With the 15th-ranked recruiting class and the 28th-ranked overall team in the country, Lobo men's soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein is ready to improve on what he said was a disappointing 2003 campaign.
"The (national) ranking is nice, but last year we were ranked 17th and had a poor season," Fishbein said.
The Lobos finished with a record of 8-9-3 last season.
Improvement should come partly from the recruiting class. Among the new players is Andrew Boyens, a sophomore defender who was last year's New Zealand player of the year. Boyens' national team recently fell just one game short of qualifying for the Olympics in Athens.
"He has a lot of great experience," Fishbein said of his recruit from Down Under. "He was recently called up to New Zealand's national team."
Fishbein said that UNM landed Boyens through a series of quality contacts.
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David Gualdarama and Joey Vitagliano are also new to the team. Both players led their club teams to the U.S. Youth Soccer Association championships this summer.
"It's nice when kids bring in a winning mentality," Fishbein said. "Both those guys did well this summer, and Gualdarama's team won."
Despite the newcomers, Fishbein said the preseason ranking was due more to his returning players.
"Our returning players will determine our success," he said. "We have a good senior class with five guys coming back, and they'll be able to give lots of leadership."
Players like senior goalkeeper Andrew Weber have a lot to prove in their last year on the team, the coach said. The Lobos are looking to make it to the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last four years.
To make it, the squad will have to first ride out a brutal early-season schedule. Four of the team's first six games are against top-20 teams.
This includes a Sept. 19 home game against No. 1 and defending NCAA champion Indiana.
Fishbein said the early season test is something he and his team are looking forward to, rather than dreading.
"This will be a good test for us," he said. "I'm excited to see where we are. We expect to win every tough game this year. Last year we were just happy to be in these games. That's the difference between this team and last year's team."
