by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's soccer team will wrap up its nonconference schedule by welcoming two unfamiliar opponents to the UNM Soccer Complex this weekend.
And while the teams the No. 18 Lobos (3-2-2) will be facing are not as recognized as some of their earlier competition, these games are as important as any this season.
"I think it's huge, because we focus as much as we can on completing each season that we have, whether it's nonconference or conference," said UNM goalkeeper Mike Graczyk. "To finish this side of the schedule on a good note is huge, because conference is going to be tough. It's always going to be tough."
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UNM will host the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association Classic this weekend. The Lobos take on American (3-4-1) on Friday, and the College of Charleston (5-2-1) on Sunday.
The Lobos have no previous meetings with either school.
UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said his team needs to stay focused this weekend before opening its conference schedule on the road.
"It's important in that we're playing really well right now," he said. "We're getting better every game, and we're excited to play and keep improving."
The Lobos did not get off to their best start this season, falling to 0-1-1 after their first two games. They had their first winning record of the season, 3-2-2, after a win against Tulsa last Sunday.
The Lobos' opening games haven't been easy, but a strong weekend would go a long way for UNM, forward Blake Danaher said.
"Coming off a win against Tulsa is a big confidence booster," he said. "Our nonconference has been pretty tough, so if we know going into conference that we have two big wins behind our back, then we can go through conference and wipe the slate clean."
Early in the season, the Lobos struggled to put points on the board. UNM has been shutout in four games this season.
Danaher said the offense needs to finish plays.
"We do need to score goals," Danaher said. "This is a team that's going to create opportunities. We just have to capitalize on those."
Fishbein said he expects the Lobos to start producing more offense this weekend.
"I think it's going to happen on Friday," he said. "I think we're going to score some goals. We've gotten better every game. We're creating a lot of opportunities to score goals. Now, it's just putting everything together."
While the offense has struggled at times, the defense has kept UNM in just about every game. In the first seven games of the season, the Lobos have recorded four shutouts. In only one game, a 2-0 loss to UCLA, have the Lobos allowed more than one goal.
The defense as a whole has played well, and it's going to take that from both sides of the ball in order for the team to keep progressing, Fishbein said.
"Everybody's stepping up," he said. "It's been a team effort. That's the thing we talked about in the locker room today. It's all 24 guys that are making us better, and that's got to constantly be our attitude - that everybody has the power to make us a better team."
