2016 NCAA Tournament
SECOND ROUND: No. 22 New Mexico at No. 14 Washington
Sunday, November 20 – 6 p.m. (MT)
Seattle, Wash.
2016 NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
MATCH NOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After knocking Portland out of the 2016 NCAA Tournament in a thrilling shootout on Thursday night at the UNM Soccer Complex, the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team (12-6-3) will take on No. 14 Washington (13-6-0) in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday at 6 p.m. (MT) in Seattle.
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The Lobos tied the Portland Pilots 0-0 at home Thursday, racking up their ninth shutout of the season and remaining undefeated at home. UNM earned the right to continue its NCAA journey after outscoring the Pilots in the shootout, 6-5.
Coach Fishbein on the Practice Pitch:
Series Record
Overall: 1-2-0 (all when Washington ranked)
In Overtime: The teams have never played to overtime
Last Meeting: The last time the Lobos met the Huskies was in an exhibition match this season in which UNM claimed a 1-0 victory at home at the UNM Soccer Complex on Aug. 20. The Lobos shut out all three exhibition opponents this season, finishing with Washington. UNM’s lone goal came off the foot of senior Niko Hansen with just six minutes left in regulation.
In countable games, the Lobos last played Washington on Dec. 7, 2013 in the NCAA Elite Eight in Seattle. The Lobos, then ranked No. 25, took down the then-ranked No. 2 Huskies by a score of 1-0. Current Lobos that were on that 2013 team that made it to the NCAA Final Four include Chris Wehan, Chris Gurule, Nick Rochowski, Lucas Seligman, Josh Goss, Niko Hansen and current director of operations, Patrick Poblete.
Comparing Opponents
The Lobos did not share any common opponents with the Huskies this season.
Scouting Washington
The Pilots enter Sunday’s match coming off of two narrow 1-0 losses against Pac-12 opponents San Diego State and Oregon State. The Huskies received a bye into the 2016 NCAA Tournament and as a result, have not played NCAA postseason action yet. The squad enters the match after not having played a match in 10 days.
The Huskies are led by Handwalla Bwana who posts 15 points on four goals and seven assists. He is followed by David Coly with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Defensively, Washington posts a goals against average of 0.87 including 0.81 from starting keeper Auden Schilder in his 1,662 minutes between the posts. Schilder has also accumulated five shutouts on the season and a total of 66 saves.
The squad also boasts the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in Bwana along with one All-Conference First Team honoree, Justin Schmidt. In addition, the Huskies landed Schilder and Henry Wingo on the All-Conference Second Team and Kyle Coffee earned All-Conference Honorable Mention.
Familiar Faces
Washington’s assistant coach Jeff Rowland is a familiar face for the Lobos as he was a standout for the UNM squad from 2002-2005. Rowland is the New Mexico record holder for goals in a single season (19, ’04) points in a season (45, ’04) and shots in a season (101, ’05). Rowland was a 2005 MAC-Hermann Trophy Finalist and a multi-time All-American. The Lobos honored Rowland prior to kick off when the Huskies came to the UNM Soccer Complex in August.
Hold ‘Em
The Lobo defensive effort has been on point all season and has continued in the postseason. Prior to the Lobos’ shootout victory over Portland on Thursday, the record for most shots allowed in an NCAA Tournament match was seven on two occasions, against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Nov. 22, 2005 in the NCAA Second Round and against Clemson in the College Cup Semifinals on Dec. 9, 2005. The Lobos held Portland to just five shots on Thursday, breaking the previous record.
Conference USA Tournament Champions!
After being tabbed to finish tied for fourth in the Conference USA this season, the Lobos have gone on an eight game streak in which they have not lost – propelling them through the Conference USA Tournament, to their first C-USA Tournament win and to the NCAA Second Round.
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.
Last Time Out- NCAA First Round
The Lobos tied Portland at home at the UNM Soccer Complex on Thursday, battling for 110 minutes to a 0-0 draw. Parker returned to goal for the Lobos in the shootout that went to a nail-biting nine rounds. Chris Wehan, Chris Gurule and Josh Goss scored back-to-back to give UNM a 3-1 lead before Aaron Herrera, Sam Gleadle and Simon Spangenberg scored in the seventh, eighth and ninth rounds to put it away, 6-5. Parker saved three.
It’s All About the Shutout
The Lobos have amassed nine shutouts this season to tie for seventh in New Mexico history. Junior keeper Jason Beaulieu has earned eight of those for a total of 17 in his career. Beaulieu is now tied for third in program history. While he has had a remarkable season between the posts, he will have a bit to catch up to the program career shutout 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 (6.67), 24th in goals against average (0.76), 24th in total goals (33) and 29th in shutout percentage (0.43).
Individually, senior Niko Hansen ranks first in the nation in game-winning goals (7), eighth in total goals (13), 10th in goals per game (0.65) and 15th in total points (28). Jason Beaulieu is ranked sixth in minutes played (1982.29) and 22nd in goals against average (0.726).
On The Road Again
UNM remains undefeated at the UNM Soccer Complex (8-0-2) 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.