Aug. 12, 2010
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
There aren’t really any defined goals for Jeremy Fishbein’s Lobos anymore. Goals often are things that dangle just beyond your fingertips. It’s a list that is part dream and part a realistic evaluation of potential.
For Fishbein’s University of New Mexico Lobos, there really isn’t much they can’t touch or reach. They are a team as talented as any team in America. But can they make it happen? Can they turn reach into grasp and then do it again and again?
In soccer, a game so unpredictably blessed and cursed by luck, that can be a tough chore.
“I’ve always had a tough time coming up with goals or writing things on a list,” said Fishbein, in his ninth season at UNM. “I have expectations that we will win conference and get an NCAA bye. This team is capable of that. You can say it’s a goal, but it’s also an expectation.”
Fishbein’s Lobos have established themselves as one of the top programs in America by often tightly pulling those expectations to their chest. Fish’s Lobos have won 110 games in eight seasons at a 72 percent rate. This program, which lost by a goal in the 2005 NCAA National Championship game, has been ranked in the Top 30 for six consecutive seasons and once vaulted into the No. 1 spot.
There is a reason Fishbein was a National Coach of The Year in 2005 and when he rolls out his Lobos each fall, the expectations roll out, too. Sure, there is a bit of swagger in these Lobos, but any strut is backed by blue-collar work ethic and a passion for honest effort.
In 2009, the Lobos rolled out a 12-7-1 record and marched into the NCAA playoffs for the sixth time in eight seasons under Fishbein’s leadership. He returns 17 lettermen, including All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation players in Ryan Farquharson, Michael Green, Michael Reed and Lance Rozeboom.
“This is a new team with a new identity,” said Fishbein. “What we have to take from last year is the ability to repeat the things we did well and improve in the areas in which we could have done better.”
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THE LOBO SKED Aug 20 — at Tulsa (exh) |
There is solid senior leadership behind three senior captains: Reed, Farquharson and David Murphy. Two obvious losses from 2009 are Justin Davis, who led the team in scoring, and Academic All-American defender Simon Ejdemyr. There are plenty of Lobos who have “been there, done that.” This year they plan to do it better.
“There always is a little speculation at this point of the season,” said Fishbein, who has won five MPSF Coach of The Year awards. “But this is a great returning group with great leadership, who understand the expectations of this program.
“It’s a fact that we are going into the season with guys we trust and care about and who you know will give it their best day every day. There is a real commitment in this group to put it all together this fall. There are things you can control in soccer and I think this group will do a very good job in those areas.”
There is no question this UNM team is respected for their talent and effort. The Lobos were picked in the preseason MPSF poll to finish first ahead of Sacramento State and Denver.
THE LOBO ATTACK
Fishbein’s Lobos have an attacking mentality from front to back, but he says “we look at four position as attackers.” That’s usually the center forward, one of the center midfielders and two wings which roam the sidelines and also help control the midfield.
The bad news here is losing Davis, who led the team in both goals and assists in 2009. The good news is there are plenty of candidates to replace Davis as a scorer.
“We have a lot of attacking players,” said Fishbein. “That’s a real challenge to our coaching staff to get the right guys out there at the right time. We have at least eight guys who can play those positions.”
The top returning scorer is Michael Green. The 5-foot-10, speedy junior had five goals and four assists in 2009. He’ll be an immediate target in 2010, so he needs a little help from his Lobo friends. That list of supporting cast includes Devon Sandoval, Michael Kafari, Lawrence Robledo, Carson Baldinger (possible redshirt in 2010), Blake Smith and Josh Caffey. Fishbein said there also are several midfielders with the ability to score points.
“I think certain games will suit certain players better,” said Fishbein. “We have the ability to mix things up a bit.”
THE LOBO MIDDLE
A lot of soccer coaches say the midfield is the heart of a team and for good reason. The middies go forward. They go back. They attack. They defend. They complement the forwards and give reinforcement on defense. They are a link that needs to be strong. Fishbein likes that 2010 link.
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“We have a lot of talent in the middle,” he said.
James Urbany is one of the top returning midfielders along with Reed and Farquharson. Fishbein said Reed and Farquharson probably would see action as defenders, too.
“Our goal is to have our top players on the field and that probably means a few players will be moving around,” he said. “There will be guys asked to play positions that maybe aren’t their favorite positions.”
On this talented team, if you have a position on the field, you should be more than happy. The midfield is a good spot for players with versatility. Sometimes a team needs an attacking midfielder. Sometimes you need a midfielder with better defensive skills.
Lance Rozeboom, a junior, returns as a midfielder with an attacker’s mentality. He got off 21 shots in 2009. Farquharson is listed as a midfielder/defender, but he took 12 shots in 2009 and Reed, a midfielder/defender, took 23 shots last year.
Some other talented Lobos battling for turf time in the middle are Matt Armstrong, Giovanni Rollie, Levi Rossi, Javier Gomez, Julio Velasquez, Patrick Pacheco, Giovanni Rollie and Julian Roberts.
THE LOBO DEFENDERS
Guess what? The backside of the Lobos is tough and talented, too. If there is a wildcard in this position, it’s the shuffling factor that might come from the midfield. Of course, the Lobos that start in the back might change the look of the midfield.
“This is another area yet to be defined,” said Fishbein. “What happens in one area of the field could dictate what happens in another area. If we have three great center midfielders and can only start two, then maybe the third one is good enough to play in the back.”
Defender David Murphy |
David Murphy was one of the Lobo top defenders in 2009 and that shouldn’t change this season. The senior captain started all 20 games last year and logged 1,819 minutes of playing time. Those minutes were good for the No. 3 spot on the team behind Farquharson’s 1,840 minutes and Reed’s 1,838 minutes. Fishbein said he expects Reed and Farquharson to see time in the midfield and in the back.
“A big challenge for us is player management and to make sure the guys understand this is a team-first system,” said Fishbein. “Everybody has to buy into that concept. Our goal is to have our top players on the field and that probably means a few players will move around.”
The big loss for UNM on defense is losing the 6-foot-5 Ejdemyr. There is potential for Fishbein to place a lot of experience in the back, if the shuffling of Lobos places Murphy, Reed, Farquharson and Urbany in the four defensive slots. That’s a combined 6,438 minutes of playing time and 75 starts.
A few other Lobos likely to throw their talent into the defensive mix include Riley McGovern, Travis Campbell, Kyle Venter, and Levi Rossi.
“We won’t have one fixed lineup, you never do,” said Fishbein. “But we have the luxury of being able to mix it up quite a bit. You don’t want to waste talent, but you don’t want to mix things up too much.
“You usually look for three or four guys who are playing at a level that makes them interchangeable with the starters. Then you look to see which combinations are playing with a rhythm. You look for consistency.”
THE LOBO KEEPER
On paper, the odds-on favorite to keep the keep is Justin Holmes. He won the starting slot at the end of the 2009 and got five starts on the season worth 505 minutes. He posted a 3-1-1 record allowing 0.71 goals per game.
Holmes is good, but there is talent galore in the goal with sophomore Victor Rodriguez and three freshmen eyeing time in front of the net.
“I feel good about the two returners and we have three talented freshmen, who are good enough to challenge them,” said Fishbein. “Justin was starting at the end last year, but Victor Rodriquez is a great keeper. There will be a fight to see who starts and then there will be a fight for the backup position. It will be exciting to see how that works out.”
Rodriguez played in one game last year backing up Holmes and Justin Fite, who had 13 starts. Rodriguez did not allow a goal with three saves in 68 minutes. The three freshmen looking to impress Fishbein are Taylor Hafling, Javier Lane and Patrick Poblete.
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.