by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
The last time Denver came to the UNM Soccer Complex, a win over the Lobos would have clinched the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
Instead, the UNM soccer team won the regular season finale 3-0 to take the conference championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
When Denver returns to Albuquerque to take on the Lobos on Friday, it will probably remember last year's meeting, UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said.
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"More importantly, Denver's a quality team, and they know if you can win on the road in this conference, you got a good chance of winning it," he said. "They're going to come ready to play, no doubt about it."
Beating UNM on the road hasn't been easy for Denver. The Huskies are winless at the UNM Soccer Complex, and the Lobos hold a 7-2-0 all-time advantage
against them.
UNM forward Chris Wright said the Lobos can't be overconfident on Friday.
"We have a great record against them here, but we have to realize that it doesn't come easy," he said. "That doesn't mean anything. Every team comes out to play with everything they have. It's important that we maintain the focus and the level of play that we've had going into this game."
Heading into the weekend, the Lobos have been on a roll. They started the season 1-2-0 but are riding a three-game winning streak and have improved to 5-3-0. Included in that streak are wins over No. 9 Santa Barbara and No. 12 San Francisco.
UNM has climbed to No. 22 in the rankings.
Meanwhile, Denver is 4-3-0, including a 4-0 victory over
Washington.
A big reason for the Lobos' turnaround has been an explosion on offense.
During a three-game stretch against Loyola Marymount, Cincinnati and Washington, UNM managed just one goal, going 1-2-0 in those contests. The last three games have been a reversal, as the Lobos outscored their opponents 8-1 in that stretch.
Fishbein said he always knew he had a talented offense to go with a stout defense - it was just a matter of getting the right lineup to gel on the field.
"Some of it was chemistry," he said. "We moved some guys around. I think it's just probably the realization that you can't just step out there. Talent will only take you so far. You have to win as a team."
After playing Denver on Friday, UNM will host Air Force on Sunday, which is 2-5-1 this season. The Lobos have also been successful against the Falcons, with a 7-1-1 record against them during Fishbein's tenure.
Even though UNM respects every team in the MPSF, the Lobos are completely focused on Denver, Wright said.
"We know they're a good team, and we know that we're going to have to come out and play," he said. "It's an important game because we're starting off the conference season, so if we can separate ourselves at the start from Denver, it'll be a good feeling."
Men's soccer vs. Denver
Friday, 7 p.m.
UNM Soccer Complex
