Yet another weekend of rigid competition stands before the UNM men’s soccer team.
The Lobos welcome Buffalo on Friday and then face their fifth-ranked opponent this season when they play No. 6 Harvard on Sunday at the UNM Soccer Complex.
“I think everyone likes playing these games,” senior Ryan Farquharson said. “The team likes coming out and facing teams of this quality.”
Harvard, ranked in the top 10 in soccer polls, has connections with UNM. Former UNM assistant coach Carl Junot and UNM standout Mike Graczyk coach the Crimson. The Crimson beat No. 13 Stanford and tied No. 10 Connecticut.
“It’s going to be a real interesting game,” said head men’s soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein. “I feel pretty close to those guys, and it will be exciting having them back.”
While Harvard is the marquee matchup of the weekend, Fishbein said UNM can’t look past Buffalo. The Bulls started the season slowly, losing their first two games by a combined score of 7-0. But they’ve bounced back, winning three straight home games.
“You look past a game and you’re going to lose,” Fishbein said. “Buffalo is a quality team. They are not coming out here to lose. They are coming a long way to play at a great atmosphere, and they expect to beat us on Friday, and our players need to be up for that.”
Especially coming off a stomach-turning 2-1 loss to Portland on Sunday.
Fishbein said he is still haunted by Sunday’s loss.
“That’s one that you lose sleep over,” Fishbein said. “That’s soccer. It’s a cruel game, and it happens and the challenge now is to move forward.”
The team, so far, is feeding off of Fishbein’s vibe.
Farquharson said the Lobos need to fine-tune some aspects on the field.
“We just want to be back out there playing,” Farquharson said. “We want to come out and make up for that loss. This week we have really practiced on scoring our opportunities and on our defense. We need to get those things right on order to win.”
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