The UNM men’s soccer team received an early Christmas gift.
After losing to Cal State Bakersfield in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation semifinals, the Lobos season looked all but over.
But UNM unexpectedly received one of the last at-large bids to the NCAA tournament on Monday.
“It’s crazy,” midfielder Michael Green said. “We are still trying to process it, but our season has been resurrected, and we have a second chance to prove ourselves.”
The Lobos will face Creighton in Omaha, Neb., today.
No. 17 Creighton has been ranked as high as No. 9 this year, and the Bluejays received an at-large bid after losing in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. They finished the season with a 12-5-1 record.
“I thought we were one game away from being selected,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “I am happy for our seniors. After our game last Friday in the conference semifinals, I thought that was it, and they took it pretty hard.”
UNM knew going into the MPSF tournament that it likely had to win the tourney title to make the NCAA tournament.
But it the Lobos’ strength of schedule pulled them through. They’ve faced six nationally ranked opponents this season and tied five of them.
“I think people knew how good we were,” Fishbein said. “When you select teams for the tournament, you want the best teams in, and I think people had a lot of respect for us. We’re not excited to just be in it. We want to do well, and that’s the goal.”
Creighton and UNM have faced the same foe once during the regular season, with the Lobos tying UC Santa Barbara 0-0. Creighton won that contest 1-0.
“We cannot take these opportunities for granted,” Green said. “We can’t get discouraged about the past, but instead just keep working hard. We have to come out strong and play hard the entire game.”
Creighton has only lost once all season at home finishing 7-1-1.
“You don’t always have the home-field advantage, but it works differently for different teams, and for us it’s good to be on the road,” Fishbein said. “We can stay focused, and it’s a real cohesive group, but right now it’s about (tonight).”
*Men’s Soccer at Creighton
Tonight, 6 p.m.
Omaha, Neb.*
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