July 19, 2007
University of New Mexico athletics director Paul Krebs announced today that men’s soccer head coach Jeremy Fishbein has received a new five-year contract that will keep him on the Lobo sideline through the 2012 season. Fishbein is beginning his sixth year at New Mexico and his 15th as a collegiate head coach. He has posted a 75-20-11 (.759) mark in five seasons at UNM, guiding the Lobos to four Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles and four trips to the NCAA Tournament.
“Jeremy Fishbein has laid the blueprint for success that all of our coaches can follow,” stated Krebs. “The men’s soccer program has been exemplary in its success on the field, in the classroom, in scheduling and in recruiting. This is a reward for Coach Fishbein’s hard work and it shows our dedication to remaining a national power in men’s soccer for years to come.”
Fishbein was named head coach of the Lobos in July 2002, following the retirement of long-time head coach Klaus Weber. Fishbein had spent the previous season as the associate head coach under Weber. From the start, Fishbein dedicated himself to improving on the team’s 7-12-2 record from the 2001 season. He set a goal to build UNM into one of the top programs in the country and has worked toward that goal ever since.
“My family and I feel very fortunate with this contract extension and we are committed to the University of New Mexico and the Albuquerque community,” added Fishbein. “This makes it very easy for us to settle down in an area that we love. It also shows the commitment UNM has to our staff and the Lobo men’s soccer program. We will continue to work towards our goal of making New Mexico soccer the best program in the country.”
Each year, Fishbein and the Lobos have taken steps forward. In 2002, UNM posted a school record 18-4-0 mark, winning the MPSF Tournament for the second year in a row, and returning to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The 9.5-game improvement from 2001 to 2002 was the 10th best single-season turnaround in NCAA history.
In 2004, Fishbein and his staff put together the 15th best recruiting class in the nation, according to CollegeSoccerNews.com, and meshed it with a very talented group of returning players into one of the best teams in school history. UNM amassed a 17-1-2 record, defeated No. 1 Indiana in the regular season, won the MPSF title for the third time in four years and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. For his efforts, Fishbein was recognized as the 2004 National Coach of the Year by Soccer America Magazine.
As good as 2004 was 2005 was even better. The Lobos tied the school record for wins with an 18-2-3 mark, won the MPSF title again and were ranked No. 1 in the nation for parts of the season. UNM was the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced all the way to the NCAA Finals. The Lobos also set an NCAA record for attendance with 3,629 fans per game, including a sold out crowd against Cal in the NCAA Tournament. Again Fishbein was honored with 2005 Far West Region Coach of the Year and 2005 MPSF co-Coach of the Year awards.
After losing nine seniors and seven starters, the 2006 season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Lobos. However, Fishbein assembled a top-5 recruiting class and went 14-4-3, winning the MPSF title and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was again named the MPSF co-Coach of the Year following the 2006 campaign.
Fishbein has built a solid resume for himself during his first four seasons at UNM. He has three MPSF Coach of the Year honors, only the second coach in school history to win the award, and he earned his 150th collegiate coaching win in 2005. Also, Fishbein has coached five of the eight Lobos to earn All-American honors (Junro Narita (2002), Jeff Rowland (2004-05), Andrew Boyens (2005-06) and Lance Watson (2005) and the only Hermann Trophy candidates in school history in Jeff Rowland (2005) and Andrew Boyens (2006).
The Lobos’ success has carried over into the classroom under Fishbein. UNM set a program record with a 3.35 team grade-point-average in the 2005 spring semester. UNM also placed four players on the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American squad, including Ben Ashwill, Brandon Moss, Jeff Rowland and Matt Wootton. No other team in the country had more than two representatives. UNM has had at least one Academic All-American since the 2003 season, including Chris Wright in 2006.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Fishbein, 40, played college soccer at both the University of Richmond (1984-85) and the University of Cincinnati (1986). His post-collegiate playing experience included stints with teams in New Zealand, Australia and California. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in Sport Administration from the University of New Mexico.
His wife, Alicia Meraz, is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and was an all-conference tennis player for the Lobos from 1993-96. The couple has two daughters, Alisa (6) and Gabriela (4).
Fishbein Highlights at New Mexico
2006 MPSF co-Coach of the Year 2005 Far West Region Coach of the Year 2005 MPSF co-Coach of the Year 2004 Soccer America National Coach of the Year 2002 MPSF Coach of the Year .759 Winning Percentage at New Mexico .818 Career winning Percentage in MPSF action Four All-Americans Six Academic All-Americans Four Consecutive NSCAA Team Academic Awards Four MPSF Titles Four Trips to the NCAA Tournament 2nd Round 2005 College Cup Finals Ranked in the Top-25 every week since the start of the 2004 season.
Fishbein’s Career Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Finish | Postseason |
| 1992 | Fort Lewis | 6-9-1 | 4-7-1 | 5th | — |
| 1993 | Fort Lewis | 12-5-0 | 10-2-0 | 1st | — |
| 1994 | Fort Lewis | 8-8-3 | 5-5-2 | 4th | — |
| 1995 | Fort Lewis | 12-5-0 | 10-2-0 | 1st | — |
| 1996 | Fort Lewis | 7-10-2 | 5-5-2 | 4th | — |
| 1997 | Fort Lewis | 15-5-0 | 11-1-0 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 1998 | Fort Lewis | 14-5-1 | 10-2-0 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 1999 | IncarnateWord | 7-9-1 | — | — | — |
| 2000 | IncarnateWord | 14-4-2 | — | — | — |
| 2002 | New Mexico | 18-4-0 | 5-1-0 | 1st | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2003 | New Mexico | 8-9-3 | 4-2-0 | 2nd | — |
| 2004 | New Mexico | 17-1-2 | 10-1-1 | 1st | NCAA 3rd Round |
| 2005 | New Mexico | 18-2-3 | 7-1-2 | 1st | NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2006 | New Mexico | 14-4-3 | 8-1-1 | 1st | NCAA 2nd Round |
| @ Fort Lewis | 74-47-7 | .605 | 55-24-5 | .685 | |
| @ Incarnate Word | 21-13-3 | .608 | — | — | |
| @ Division II | 95-60-10 | .606 | 55-24-5 | .685 | |
| @ New Mexico | 75-20-11 | .759 | 34-6-4 | .823 | |
| Totals | 170-80-21 | .666 | 89-30-9 | .730 |