The UNM men's soccer team ended its regular season in all too familiar fashion Sunday against the San Jose State Spartans.
The Lobos got the game winner in the 12th minute from the nation's second-leading goal scorer Jeff Rowland. His 18th goal makes Rowland one goal shy of UNM's single season record set by Edmundo Rodriguez in 1992.
The Lobos (16-1-1, 10-1-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) picked up an insurance goal from senior Jeremy Brown in the 84th minute to close out the Spartans (5-13-1, 4-8-0 MPSF) 2-0 at the UNM Track and Soccer Stadium.
The goal was a fitting end to Brown's regular season career as a Lobo. It came on senior day and was his first point in four years at UNM.
With the win, the Lobos wrapped up first place in the MPSF and scored themselves an automatic ticket to the Big Dance, also known as the NCAA tournament.
Seeding for the tournament will take place today. The first 16 seeds receive a first-round bye, and the top eight get two games at home. The top four stay at home until the semifinals.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The Lobos have reason to be excited when the seeds come out. They're ranked in the top eight in all four national polls, including a No. 2 ranking in Soccer America.
"Our confidence is good right now, and I think we're playing good soccer," head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "We'll be excited to see who we play next."
Things did get a little scary for UNM against the Spartans as junior and captain Brandon Moss had to be helped off the field when he caught an elbow to the head from Spartan midfielder Randy Poggio. Referee Ali Hacock immediately issued a yellow card as Moss left the field blinking confusedly and clutching the side of his head.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said after the match Moss would be fine.
The rest of the game wasn't much prettier as the Spartans' rough play garnered four yellow cards and a red card.
The red card was given when midfielder Heber Mora smashed Lobo defender Andrew Boyens with a two-footed tackle that looked like it was straight from a Shaolin kung-fu movie.
The win served as the last tune-up before the NCAA tournament. However, Brown said the Big Dance is something the team has looked forward to all season.
"We're peaking right now, and we'll be ready," he said. "We're pumped and confident, so we feel good about our chances."
