by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The last time a No. 1 team came to the UNM Soccer Complex, the Lobos won, vaulting them into the top 10 in the rankings.
Since that 1-0 double-overtime victory over No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 19, 2004, UNM has remained in the top 25.
This weekend, the No. 21 Lobos may have a chance to jump back into the top 10 with No. 1 SMU coming to town.
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"It's a great opportunity," said Jeremy Fishbein, head coach of the UNM men's soccer team. "Anytime you can get a great challenge, that's all you can ask for, especially at home. We're pretty excited for that game."
SMU earned the No. 1 national ranking by dominating its first seven games of the season. The Mustangs are 7-0-0 and have only allowed one goal this season.
The wins have not come against cupcake teams, as they have victories over then-ranked No. 24 Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Cal, which was ranked No. 17 at the time; then-ranked No. 17 Brown; and No. 12 Indiana, which was ranked No. 10 at the time.
On Tuesday, SMU rolled to an 8-0 victory over Centenary.
Meanwhile, the Lobos are 2-2-1 and coming off a 1-0 victory against Cal State Fullerton.
The Lobos can hang with SMU, and a win would go a long way for UNM, Fishbein said.
"It would be great," he said. "It would give us a boost of confidence. Our challenge is ourselves. If we play up to our potential, and we be consistent and play for 90 minutes, then we can beat anybody on a given day."
UNM defender Andrew Boyens said he's excited to match up against the Mustangs.
"We love playing the top teams in the country, because we believe we're right up there with them," Boyens said. "These are the games you want to be playing. You want to play the best teams so you can get better."
UNM and SMU have some history, having played each other eight times before heading into Friday's game. SMU holds a 5-3-0 advantage in the series, but last season, the Lobos defeated the Mustangs 2-0 in Tulsa, Okla.
UNM recorded one of its biggest wins in school history in 1997 by downing No. 2 SMU, 5-3.
Fishbein said he doesn't expect last year's outcome to give extra motivation to SMU.
"They're going to be hungry just keeping that No. 1 ranking," he said. "They know they're coming into a tough place to play, so I think it will be a great game."
One of the biggest keys to the game will be the UNM offense against the stout SMU defense. The Lobos scored four combined goals in their two victories but were shutout in the other three games.
Fishbein said he's not worried about the offense.
"We just got to finish our chances," he said. "We're creating opportunities. We just got to put them in the net. I feel good going into the game."
Junior forward Blake Danaher is one of the few players on the roster who played in the win against No. 1 Indiana and last year's victory against SMU.
He said it's a privilege for the Lobos to have the opportunity to face top competition like SMU.
"It's an awesome feeling, and it's a compliment knowing that teams like this want to play us," Danaher said. "We're really looking forward to it."
