why’ of soccer,” she said. “Not just, ‘Do this.’ But why you are doing this. How do we shut down teams that are dominating a game? How do we transition? … I feel like this year I can stand up and adjust our line of confrontation. Switch what we are doing. Try different a formation. And I think these guys will get that quickly.”
“Anytime there is a switch,” senior defender Brooke Webster said, “I don’t think, ‘Oh, no, this player is going out and this player is going in.’ The tempo stays. If anything, it shifts. There’s something new, something better, something different.”
Such manuevering may be necessary in today’s 6 p.m. match at Texas Tech, a team that reached the Sweet 16 last season.
“They’ve always had a reputation of being a strong physical team, good technically” said UNM senior midfielder/defender Annie Wheeler, who is from Texas. “I’ve played with some of these girls in club when I was younger, so it’s always fun for me to play against them.”
The Red Raiders beat UNM 1-0 in Albuquerque last year.
“They consistently have a top-10 recruiting class,” Dyche said. “They’ve built a program over there that is difficult to play.
“But saying that, everytime we play them, we give them a great game. … We go there the underdogs, but we’re ready to fight.” Dyche said eight of the 11 starting spots are settled.
“I think the rest of them are in a strong competition right now, which I love,” Dyche said. One of the positions not settled is at goalkeeper.
“We have four players trying for one spot,” Dyche said. “They’re all very, very good at their own thing. It’s a battle right now. When you have to replace Cassie (Ulrich), that’s so hard to do. She was so good here for so long.”
Trying to fill those shoes are three freshmen and a transfer. Junior Tayler Hammack, who is from Tucumcari, has transferred from New Mexico State. Dmitri Fong is from Cibola, Emily Johnson from Western Springs, Ill., and Emily Griffith from Aurora, Colo.
Dyche is confident someone will step forward, just as she is confident in her club.
“I think our chemistry is outstanding,” the coach said, “the way they train, the way they treat each other, the way they represent themselves in the community. It is a special thing to be a part of.”