by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
Let's count the reasons why the men's soccer team's game against San Jose State tonight might be the most important one of the season for the Lobos:
First, the Spartans are the only team to beat the Lobos this year, putting that one blemish on a 12-1-1 record.
Second, San Jose is nestled at the top of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference standings with a 6-1 record while UNM's 4-1-1 record ties it for second place with Air Force.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Third, whichever team finds itself perched in first place after the next three games in the MPSF will also receive a golden ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Fourth, there was the heinous bench-clearing brawl the Lobos and the Spartans got into in the conference championship game two years ago that saw three Lobos and two Spartans ejected - a game UNM also happened to lose 3-2.
All the history between the two teams might be reason for some bad blood, right?
"Not really," said head coach Jeremy Fishbein, brushing off any tension. "We're just really excited about the game. Any time you get to play a good team and test yourself, it's a good thing."
The No. 2-ranked Lobos have all the weapons needed to make a run the next three games.
Forward Jeff Rowland's 12 goals in 14 games ties him for eighth in the country in goals per game, and his 26 points is good enough to put him in 12th place in the nation in points per game.
Junior goalkeeper Mike Graczyk is 16th in the country with a 0.642 goals against average and is one shutout away from setting the single-season record at UNM for shutouts in a season.
The Lobos are fresh off a two-game stint against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in which they outscored the Runnin' Rebels 11-2 in a 7-2 win and a 4-0 win.
Rowland ended an eight-game scoring drought in the first game against UNLV with a hat trick and followed it up with another goal in the second game.
Fishbein said things are coming together just when UNM needs them to.
"Of course it's a big game in that there's a lot at stake, but the plan is to go in there and just play our game because we're playing good right now," he said.
