Senior doesn't mind shift to back burner

by Riley Bauling

Daily Lobo

Senior right back Ben Ashwill's stats the first two years he played for the UNM men's soccer team read like a forward's dream - 18 goals, three assists.

His stats since moving back to defender? Not so much.

Five assists. No goals.

Ashwill's time in the limelight was whisked away just as quickly as it came when he went from forward to defender. His Freshman All-American and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation First Team awards are a distant memory. His time basking in the glory of game-winning goals and the accolades that came with them are gone.

And guess what? Ashwill's just fine with that.

"He is one of the most team-first players we have here," assistant coach Jamie Clark said. "A guy who scored a record amount of goals his freshman year and then gets moved to being a defender, most guys would be disappointed. He's team first. He knew what the team goals were, and he just went and did it."

Ashwill hadn't played a lick of defense until his junior year when head coach Jeremy Fishbein moved him back there to have one more weapon on the attack.

Ashwill grew up playing forward. He was recruited to play forward. He's always been a forward.

"It's a different role, you know. You got to worry about getting back and playing a little defense," Ashwill said. "I've never played defense until last year, so I had to kind of learn through that."

Now that he's got the role down, Ashwill likes the way it's worked out. No more pesky defenders treading on his heels as he comes to get a ball from the midfield, and no more of his back to the goal not knowing where to turn.

"It's a lot easier going forward from the back because you're facing the whole field," Ashwill said. "When you're playing forward, your back is always turned to the goal. So yeah, it gives me a lot of confidence."

Going forward is exactly what the Lobos want Ashwill to do. It's hard enough for opposing teams to try and find marks for four midfielders and two forwards without Ashwill bobbing and weaving his way through as well.

"When you have an attacking player like him - I mean he was an All-American forward - if you use him that way, then he will be one of the best players in the country," Clark said. "And that's how we use him."

Ashwill's attacking role couldn't have come at a better time for the Lobos than on Saturday in the 94th minute against seventh-seeded University of California-Berkeley.

Senior Brandon Moss collected the ball in the midfield and lofted a ball down the right side. The streaking Ashwill collected it at his feet after making an overlapping run down the sideline.

That's when all those years at forward paid off. A quick shimmy by Ashwill left a wide-eyed defender blinking at the stadium lights while Ashwill danced toward the touchline. A quick pass across the middle, senior Jeff Rowland's 16th goal of the season, Ashwill content with being the setup man again, and the Lobos are in the national semifinals for the first time in school history.

"Ashwill is one of the most underrated guys on our team," Rowland said.

In Fishbein's book, though, Ashwill's time in the limelight never disappeared.

"He's as good as anybody," Fishbein said. "Ashwill is an incredible player. He's a great defender and he's a great attacker. He's tremendous."