The UNM men's soccer team lost one of its most successful goalkeepers in program history and is seeing some changes in the coaching staff.
But none of that seemed to matter in the Lobos' spring season debut, as they defeated Air Force 3-0 and Fort Lewis 2-0 on Saturday at Robertson Field.
UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said his team showed a lot of promise in the two games.
"It was a good way to start," he said. "We've been practicing pretty hard for 2 1/2 months against ourselves, and you always win, and you always lose when you're playing against yourself. It was good to get out here and play some other teams. I thought the guys all did pretty well."
The Lobos are coming off a 12-5-2 season in the fall. They won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Title for the fourth straight year.
UNM advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where it lost a 1-0 game to California in the first round.
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If the 2008 Lobos are going to make another NCAA appearance, they will have to work their way through some changes.
Last season, senior Mike Graczyk enjoyed one of the finest seasons for a UNM goalkeeper. He set the UNM shutout record with 30 and is the school's goals-against-average leader, allowing just 0.64 goals per game in his three years as the starter.
Graczyk moved on to the MLS in January when he was drafted by the Colorado Rapids.
Last season, freshmen Justin Fite and Eric Staver were the only other goalkeepers on the UNM roster.
Inexperienced as he is, Fite played solid Saturday, leading the team to two shutouts.
Fishbein said Fite's performance in both games was impressive.
"Justin wasn't tested that much in the first game, and in the second game he did a great job," he said. "That was a real confidence builder for him."
UNM will also make some transitions in the coaching staff. Former associate head coach Carl Junot will be taking an assistant coaching job at Harvard.
The Lobos named Paul Souders as the replacement to Junot on Wednesday. Souders spent the last three seasons coaching at Dayton. In that time, the Flyers were 28-17-11.
Fishbein said the team will miss Junot but is excited to bring in Souders to help continue UNM's success.
"(Souders) has a winning mentality, and he was part of a very successful program as a player, and he's done a great job as a coach," he said. "He's a guy who's hungry and was excited about the opportunity to come here and be a part of our program."
One of the returning members of last year's squad is forward Chris Wright, who was named MPSF Player of the Year in 2007. He led the conference in goals, with 12, and points, with 28.
Wright started spring action where he left off this weekend, scoring three of UNM's five goals Saturday.
The senior-to-be said he was glad to get on the field against other teams after a long break from competition.
"We've been working hard for the spring, and it was good to get two games under our belt," he said. "It's been a while since we played. Anytime you get good offensive production - and, more importantly, two shutouts - it's a good day."
