It’s a big week for the UNM men’s soccer team.
The Lobos, who are now riding a 5-game winning streak, are preparing to begin conference play. After last weekend’s 3-1 victory over UC Irvine, the Lobos have more than one reason to start with confidence.
Senior forward Niko Hansen was named Player of the Week by College Sports News as a result of the hat trick he recorded against UC Irvine.
Hansen was also nominated for NCAA men’s soccer Player of the Week honors, finishing in second place in the poll. A new nomination was announced on Tuesday, this time for D1 Men’s Soccer HERO of the Week. The poll closes Friday morning.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he saw Hansen’s national recognition as a positive representation of the entire program’s success.
“In terms of Niko and individual awards, that’s great,” he said. “Individuals get rewards as a result of being a member of a high performing team. While I’m happy for him, I’m also happy for the team.”
This week, the Lobos have moved up to the No. 21 spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coaches Poll, but Fishbein is not looking too deep into the placement.
“It’s nice to get national recognition, but we are pretty early into the season and our focus needs to be on getting better every day and preparing for our next game,” he said. “It’s all kind of clichés and kind of coach-speak, but that’s where we are at.”
The Lobos will begin their Conference USA schedule with matches against three of the toughest teams in the conference.
“It’s not up to us to decide who we play first, so we just have to be excited,” Fishbein said. “There’s no hiding in this conference.”
The first test will be on Sunday, a road match against the Kentucky Wildcats, who were the 2016 preseason favorites. The Wildcats were the Conference USA regular season champions last year. Wildcat senior midfielder Napo Matsoso was also voted the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in August.
Kentucky had three players in the 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA Team: Matsoso, junior forward Stefan Stojkovic and senior defender Jordan Wilson.
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Last year, New Mexico fell 1-0 to the Wildcats in double overtime. The Wildcats went on to finish the 2015 fall season with a 12-5-2 overall record, including a 7-0-1 record in the conference. They did not lose a single conference match last season and conceded only one goal, but this year there will not be a repeat of that.
Kentucky opened its 2016 conference play on Saturday with a match against the Florida International University Golden Panthers.
Kentucky, then ranked at No. 21, lost its ranking after losing 2-1 to FIU. The Wildcats were outshot 15-6. Both of the goals against them came from set pieces within the first 15 minutes of the match.
The week after facing Kentucky, the Lobos will return to Albuquerque to take on FIU, the team that took the 2015 C-USA Championship.
The Panthers finished the 2015 fall season with a 12-7-1 record, and C-USA named senior defender Marvin Hezel the 2016 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Hezel and senior forward Luis Betancur were the two FIU players to be named to the preseason all-conference team.
When the Lobos played the Panthers last year, the match ended in a 0-0 draw after double overtime. FIU took control of that match, outshooting New Mexico 21-5.
After FIU, the Lobos’ next C-USA game will be in North Carolina on Oct. 8 against the Charlotte 49ers. The 49ers took a 2-0 victory against the Lobos during the 2015 season and went on to finish 11-6-3 overall.
Charlotte’s senior midfielder Brandt Bronico made it to the preseason all-conference team.
Like their three immediate opponents, the Lobos also had some players in the preseason squad: Hansen and Chris Wehan.
Last year, Hansen was a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team. Wehan, a midfielder, made the first team after recording 10 goals throughout the season.
The Lobos will not be complete underdogs during the next few games, but Fishbein admits a victory won’t come easy. He said his strategy will be to focus on one game at a time and not let recent achievements distract his team from their main objective.
“This team — our team — we haven’t proven anything yet,” he said.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
