Men's soccer aims high as tournament begins

The UNM men’s soccer team’s fate hinges on how it does when the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament, which got underway on Thursday in Denver.

After finishing second in conference with a 5-2 league record behind undefeated Sacramento State, the conference tournament has become a must-win for the Lobos.

After Saturday’s crucial 2-0 win over UNLV, the Lobos were guaranteed the second seed, which assured them a bye game in the first round.

“That last win was huge,” said sophomore standout Michael Green. “No one wants to play three games in four days.”

In Thursday’s first-round games, No. 6 UNLV upset No. 3 San Jose State 4-2. The Rebels will face No. 1 Sacramento State in the semifinals and between No. 4 Denver and No. 5 Air Force, are Thursday.

No. 2 New Mexico will play No. 4 Denver, after it defeated No. 5 Air Force in penalty kicks on Thursday in Denver.

The winner of each semifinal match will meet in Sunday’s final.

“We put ourselves in a good position and know that we have our season in our hands,” said head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “It’s up to us whether we make the NCAA tournament or not.”

So far, UNM has been great at home this season, beating Seattle, Cal-State Bakersfield and UNLV, all the while boasting an undefeated 3-0 record and only conceding one goal.

The Lobos, however, have struggled on the road in conference with losses to Air Force and Sacramento State. Even so, UNM can take some positives out of its trip to Colorado knowing that the Lobos have defeated Denver, 2-1, on its field earlier this season.

The Lobos have been versatile on offense, with seven different players notching goals in the seven conference games. Their defense, too, has been rock solid in conference this year, and UNM has allowed only four goals in seven games.

The key to winning the tournament, Fishbein said, will be if both Green and senior Justin Davis are scoring. Both players are tied for the team lead in goals with five, and have both earned two MPSF Players of the Week honors.

“We are really excited for this opportunity,” Fishbein said. “We know that we can win this if we can play to our ability.”