Aug. 25, 2009
Lobo Men’s Soccer
What: Lobos vs. Colorado State-Pueblo
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: UNM Soccer Complex
Results: On GoLobos.com
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
Patrick Pacheco grew up in Taos, N.M dreaming about playing soccer on a big-name college program, so you might think his dream came true when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame came calling.
But that name wasn’t big enough for Pacheco. He wanted that university to the South to make an offer and when the University of New Mexico placed a scholarship in front of him, Pacheco said, “I was ecstatic.”
As Pacheco put it: “New Mexico is a big name, too.”
Yeah, Jeremy Fishbein’s Lobos have established themselves as one of the top programs in the nation playing in seven of the past nine NCAA tourneys and reaching the NCAA title game in 2005. The Lobos set an NCAA attendance mark in 2005 with a season average of 3,629.
The Lobos’ high-level success and fanatic fan base are two reasons a lot of the top soccer players in New Mexico prefer to hang around Albuquerque kicking the round ball.
Another reason is state pride. “A lot of the guys come here to play for their state,” said Fishbein. “They play with pride because they are representing their home state, playing for their community and even their families.
“I think they have a little chip on their shoulders, too, because the players in New Mexico don’t get the same notoriety as players in California or Texas. These New Mexico freshmen are hungry and these are guys who can compete.”
The New Mexico freshmen on Fishbein’s 2009 roster are Pacheco (Taos), Julian Roberts (Rio Rancho), Victor Rodriguez (La Cruces) and Lawrence Robledo (Albuquerque).
“These are guys who exemplify the in-state athletes and the attitude we want and expect them to bring here,” said Fishbein.
Like all UNM programs, Fishbein said his No. 1 recruiting goal is to identify – and sign – New Mexico talent that can make his program better. It also helps when that talent has identified a Lobo program as one that can take a player to another level.
“You see how good the Lobos are doing in soccer and you want to be a part of that,” said Rodriguez. “I could have gone somewhere else, but this is where I wanted to be.”
Said Robledo, who played at La Cueva High: “This is my hometown and I grew up on Lobos. I watched the great soccer team when they reached the NCAA finals and it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to come here.
“It’s a huge thing to be able to stay at home and also be part of a nationally ranked program. You know there are a lot of other kids who would like to be here in my spot.”
Roberts said his first Lobo fix came when one of his youth soccer coaches, Justin Sells, began bringing the team to UNM games. Sells is a former Lobo.
“I grew up wanting to play here,” said Roberts. “When I got the offer, I had no questions. I wanted to come here and when you come here you are surrounded by great players day in and day out. That’s important to your development.”
Pacheco’s Lobo fix wasn’t as easy to come by. He grew up in Taos with basketball and football on his mind.
“It’s probably more of a basketball town, but I started playing soccer to get my agility down for football,” said Pacheco. “I figured I would move to football when I got older and bigger and could hit. But I fell in love with soccer and here I am.”
Pacheco’s love for soccer and a shortage of quality club teams in the Taos area brought him to Albuquerque to play club ball.
“I drove to Albuquerque just about every weekend since I was 12,” said Pacheco. “I played on a team with Julian and Lawrence. I grew up watching the Lobos and when knew I had some friends coming here, it was easy. And I love representing New Mexico.”
It was tougher for Rodriguez to grow up with Lobo love in his heart. He comes from Aggie country.
“Obviously, New Mexico State is a big part of the community down there,” said Rodriguez. “But the Aggies don’t have a men’s soccer program so you hear a lot about the Lobos down there. I have a lot of friends and family who will be coming up here to support the Lobos.”