NM Daily Lobo 09 12 16 Fall 2016 Sports Issue

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FALL 2016 SPORTS ISSUE

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

Monday, S emptember 12, 2016 | Vo l u m e 1 2 1 | I s s u e 8

FOOTBALL

Close match ends in NMSU victory By Robert Maler @robert_maler

New Mexico State started slow in both halves of the game, but relied on strong finishes to earn its first win over New Mexico since 2011. Early in the contest, the Lobos offense was rolling and the defense tightening up any time the Aggies got near the red zone, forcing NMSU to settle for field goals. After giving up two touchdowns to UNM in as many possessions, NMSU trailed 14-6 when Dalton Herrington forced and recovered a fumble inside the Lobo 20-yard line with 7:10 left in the 2nd quarter. The Lobo defense again stymied the Aggie offense and limited the damage to a field goal. UNM added a field goal of its own and looked to be in the driver’s seat with 22 seconds left in the half. NMSU decided not to wait until after halftime to be more aggressive, catching the Lobos off guard with a 49-yard bomb on first down to get into scoring range. The Aggies started finishing drives with touchdowns, and found the end zone for the first time on a Tyler Rogers pass to Jaleel Scott, but missed the PAT and trailed 17-15 at halftime. Lobos safeties Daniel Henry

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NMSU page 2

April Torres / Daily Lobo / @i_apreel

NMSU senior quarterback Tyler Rogers looks for an open player as Lobos chase him down Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Aggies had a slow start in the Rio Grande Rivalry, but finished on top 32-31.

MEN’S SOCCER

Spanish soccer upstart joins UNM’s program By Isabel Gonzalez @cisabelg

Nick Fojud/ Daily Lobo / @NFojud

Freshman defender Rafa Jimenez charges the ball during a practice on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 at the UNM Soccer Complex. Jimenez came to UNM from Madrid, Spain, and has played for the influential soccer club Club Atletico De Madrid.

On the Daily Lobo website Vizcaino: Locals convene at UNM in solidarity against Dakota Access Pipeline Martinez: First game with alcohol sales goes off without a hitch

Whether it’s at club or international level, Spain is almost inarguably one of the most dominant countries in the world when it comes to soccer. The UNM men’s soccer team now has a little piece of that distinction. Rafa Jimenez, a 20-year-old from Madrid, Spain, came to New Mexico a month ago to join the Lobos. The central defender is bringing vast experience in different levels of the sport. “This is a new stage in my life and I’m very excited,” Jimenez said. “(At UNM) you have to be really fit and really focused on everything. It’s not just the soccer part, it’s also the academic part. Exercise your brain and your

ability to manage more than one thing. I think this will help me a lot in my future.” His journey with soccer began around the same time he started walking. His father, Rafa Jimenez Sr., said he can’t remember a time when his son wasn’t interested in the game. “I guess it is a natural instinct for every boy since the age of three to kick a soccer ball around all day here in Spain,” he said. “Rafa was no different. Since I can remember, as a small boy he was always running around all day kicking a ball.” Jimenez, Sr. said he and his son would spend several hours every week practicing in their yard. He noticed that his son had a “particular and distinctive talent” and decided to help him make the most of it. “So at the age of eight I took

him to the Real Madrid academy to get a feeling of what it would be like to train and play in an important team,” he said. “The first thing the coaches noticed was his intensity and desire to always do better and better.” That got the ball rolling, and Jimenez hasn’t looked back. Since then, he has gotten some minutes with academies like Club Atletico de Madrid and Villarreal CF. Right before coming to UNM, Jimenez was playing third division with Fuenlabrada. Jimenez also has experience playing at an international level, but not with Spain. His father was born in Australia, which allowed Jimenez to play for the Australian youth national team at the U-19 and U-20 levels.

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MacNeil: Students have limited time to claim lost items from University Griego: VR and 360-degree technology provides new mediums for journalists Visit DailyLobo.com for a multimedia piece created for Isabel Gonzalez’s story about Rafa Jimenez.


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NM Daily Lobo 09 12 16 Fall 2016 Sports Issue by UNM Student Publications - Issuu