UNM men’s soccer head coach Jeremy Fishbein is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming 2009 season.
After losing their footing last year, the Lobos are trying to reclaim their spot atop the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Last season, for the first time in four years, UNM didn’t finish in first place in the MPSF, coming in second to the University of Denver.
The Lobos begin their comeback quest Tuesday at St. Louis, then return to Albuquerque to play their home opener against San Francisco on Saturday.
Other tough home games for UNM include visits from UC Davis, Gonzaga and UC Irvine, a team Fishbein said will be a challenge for the Lobos.
Fishbein said he isn’t as worried about how the Lobos will play at home as he is about how they will fare on the road.
UNM went 2-4-1 on the road, and this year won’t be any easier. This season’s nonconference slate includes road games against perennial powerhouses Indiana, Notre Dame, Stanford and California.
Fishbein said having senior leadership this season will help make things less stressful.
“We need to play with energy and consistency, and with all of the leadership we have, this could be a really good season for us,” Fishbein said.
If the regular season shakes out anything like the Lobos’ preseason, UNM stands a good chance to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the conference and make the NCAA Tournament.
With Thursday’s 4-0 win over the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves, the Lobos concluded their preseason with a 3-0 mark. Their most impressive win came against No. 12 Tulsa last weekend. That win has Fishbein stoked about the Lobos’ chances this year.
“We have a high team spirit with a lot of great leadership, something we were missing in the past few seasons,” Fishbein said after the Lobos defeated the Thunderwolves.
After a sluggish opening 20 minutes — and a 64-minute lightning delay — UNM came out charged.
The few fans who battled through the weather saw the Lobos turn in a dominating performance. They controlled every statistical category and outshot the Thunderwolves 23-6, but Fishbein said UNM should have scored more.
“We had a few chances before the delay that we should have finished, but I was impressed by the way we came back out,” Fishbein said. “It’s always good to score four goals in a game and to get everyone some playing time. We can really learn some lessons in games like this.”
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Nine minutes after the restart, senior Justin Davis got the Lobos started, scoring on a superb left-footed shot in the 29th minute. His second goal was a 35-yard chip over the goalkeeper three minutes into the second half.
Junior Dominique Romero scored in the 76th minute with another long-range chip to make it 3-0.
Even the freshmen got in the mix.
Lawrence Robledo finished off the Thunderwolves with his first goal for UNM, scored off a breakaway in the 87th minute, to close out the game 4-0. Players like Robledo, sophomore Lance Rozeboom and freshman Patrick Pacheco will provide much-needed depth
coming off the bench.
More than anything, the Lobos will rely on seniority to guide them through the season, Fishbein said. The longtime head coach said he will vary the Lobos’ attack with numerous options up front. The Lobos return six juniors and five seniors, including offensive threats Davis and P.J. Wilson.
Anchoring the team’s defense will be seniors Stephen Brown and Simon Ejdemyr. Euan Holden and Michael Reed will both be midfielders.
“We have six or seven starting seniors this year, which will give us some valuable experience that we need and can take us far into the season,” Wilson said.
Davis, who started Thursday’s game playing left wing before sliding up to the forward position, added that many of the Lobo players are versatile.
“There are four of us who are going to be rotating around the different offensive positions this season,” he said.
While the Lobos have many viable pieces on the field, Fishbein said UNM needs crowd support to have a successful campaign.
“We really need all our fans to come out and support us at our home opener,” he said.
UNM at Saint Louis
St. Louis, Mo.
6 p.m.
