Lobo men’s soccer has something to be proud of — specifically, junior defender Aaron Herrera has something to be proud of.
Top Drawer Soccer announced Monday, Aug. 21 that Herrera was included on the Preseason Top Drawer Soccer Best XI list, according to a release. He was listed on the second team, marking him as one of the top players in NCAA men’s soccer.
Herrera said the recognition felt good, but his goals are more focused on starting the season well and seeing his team achieve success throughout it.
“It’s definitely a good feeling,” Herrera said of his recent nomination. “I always try not to look in the individual accolades too much...but I don’t feel they mean much if you don’t do well (for) the team.”
The junior defender started all 22 games for the University of New Mexico, where he finished the 2016 season with 26 shots, nine of which were on goal. He scored two goals during that span and added two assists to his stat sheet as well.
But that’s not all Herrera did last season, as he also spent time with Team USA in the U-20 2017 World Cup this past summer. And after completing his sophomore season and performing in the World Cup, Herrera said he’s picked up a few things.
“I think the last year, year and a half, I’ve learned a lot more about leadership stuff,” Herrera said. “Last year I was able to learn from our older guys like Chris Wehan and Chris (Gurule) and Niko (Hansen).”
Herrera said he picked up a lot from his former teammates about how to lead by example, and playing for the national team provided great experience as well.
“With the World Cup, the summer was obviously a great experience — and it was eye-opening to see all of these different levels and different styles of play from different teams,” he said.
Surprisingly, Herrera, 20, was the only Conference-USA student-athlete to be named to Top Drawer’s first, second or third teams.
“It’s humbling. And it’s kind of a big responsibility because I’m representing our conference,” Herrera said of being the lone Conference-USA player named to the Top Drawer’s preseason All-American list. “I want to be able to represent Conference-USA well and represent the University of New Mexico well.”
The Lobos, Herrera included, competed in three separate preseason exhibition matches, where they faced off against Air Force, Colorado School of Mines and Grand Canyon. UNM managed to win all three.
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Herrera performed well during the preseason slate, picking up three points during exhibition play, contributing one goal and one assist.
UNM opens the season at No. 11 Washington — the team that ousted it from the 2016 NCAA tournament last season.
The matchup should be a good one, as New Mexico received a No. 19 ranking from Top Drawer heading into the season, while Washington is ranked No. 18, according to the same list.
Herrera said he believes UNM has big things in store for the upcoming season. He said the goals are set high, but the team has the talent to achieve them.
The Lobos will face off against Washington and Seattle before returning to Albuquerque for its home opener against UNLV on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.
Matthew Narvaiz is a senior sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He covers a variety of athletic topics. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
