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The tough nonconference schedule caught up to the New Mexico men’s soccer team last weekend, and it’s time to see how it responds from its first loss.
The Lobos, who dropped to No. 14 in this week’s coaches poll following Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Cal State Northridge, will host Drake tonight at the UNM Soccer Complex. The No. 3 Matadors moved up eight spots in the polls after beating the Lobos.
UNM (3-1-1) has three more games before opening its first run in Conference USA.
“It’s been a tough schedule so far,” sophomore midfielder Ben McKendry said. “We’ve had some tough games. That trip to the East Coast (Sept. 6-8) was tough for us, but we really jelled as a team. It’s going well so far.”
The team returned to practice Wednesday after a recovery day on Monday and an extra day off Tuesday, though the goalkeepers did spend some time at the Robertson Practice Field that morning. McKendry said it was an opportunity for the players to get their heads right after Sunday’s game.
“As the season progresses, the hurt of that game is minimized and hopefully it becomes a teaching experience and we all get better as a result,” UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein added.
At least on paper, Friday’s contest against Drake (1-3-2) could be seen as a get-right game for UNM. The Bulldogs have yet to win on the road and their lone win, a 4-3 victory on Sept. 13, came against Nebraska-Omaha. On Tuesday, Drake settled for a scoreless tie against DePaul.
Sophomore forward Danton Irelan leads Drake with three goals and an assist this season, while junior midfielder Jarred Arde had two goals and two assists. The Bulldogs average 1.33 goals per game offensively but have given up 2.5 goals per game.
New Mexico will be the second ranked foe on Drake’s schedule to this point in the season, having lost to then-No. 14 Tulsa 3-0. The Bulldogs surrendered four goals in two games and three goals in another two games.
That won’t mean UNM will take Drake lightly. Fishbein expects to see the best the Bulldogs have to offer when they arrive in Albuquerque.
“They’ve been struggling this year,” he said. “I’m sure it’s a proud team that will come here. We’ll see them at their best and it’s up to us to put in a good performance.”
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In a series dating back to 1988, UNM holds a 4-3 lead over Drake but Friday will be the first time two schools square off since 1997.
Freshman forward Niko Hansen and senior midfielder Michael Calderon added to their season goal totals last week, bringing their respective totals to three. They both trail the team’s goal leader, senior forward James Rogers, by one goal. Rogers is tied for 13th nationally in goals scored.
Senior goalkeeper Michael Lisch had his scoreless streak snapped at 386 minutes against Cal State.
Coming off the loss, Fishbein said it’s important not to assign individual blame but focus instead on learning from the mistakes made. The Lobos are a proud group not accustomed to losing, he said, so dealing with that adversity is the test.
“Our challenge is how quickly we can regroup, which has to be immediately, and be successful Friday night,” Fishbein said. “I have no reason to doubt these guys in any way.”
