Aug. 18, 2005
From the time Jeremy Fishbein took over as head coach of the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team he and his staff have worked to mold the program into a national power. The Lobo coaches brought in three of the top recruiting classes in the country. They scheduled the toughest opponents New Mexico had ever seen, and most important, they won.
With the 2005 season approaching, New Mexico has established a solid position among the elite programs in the country, a fact proven by its No. 6 ranking in the 2005 CollegeSoccerNews.com Preseason Top-30. The Lobos are coming off the best year in school history, posting a 17-1-2 record and advancing to the third round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Seven experienced starters return from last year’s squad, with the core of this group gaining valuable experience during a tough 2003 season that resulted in an 8-9-3 record. Led by nine seniors on the 2005 team, New Mexico will benefit from leadership and experience at almost every position, a valuable asset to a team looking to make a deeper run in the postseason.
“The breaks went our way last year and that is not going to happen every year,” stated Fishbein. “You’ve got to keep an even keel throughout the season and that is where our experience and leadership is going to help. We know we are a quality team, but we can’t put too much pressure on ourselves.”
Senior Ben Ashwill is a three-time All-MPSF performer. |
The Lobos aren’t the only ones who know they are a quality team. After finishing the 2004 regular season ranked No. 1 in the Soccer America Top-25 and garnering consensus preseason top-10 honors this year, it is obvious that New Mexico is gaining a reputation as a `quality program’ around the country.
“It is great to get the attention, but preseason rankings don’t matter as much as rankings at the end of the year,” added Fishbein. “We know we are a marked team now. We are a team everyone wants to beat, but that’s where we want to be. We may have snuck up on a few teams in the past, but that won’t be the case this year.”
UNM has put together another quality 18-game schedule that includes four teams with a preseason ranking and three teams that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2004. New Mexico begins the year with a pair of exhibition matches against Notre Dame and Fort Lewis College. The 19th ranked Fighting Irish host the Lobos on August 22 and UNM welcomes the Division II power Skyhawks on August 29. New Mexico has strong connections to both of their exhibition foes. Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark is the father of UNM assistant coach Jamie Clark and Fishbein began his career as a head coach at Fort Lewis in 1992.
New Mexico’s non-conference slate includes eight games against teams with a combined 2004 record of 90-47-18 (.639). All of the Lobos’ non-conference opponents won at least nine games last season and five of the non-conference foes were ranked in the final Top-25, including No. 8 Tulsa, No. 11 SMU, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 20 Penn State and No. 23 James Madison.
The Lobos open the gates at the UNM Soccer Complex for the first time on Sept. 16 at the TLC Plumbing and Utilities/Nike Invitational. No. 18 James Madison takes on Butler in the opening match followed by the Lobos’ home opener against Wisconsin. The Lobos face off against JMU on Sept. 18 while Butler takes on Wisconsin in the first match of the day. The Lobos have been nearly unbeatable at home under Fishbein. Since 2002, they have posted a 23-1-2 record at home and have been in the top-10 in attendance each of the last three years.
UNM opens conference play against Air Force on Oct. 7 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Lobos won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title last year with a 10-1-1 record. Their only loss was at Denver, a team they face on Oct. 9. Other MPSF foes include Sacramento State, San Jose State and UNLV. Senior Day is set for Nov. 13 against Air Force at the UNM Soccer Complex.
Including their seven returning starters, the Lobos return a total of 13 letterwinners and three redshirts from 2004. In the group of returning players are one All-American, four all-region and five all-conference players that accounted for 37 of the team’s 51 goals. The returning players will mix with the 16th-ranked recruiting class in the country to create a formidable attack in 2005.
Senior Brandon Moss is a two-time All-Far West Region selection. |
Midfielders
A pair of all-region performers return at midfield in seniors Lance Watson and Brandon Moss. Both are three-year starters as well as three-year All-MPSF team members. Watson was third in the conference in scoring in 2004 with eight goals and four assists. His speed and playmaking abilities made him one of the most exciting players to watch last season. Moss moved from defender to the midfield where he continues to be one of the top players in the West. The two-time all-region performer has the size and strength to control play in the midfield. Sophomore David Gualdarama saw action in 19 games in 2004 and that experience should help him this season. He continued to improve over the summer as a member of the Puerto Rican U-20 national team.
“Our midfield is pretty solid,” stated Fishbein. “We’ve got three guys who have started and seen a lot of minutes in Moss, Watson and Gualdarama. They are all proven Division I performers and Moss and Watson are two of the better players in the country.”
Also returning in the midfield are seniors Ryan McVay and Cody Hanna and sophomore Joey Vitagliano. These three payers combined for 255 minutes in 2004, led by McVay’s appearance in 12 games. German Gomez, who was also a part of the Puerto Rican U-20 national team this summer, returns after redshirting as a true freshman last season.
“McVay, Hanna, Vitagliano and Gomez are all capable of coming in and playing minutes for us this season,” added Fishbein. “They are all experienced and have the opportunity to work hard and earn more playing time.”
Newcomers to the midfield include junior Lars Loeseth, sophomore David Peplinski and freshmen Brandon Barklage, Jack Smithson and Robbie Reynolds. Loeseth came to UNM from Oslo, Norway, as a member of the Lobo ski team. The two-time All-American Alpine skier led UNM to the 2004 NCAA Skiing title, the first national championship in any sport at New Mexico. He trained with the Lobos in the spring and was so impressive he is now on a soccer scholarship. Peplinski, a former national team member, transferred to New Mexico from Saint Louis University where he scored a pair of goals as a freshman in 2003. Barklage has two U.S. Youth Soccer Association national titles on his resume, playing for Scott Gallagher FC in St. Louis, Mo. All three of these players are expected to make an immediate impact on the team. Smithson has experience in big games, scoring the game-winner in the 2003 U.S.Y.S.A. U-17 national title game for the Chicago Magic FC. Reynolds is another local product who was an all-state performer at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque.
“There’s going to be a lot of competition in the midfield,” continued Fishbein. “Loeseth is a great athlete and we are expecting him to be a factor, along with Peplinski and Barklage. However, any of these guys has the talent to come in and compete for playing time.”
Forwards
The most notable returning player on the Lobos’ roster is senior forward Jeff Rowland. Rowland lit up opponents last season for a school-record 45 points on 19 goals and seven assists, earning MPSF co-Player of the Year honors. He was the only player in the country named NSCAA 1st Team All-American and ESPN The Magazine 1st Team Academic All-American. Also returning at the forward position are senior Erik Bagwell and sophomore Blake Danaher. Bagwell, a three-year letterwinner, scored a pair of goals and an assist last season. Danaher was impressive, leading all MPSF freshmen in scoring with five goals and four assists. He also was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s All-Freshman 3rd Team.
“Rowland had a phenomenal year and he is coming off a good summer,” stated Fishbein. “Danaher and Bagwell will both play significant minutes for us this year. Danaher has made a tremendous improvement over the summer and Peplinski might even see some time up top.”
The lone new forward is freshman Chris Wright. At 6-4, Wright will make a big target in the attack. He led his Jesuit High School team to a No. 1 national ranking and could be an impact player for the Lobos as a freshman.
“Wright’s size will be a valuable asset for us at the forward position,” added Fishbein. “We will have a lot options to work with in the attack this season.”
Defenders
New Mexico returns three members of its backline that posted a school record 11 shutouts and a miniscule 0.58 g.a.a. in 2004. Leading the defenders is junior Andrew Boyens, the 2004 MPSF co-Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Boyens led the team in minutes and scored two goals. Also returning from the starting defense last season are seniors Matt Wootton and Ben Ashwill. Wootton started every game, recording a pair of assists. Ashwill moved from forward to defense last season and excelled in his play. He tallied four assists in 19 games, earning All-MPSF honors for the third time in his career.
Senior Matt Wootton leads an experienced defense. |
Joining the Lobo defense are senior transfer Josh Brown, redshirt freshman Mike Porter and freshmen Jason Aul and Mike Giffin. Brown played three seasons at Portland where he was an All-West Coast Conference and All-Far West Region team member last year. He also led the Pilots to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Porter trained with the Lobos as a redshirt in 2004, while Aul and Giffin are talented freshmen who could come in and compete for playing time. Aul had a successful summer leading his Dallas Texas club team to the U.S.Y.S.A. U-18 national championship while Porter played for the Indiana Invaders of the Premier Development League.
“Wootton, Ashwill and Boyens were great for us last year,” stated Fishbein. “They will be our three leaders in the back this year. We look for Brown to come in and provide us with experience and Porter, Aul and Giffin will all push for playing time.”
Keepers
The biggest hole for the Lobos to fill in 2005 is between the pipes. Andrew Weber played nearly every minute in goal for New Mexico over the previous four years and is now suiting up for D.C. United in the MLS. Weber also sits on top of almost every goalkeeper statistical category in the UNM record book. Sophomore Mike Graczyk has spent the last two years backing up Weber and is set to take over at the Lobos’ starting keeper. He played in three games last season, posting a 1.34 g.a.a. He was very impressive over the summer, playing most of the keeper minutes for the Indiana Invaders in the PDL.
Also fighting for time at the keeper position are redshirt freshman Ryon Aguirre and freshman Tyler Higgins. Aguirre trained with UNM as a true freshman last season while Higgins is another local product and all-state performer from Sandia High School in Albuquerque.
“We’ve got some big shoes to fill at keeper, but we think that Graczyk has the ability to be one of the best keepers in the nation,” said Fishbein. “We’ve also got two talented guys that aren’t going to concede anything. Aguirre and Higgins are both going to come in and try to earn playing time.”
It is clear that Fishbein has met his goal of making Lobo soccer one of the top programs in the country. However, he is going to have to continue his hard work to keep New Mexico among the nation’s elite. The Lobo coaching staff has assembled another talented group of student athletes for the 2005 campaign. If New Mexico can mesh its experienced returning players with its talented newcomers and harness the momentum from last season, 2005 could be another record-breaking year.