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In many games this season, the attack-oriented New Mexico men’s soccer team has found itself facing teams with more compacted defensive mentalities.
Tonight the Lobos will host a Conference USA team that will try to beat them at their own game.
The opponent, Alabama-Birmingham, places a strong emphasis on pressure at the attacking end, UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said Tuesday. The Lobos have yet to play a team that focuses so heavily on the attacking third of the field.
The game is a battle between teams tied for second place in the C-USA standings. Both UNM and UAB have matching 4-1-1 conference records and trail league leader Old Dominion. The UAB Blazers (11-2-1) hold three more wins in their overall record than UNM (8-4-1).
The Old Dominion Monarchs, who host UNM in Virginia on Saturday, are 9-3-1 overall but lead C-USA at 6-1-0. Four teams each have one conference loss, the last being the South Carolina squad that defeated UNM in overtime last Saturday.
“Our guys are up for it and we’re in charge of our own destiny, both on the conference and in terms of the national tournament,” Fishbein said. “It’s a good situation to be in. It could be better and it should be better.”
UAB possesses the conference lead in goals scored this season, finding the net 34 times through 14 games. Freddy Ruiz accounted for 10 goals himself. No other conference player has hit double-figure goals. UNM scored 22 over the same number of games, and both squads have given up the same number of goals: 12.
UNM midfielder Michael Kafari said that, based on the scouting report, UAB often brings several players forward. That could leave UNM with opportunities to take possession, utilize counter-plays and score because it has advantage in numbers.
Many of the defensive-oriented squads played back near their own goals to limit passing lanes for the Lobos. For both teams to feature heavy doses on the attacking end means the game could open those crossing passes and scoring opportunities.
“They (UAB) throw a bunch of numbers forward so they’re pretty confident in their attack,” Kafari said. “We’ve got to catch them on the counter because if they have seven going forward, there are three and the goalkeeper sitting back. We’ve got to get them on the counter.”
Stadium packing
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UNM hopes to fill the soccer complex as much as possible with a “Stuff the Stadium” promotion.
Ticket prices for nonstudents will be lowered to $3, though UNM students still gain free admission. Free inflatable noisemakers will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans at the game.
Also, a pregame tailgate party featuring a live DJ takes place at 5:30 p.m.
The complex has a maximum capacity of 6,200 fans. In its previous eight games, UNM drew nearly 2,200 fans per game, for a total of 17,471 fans.
