Sept. 17, 2009
TLC Plumbing/Nike Invite Notes
Lobo Men’s Soccer
What: TLC Plumbing/Nike Invitational
Where: UNM Soccer Complex
Friday: Lobos vs. UC Davis, 7 p.m.; Gonzaga vs. Binghamton, 5 p.m.
Sunday: Lobos vs. Gonzaga, 1:30 p.m.; UC Davis vs. Binghamton, 11 a.m.
Online: GameTracker; Lobo live broadcast/results on GoLobos.com
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
In a way, the Lobos take a slight break from the demands and challenges of one of the tougher schedules in the nation when they host Gonzaga and UC Davis this weekend.
In another way, this is as tough as it gets.
There is a contradiction, an incongruity, in soccer that sometimes is reflected on the scoreboard: the best team doesn’t always win. It gets worse than that: sometimes the team that plays the best doesn’t win either.
The Lobos, 54-8-5 at home over the past seven seasons, arguably are better than Gonzaga and UC Davis. The Bulldogs and the Aggies supposedly aren’t as good as the ranked teams that Lobo coach Jeremy Fishbein has placed on his aggressive 2009 schedule.
But that doesn’t mean the Bulldogs or the Aggies think they can’t beat New Mexico this weekend in the TLC Plumbing/Nike Invitational.
That doesn’t mean the Aggies or the Bulldogs think the Lobos are better. These are West Coast soccer guys. They believe.
What Fishbein has done to prevent as many upsets as he can is to build a program that attracts some of the best soccer players in the nation. He does this by providing a first-class coaching environment. He does this by providing a first-class schedule.
“I love our schedule,” said Lobo Ryan Farquharson. “You can’t ask for anything more than playing against the best players in the country. And we know we can play with them.”
Fishbein’s schedules are ambitious, to say the least. His Lobos have or will play Tulsa (No. 12), Saint Louis (21), San Francisco (22), Indiana (12), Notre Dame (10), Cal-Berkeley (7), Stanford (32) and UC Irvine (16). Fish dodges nobody.
If he had his druthers, Fishbein would have a 10-game non-conference schedule that would go likes this: Play No. 2 thru No. 11. So, does this mean Fish would be dodging No. 1?
“We’d be No. 1,” he says.
And this isn’t just coach-speak or Lobo Fantasy Land. Fish’s Lobos were almost the No. 1 team in the nation in 2005, losing in the NCAA title game.
“We recruit guys and train guys who want to play against the best,” said Fishbein. “Our mentality isn’t so much about our record, it’s about competing against the best and doing what it takes to be the best.
“We look for the best teams we can play and we go wherever we have to in order to play them.”
Of course, there is a catch-22 situation to face when battling the best teams in the nation. It’s possible to outplay a good team and still lose on the scoreboard. That’s the unfair side, the unlucky side, of soccer.
But when you play outstanding teams that possibility is even more of a reality because there isn`t much of a gap in on-the-field quality.
The Lobos take a 2-2-0 record into the TLC/Nike Invite. Fishbein thinks they should be 4-0.
“We have gotten the better of the other team in every game we’ve played,” said Fishbein. “(Losing the scoreboard battle) might not be a strength of mine.
“Maybe I should take more satisfaction in playing well, but this coaching staff and these players put so much energy, commitment and work into being successful that it’s hard sometimes to find satisfaction (in a loss).
“I think getting to the NCAA Tournament and getting a good seed means playing teams with high RPIs.”
The reality of the scoreboard comes into play here, too. NCAA Selection Committees look at won/lost records. They look at the scoreboard. They don’t always think about (or know) who the best team really is. This reality hit the Lobos in the mouth last season when teams not as good as UNM marched into the postseason play.
The Lobos try to act as if the pain of 2008 is over, but the wound still itches and needs additional healing. It also motivates.
“Last year hurt pretty bad and it helped us to get focused in for this year,” said Farquharson. “We know what we didn’t do last year. We know what we have to do this year and we are focused on doing it.
“We have a bunch of buys who want to be the best team in the country.”
A part of reaching that goal is to play — and beat — the best teams and the best players in the nation. Another part is to beat teams like Gonzaga and UC Davis — who are pretty darn good, too.
“We can’t let down. We can’t take a day off,” said Fishbein.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous articles are available at The Richard Stevens Corner