Oct. 16, 2009
Final StatsBox Score 
Target On Lobos’ Back Is An Earned Symbol Of Respect
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team shot out of the conference gate tonight, shutting out the visiting Seattle Redhawks 1-0. Tonight’s matchup was the first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation test for both teams. Freshman Josh Caffey scored his first goal as a Lobo, taking the flick from Justin Davis to beat Seattle keeper Ivan Dizdar one-on-one at 49:51. The Lobos came into the game with an RPI of 14, and head into Sunday’s game against Cal State Bakersfield 1-0 in conference play and 7-4-0 overall.
“We did some great things,” said Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We’ve had a bit of a layoff but those are good games to win. We were tough, we defended well, and we were confident. It was a great goal from freshman Josh Caffey and it’s a good way to start the conference season. I thought our second-half response was good. It would have been nice to score a couple more, but there was some great combination play.”
Caffey found himself in the right place at the right time, and calmly finished the chance afforded him by Davis inside the box. Though Caffey was the only player who found the back of the net, New Mexico poured on the pressure in the second half and outshot Seattle 19-10 overall. A ball off the foot of Lobo freshman Levi Rossi almost crossed the goal line with less than 14 minutes left, but the Redhawk defense swooped in to clear the slow roller at the last second. New Mexico pounded Dizdar with eight shots on goal and took five corner kicks to the Redhawk’s four.
It was evident that tonight was a conference opener — both teams looked spry and played tough. Though every match in New Mexico’s non-conference schedule has been important, MPSF matchups are doubly weighty. New Mexico is again gunning for the automatic NCAA bid that an MPSF Championship grants, and the team has made the trip to the Men’s College Cup six out of the last eight years.
Lobo fans also got a glimpse into the future tonight, watching the partnership of freshman forwards Caffey, Rossi, and Patrick Pacheco. All three have logged quality time throughout the season, and have been given playing opportunities in crucial matches. It’s apparent that Fishbein has recruited a strong crop of underclassmen that will play attacking roles in the years to come.
“[Caffey’s] a goal scorer,” said Fishbein. “He’ll score a lot of goals here at UNM. Whether he does it this year, we’ll see, but he’s a natural forward.”
New Mexico continues conference play with a match against Cal State Bakersfield this Sunday. The Roadrunners opened their conference schedule tonight as well, taking on the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas, Nevada. No score from that game was available at press time. The Lobos will take on CSUB at 1 p.m. Sunday at the UNM Soccer Complex. Please visit GoLobos.com for more information.