New Mexico vs. Florida International – Tuesday, Oct. 4 – 7 p.m. (MT)
Albuquerque, N.M. | UNM Soccer Complex (6,200 cap.)
GAME NOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — On the heels of a big, 4-1 Conference USA win on Friday night at the UNM Soccer Complex, the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team is set to host Loyola Marymount in non-conference action on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m.
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The Lobos displayed a solid performance both offensively and defensively on Friday night, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first half to claim their first C-USA victory. Senior Chris Wehan netted the first goal of the game almost 17 minutes into the contest before finding the back of the net again in the 42nd minute just before the break. In the second half, senior Niko Hansen scored his seventh goal of the season to make it 3-0 Lobos in the 55th before junior Luke Lawrence scored his first goal as a Lobo with just over 15 minutes left.
“I was really happy with our performance on Friday night against Florida International,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said in a press conference on Monday. “They were a quality team, a top-30 team. We kind of a had a breakout offensively.”
When discussing Tuesday’s match, Fishbein added, “Tomorrow night’s match against Loyola Marymount is going to be a fun one for the fans … they’re a real offensive team with a couple of really special players so I’m looking forward to seeing how we come out.”
Series Record vs. Loyola Marymount
5-1-1
When LMU Ranked: 1-0-0
Last Meeting: Last season the Lobos faced the Lions before kicking off Conferece USA competition. UNM topped then-ranked #19 LMU on the road by a score of 2-1 on Sept. 14. New Mexico handed LMU its first loss of the season to break its five-win streak. The Lobos were down 0-1 at the half before defender Nick Rochowski scored in the 74th minute to tie the game. Just two minutes later, Chris Wehan netted the gamewinner on a 30-yard free kick opportunity.
Scouting LMU
Loyola Marymount enters Tuesday’s game coming off of a 1-0 overtime victory at San Jose State on Sunday, Sept. 25. The victory is part of a two-win streak that also includes a 4-3 win at #17 UC Santa Barbara on the road on Wednesday, Sept. 21. In Sunday’s win at San Jose State, senior Adrien Perez scored the gamewinner just 36 seconds into overtime to clinch the victory. Perez is tied for first on the team with two goals and is second with five points on the season. Redshirt-sophomore Antonio Porreco leads the Lions in 2016 with seven points on two goals and three assists. Defensively, junior Collin Partee has posted a 0.99 goals against average and a 0.833 save percentage, accumulating 50 saves and four shutouts this season.
Last Time Out
The Lobos claimed their first Conference USA victory on Friday night at home with a 4-1 win over Florida Atlantic. Senior Chris Wehan notched his second and third goals of the season to give the Lobos a 2-0 lead at halftime. Senior Niko Hansen scored New Mexico’s third goal of the game in the 55th minute to give UNM a 3-0 advantage before junior Luke Lawrence notched his first goal as a Lobo in the 74th. In the waning minutes of Friday’s contest, the Lobos made a goalie change, allowing redshirt-freshman Ford Parker his first career minutes. Parker gave up the Panthers’ lone goal in the 85th minute for the 4-1 final.
3 Times One Equals 3
All three games that the Lobos have lost this season have come from just a one-goal deficit. UNM has not allowed more than one goal in any game so far this season, but three times it was enough to hand the Lobos the loss including 1-0 losses to Notre Dame, Indiana and Kentucky.
Undefeated at Home
The Lobos have tallied five of their six wins at home at the UNM Soccer Complex, making them undefeated in Albuquerque in 2016. New Mexico looks to make it seven on Tuesday as it takes on the Panthers. UNM has just four home games left including Tuesday’s matchup vs. LMU.
Back on Track
While senior Niko Hansen has largely carried the team’s offense through the first half of the 2016 season, scoring six of the Lobos’ nine goals heading into Friday’s contest, he received some highly-anticipated help on Friday. Senior MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List honoree Chris Wehan, who led the Lobos in scoring last season with 22 points on 10 goals and two assists, found the back of the net not once, but twice, to lead UNM to its 4-1 victory over FIU. In addition, junior Luke Lawrence notched his first goal as a Lobo to demonstrate that the UNM offense is on the rise as the New Mexico enters the second half of the season.
All It Takes is One …
New Mexico is undefeated this season (6-0) when the Lobos notch the first goal of the game. Four of those six matches have resulted in shutouts this season.
Hansen First in the Nation
Senior Niko Hansen continues to claim the top spot in the nation in game-winning goals (4). He is now tied with nine players for the top spot.
Lobos in NCAA Stat Rankings
In addition to being ranked number one in game-winning goals, Hansen is also ranked nationally in the top 20 in four other categories including shots on goal per game (2.11, 8th), total goals (7, 15th) and points per game (1.67, 18th). Hansen isn’t the only Lobo earning national recognition, however. Junior Jason Beaulieu is ranked in the top 10 in two categories including goals against average (0.440, 8th) and save percentage (0.875, 8th). Senior Chris Wehan is also moving up after Friday’s win. He has crept into the top 90 in two categories.
UNM in the Nation
The Lobos are currently ranked in the top 20 in the country as a team in three categories including an 11th-place goals against average, allowing just 0.54 goals per game. New Mexico is also ranked 12th in save percentage (0.853) and 19th in fouls per game (9.44). The Lobos rank third in all three categories in Conference USA.
C-USA Leaders
Hansen, Beaulieu and Wehan hold top-five spots in the conference in a combined 12 categories. Hansen leads the league in five categories including game-winning goals (4), total goals (7), total points (15), points per game (1.67) and shots on goal per game (2.11). Beaulieu leads C-USA in goals against average (0.444) while ranking second in save percentage (0.875) and Wehan is ranked fifth in shots on goal per game (1.33).
Preseason Honors
The Lobos were picked to finish tied for fourth in Conference USA with South Carolina as voted on by the league’s coaches. In addition, seniors Chris Wehan and Niko Hansen were selected to the 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA Team. Wehan was also named to the MAC Hermann Trophy preseason watch list for the second straight season.
Lobo Soccer: A Mile High and Louder Than …
The UNM Soccer Complex is building a reputation as one of the nation’s toughest venues to play in. In addition to being “a mile high and louder than…”, New Mexico has turned Albuquerque into one of the hottest tickets in college soccer. The Lobos have ranked in the top 15 in attendance nationally every season since the NCAA began keeping those statistics in 2001. It was first in attendance nationally in 2005 and ranked in the top 10 from 2009-2014. In 2015, the Lobos continued the streak among the nation’s attendance leaders hosting 16,918 fans (1,691 per game average) for 15th overall in the country.
International Pride
While the diversity of the team roster is obvious, many Lobos have some serious international credentials. Five have represented their country in top-level international competition: Patrick Khouri (Jamaica U20 World Cup qualifier, US U15), Aaron Herrera (US U20 – currently preparing for U20 World Cup qualification); Matthew Constant (US U17 National team and Canada U20 National team); Billy Jones (captained New Zealand U17 in select World Cup quailfying matches); Rafa Jimenez (Australian U20 World Cup quaifying team).
Excelling Off the Pitch
Lobo Soccer has a rich tradition of academic success. During the Fishbein era (2002 to present), UNM has had 19 Academic All-Americans – more than any other men’s soccer program in the country among all divisions. In addition, the Lobos have garnered 92 Academic All-Conference honorees and 12 NSCAA Scholar All-Americans under Fishbein’s tutelage. As a team, the Lobos have earned the NSCAA Academic Team Award in 12 of the last 13 seasons.