by Matt Hemmendinger
Daily Lobo
Last year the Lobo soccer team spent only one week in the National Soccer Coaches Association Top-25. This year it has already received national attention with the release of CollegeSoccerNews.com's preseason Top-30.
"Initially it's really exciting, but then you start to question it and try to figure out whether it is a good or bad kind of pressure," head coach Jeremy Fishbein said.
With nine starters returning, the Lobos are ranked 20th in the Web site's pre-season poll. Topping the list is the University of Maryland followed by defending national champion UCLA.
The Lobos will face four top-20 teams this year. All of those squads are ranked ahead of UNM, and the schedule includes trips to UCLA and sixth-ranked Southern Methodist University.
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Last year the Lobos did not match up against any teams in the top 25, so this season's schedule should be a firm test for UNM and a chance to silence complaints that it does not play any quality opponents during the regular season.
Much of UNM's success has been attributed to Fishbein's arrival last year but he cites the players for the team's achievements.
"They're a real good group of guys," Fishbein said. "They have a good foundation and from that, things have just gone our way."
It appears that this will not be a problem for his players. Sophomore forward Ben Ashwill said that it was a fair ranking and that the team is good enough to be in the top 20.
"Right now we have to go on with business and get better," Ashwill said. "We want to be in the top 10 or as high as we can go."
Fishbein agreed with Ashwill.
"They realize expectations are high," he said. "This is something to aspire to."
