When most people see a game-winning goal punched into the net, they don't think of a successful high-pressure medical procedure.
UNM forward Chris Wright does.
As the senior's soccer season comes to a close and he prepares to begin his medical career, Wright draws many similarities between being the leader of a soccer team and becoming a doctor.
"Both require work ethic, setting goals and working hard with a team to accomplish a common goal," he said. "Commitment, like, going to 6:30 a.m. practices all spring long - that kind of discipline will really transcend in the medical field with the long hours you have and the work that is required to be involved in medicine."
Wright's discipline has guided him to honors such as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year in 2007, CollegeSoccerNews.com preseason All-American, two-time All-MPSF, two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, and three years in the Cal-North Olympic Development Program.
To Wright, maintaining a 3.93 GPA in the Honors Program as a major in Portuguese and minor in biology has been just as important as his accomplishments on the field.
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"My youth will only last so long, and the things I learn and my intelligence will last most of my lifetime," he said. "That's what I'm really going to use at the end of the day to make sure I'm successful."
But Wright still devotes time to ensure the success of his team.
He led the Lobos in scoring in 2006 and 2007 and is second to Justin Davis this season. Last year, Wright was the league leader in points with 12 goals and four assists. He has six goals this season, totaling 26 as a Lobo.
Wright said the extra work he and his teammates put in is what has made the program so successful.
"There's never really an off-season in soccer, because it's so physically demanding in terms of endurance and speed," he said. "In the spring, we work very hard as a team. It really does pay off and makes us a lot more mentally tough, especially in times like now so late in the season. To still have good legs and not have fatigue set in quite yet is a reflection on all we did earlier in the year."
The Lobos are 11-6-2 on the season waiting for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. If the Lobos get a bid, it will be the program's sixth trip to the tournament in seven years. For Wright, it's his last shot at a national championship.
"Making the NCAAs is always important," he said. "For me, it represents the chance to play a little longer, and who knows what can happen - it's a single-elimination tournament."
However the season ends, Wright has a long road ahead of him, which will start either with professional soccer or medical school.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he will miss what Wright has brought to UNM's program, but he said he knows Wright will continue to do great things in whatever he chooses to pursue.
"He's been great for four years," he said. "I think he'll get the chance to play professionally. I'm sure he'll get into medical school, and I think he's going to be a huge success."
Whether it's scalpels or soccer balls, Wright said he is excited for whatever the future may hold.
"There are a lot of different options I have in front of me," he said. "No matter what, I want to go to medical school, and I want to be involved in soccer somehow. I'm sure I'll find a way to do that, but hopefully it's playing professionally for a little while.
"I really don't know what's going to happen. But I think that's the most exciting thing about the future."
