2016 NCAA Tournament
FIRST ROUND: No. 22 New Mexico vs. (RV) Portland
Thursday, November 17 – 7 p.m. (MT)
Albuquerque, N.M. – UNM Soccer Complex
2016 NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
UNM Notes | Portland Notes
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After claiming its first Conference USA Tournament Championship in program history, the No. 22 ranked University of New Mexico men’s soccer team has earned the opportunity to host the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at the UNM Soccer Complex on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The Lobos (12-6-2) will take on the Portland Pilots (12-5-1) in the match as UNM returns to its undefeated home turf.
LIVE STATS
TICKETS (Adults: $10 | UNM Students/Children 3-18: $5 | FREE Parking)*
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE AUDIO – tune in to ESPN Radio 101.7 The TEAM as they cover the action LIVE! (also streaming on the tunein radio app)
IN-MATCH UPDATES @LoboMensSoccer
*Fans are encouraged to get tickets to Thursday night’s exciting match in advance to avoid lines on game day. The gates will open at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online, at WisePies Arena – The Pit, the UNM Bookstore or at any local Albertsons.
The Lobos are entering their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history on Thursday after a recent two-season drought. UNM claimed the Conference USA automatic bid after defeating FIU by a score of 3-0 on Sunday. The winner of Thursday’s match will travel to Washington for the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Huskies received a first-round bye after picking up the No. 11 seed.
Series Record
Overall: 1-2-2
In Overtime: 0-1-1
Last Meeting: The last time the Lobos met the Pilots was on Sept. 12, 2010 when UNM suffered a close 2-1 loss at home to the 18th-ranked team in the country. In NCAA Tournament history, the Lobos are 1-1 against the Pilots. On Nov. 19, 2009, UNM fell at home to Portland in the NCAA First Round in overtime, 2-1. Almost exactly five years earlier, on Nov. 23, 2004, the Lobos hosted Portland and served the Pilots a 4-1 defeat in the NCAA Second Round.
Comparing Opponents
Both the Lobos and the Pilots have played three of the same opponents this season. Both squads fell to Denver in double overtime while emerging victorious against UC Irvine and Loyola Marymount.
Scouting Portland
The Pilots are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Postseason all-time. In addition, Thursday’s game marks their first playoff visit since 2009. Despite winning just one conference game in the last two seasons, Portland finished 2016 with a 6-1-0 conference record under new head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt. The squad was picked to finish sixth in the WCC but dominated the conference with 18 points, compared to 14 for the next closest team (Pacific). The Pilots earned the automatic bid from the WCC, claiming their first league title since 2002.
As a team, the Pilots rank eighth in the nation in goals per game (2.00), are 13th in total goals (36) and rank 21st in points per game (5.33). They have won eight out of their last 10 games, including a six-win streak.
Individually, Portland is led by freshman Benji Michel who has posted 24 points on 10 goals and four assists this season. He is followed by senior Eddie Sanchez with 19 points on six goals and seven assists. Michel also ranks 30th nationally in points per game (1.33), is 32nd in total goals (10) and is 34th in total point (24).
Defensively the Pilots are led by junior keeper Paul Christensen who has seen over 1,661 minutes between the posts and allowed just 18 goals for a 0.98 goals against average. He has posted 58 saves and tallied six shutouts on the season.
Conference USA Tournament Champions!
After being tabbed to finish tied for fourth in the Conference USA this season, the Lobos have gone on a seven game streak in which they have not lost – propelling them through the Conference USA Tournament and to their first C-USA Tournament win.
The road to the championship began when the Lobos faced No. 17 Kentucky in the C-USA quarterfinals after falling to the Wildcats earlier this season. The teams were tied after two overtime periods and redshirt-freshman Ford Parker entered the shootout in goal for UNM, stopping four shots to give the Lobos a 2-1 PK edge. In the semifinals, the Lobos faced the No. 1 seeded team, the Charlotte 49ers, which was also ranked No. 5 in the nation. The Lobos had fallen to Charlotte 2-1 earlier this season but came back for a 2-1 win in regulation to earn a place in the finals. UNM finished it out with a 3-0 shutout over FIU to claim the title.
It’s All About the Shutout
The Lobos have amassed eight shutouts this season to tie for ninth in New Mexico history. Junior keeper Jason Beaulieu has earned seven of those for a total of 16 in his career. Beaulieu is now fourth in program history. He needs one more to rank third but will have a bit to catch up to the program leader, current assistant coach Mike Graczyk, who holds the record with 30.
Lobos in the Rankings
For the second time this season the Lobos have cracked into the top-25 rankings in the nation. UNM is now ranked number 22 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll following its C-USA Championship. In addition, UNM posts a 21 RPI ranking.
Statistically speaking, UNM is 16th in the country in shots on goal per game (6.70), 24th in total goals (33) and 29th in total goals against average (0.81).
Individually, senior Niko Hansen ranks first in the nation in game-winning goals (7), seventh in total goals (13), eighth in goals per game (0.68) and 14th in total points (28). Jason Beaulieu is ranked 10th in minutes played (1872.29) and 29th in goals against average (0.769).
Homeward Bound
UNM closed the regular season undefeated at the UNM Soccer Complex (8-0-1) and has recently rebounded from its 2-6 regular-season record on the road. The Lobos notched two wins and a tie at the C-USA Tournament to improve to 4-6-1 when the Lobos are not at the UNM Soccer Complex.
The last time UNM went undefeated at home was in 2011 when the Lobos went undefeated on the season, 18-0-4 and 10-0-0 in the MPSF.
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 qualifying matches); Rafa Jimenez (Australian U20 World Cup qualifying 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.