by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
It was the biggest game of the season, and the men's soccer team played perhaps its best game of the season.
The No. 11 Lobos won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation after downing No. 21 Denver 3-0 on Sunday at the UNM Soccer Complex in the final game of the regular season.
Friday against Air Force, UNM pulled out a tough 1-0 home win against the Falcons.
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With the wins, the Lobos earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he was thrilled with his team's performance.
"It's a great feeling," he said. "I just couldn't be prouder of our guys. They came together as a team and played great."
Sophomore Chris Wright had an outstanding game for UNM on Sunday, scoring two goals and getting an assist on the other.
Wright said he was excited to help the team win conference.
"I was ecstatic," he said. "You come out in big games, and you want to do your best, and today, I was able to get a couple goals and contribute as much as
I could."
The Lobos got some unlikely help on Friday when previously winless University of Nevada-Las Vegas upset Denver 2-0, putting the Lobos in position to win the conference title by defeating the Pioneers on Sunday.
Fishbein said the team was happy to get the chance to play the Pioneers with the MPSF title at stake.
"Denver had an incredible year, and somehow, we got this opportunity," he said. "We didn't think we were going to get it. I couldn't be prouder of this group."
The Pioneers were the only MPSF team to defeat UNM this season, a 1-0 decision in Denver on Sept. 29.
However, the Lobos came back and played one of their most complete games of the season on Sunday, scoring three goals and recording their 11th shutout of the season.
UNM got on the board early when Wright scored at the
3:02 mark.
Both defenses clamped down, and the Lobos didn't score again until the 69th minute, off a goal by freshman Stephen Brown which was assisted by Wright.
Wright then sealed the game in the 75th minute by scoring off a well-placed pass from junior Blake Danaher.
Once the third goal was scored, Wright was confident the game was clinched, he said.
"The third one through was just jubilation," he said. "I knew at that point, with about 15 (minutes) left, the game was probably in the bag. It just was a great feeling."
UNM junior midfielder and defender Mike Porter, who scored the lone goal in Friday's win over Air Force, said he was proud of how the Lobos played as a whole.
"What was great today is that it was a total team effort," he said. "Everyone gave it their all, and you can't ask for more than that - winning conference
at home."
The Lobos were without one of their top players on Sunday, as senior Andrew Boyens was forced to sit out after receiving his fifth yellow card of the season in Friday's game.
UNM junior goalkeeper Mike Graczyk, who has 23 career shutouts as a Lobo, said the team showed how much depth it had in the win against Denver.
"It's a young team, but it's a confident team, and that's what you got to love about it," he said. "We pride ourselves in peaking at the end of the year. I think it's great momentum for us, and you couldn't ask for anything better."
