Sept. 16, 2010
Lobo Classic Game Notes
Lobo Classic Tournament Central
Last Sunday’s disappointing 2-1 loss against No. 18 Portland was not an easy one to digest.
“That’s the tough one, that’s the one you lose sleep over”, Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein said at a press conference on Tuesday. “It’s disappointing but you’ve got to move forward.”
And move forward they will.
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team hosts the Lobo Classic this weekend and, much like last weekend, will face two tough opponents.
The Lobos take on Buffalo at 7 p.m. on Friday night and No. 13 Harvard at noon on Sunday.
While Buffalo (3-2-0) isn’t a ranked team, which has been the trend of recent Lobo opponents, they are still a foe that Fishbein and the Lobos intend to take seriously.
“Buffalo is a quality team”, he said. “They’re coming a long way to play in a great atmosphere and they expect to beat us on Friday and our players need to be up for that.”
The Bulls are on a three-game winning streak, defeating their most recent opponent, St. Bonaventure, 2-1, on Sept. 14.
On Sunday the Lobos face No. 13 Harvard (2-0-1). This will be the first men’s soccer match between the two universities.
Crimson head coach Carl Junot and assistant coach Mike Graczyk are familiar to UNM and to Fishbein’s program. Junot coached with Fishbein for five years from 2001 to 2005, and Graczyk spent five seasons in goal for the Lobos from 2003 to 2008.
Coach Fishbein is expecting a Harvard team that is strong defensively and looks to counter attack. UNM is feeling good heading in to the Lobo Classic. The Lobos are eager to take on two quality opponents at home.
“We’re getting to play the best teams in the country”, Fishbein said. “Our guys are up for the challenge. They’re confident and they’re prepared. The community support has been tremendous. We just have to take care of business Friday and hopefully set ourselves up for Sunday.”
The Lobo Classic begins Friday at 4:30 p.m. with a game between UC Santa Barbara and Harvard. UNM and Buffalo take to the field at 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, UC Santa Barbara and Buffalo will play at 10 a.m. with the Lobos and Harvard squaring off at noon.
About The Lobos (2-1-1; 0-0-0 MPSF; No. 23) …
New Mexico is ranked in all four major college soccer polls – No. 23 in Soccer America, No. 28 in collegesoccernews.com, Receiving Votes in Soccer Times and NSCAA … The Lobos host the second of two home tournaments this weekend, the Lobo Classic. UNM and UC Santa Barbara will face nationally-ranked Harvard and Mid-American Conference foe Buffalo in four games on Sept. 17 and 19 … Nationally-ranked opponents, so far, in 2010 – Saint Louis (No. 25, Sept. 1), UC Santa Barbara (No. 5, Sept. 4), Georgetown (No. 16, Sept. 10), Portland (No. 18, Sept. 12) and Harvard (No. 13, Sept. 19) …
Scouting The Opponents
Lobos Against Buffalo … This will be the first meeting between the Lobos and the Bulls.
Scouting Buffalo (3-2-0; 0-0-0 MAC) … The Bulls, coached by John Astudillo, earned their first wins of the season last week, beating Canisius, 1-0 and Robert Morris, 3-2. Four Bulls lead the team with two points each. Goalkeepers Nick Fetterman and Ryan Aubrey have two starts each. Aubrey made his collegiate debut in goal in the win against Canisius.
Lobos Against No. 13 Harvard … This will be the first meeting between the Lobos and the Crimson.
Scouting No. 13 Harvard (2-0-1; 0-0-0 Ivy) … The Crimson picked up a 1-1 2ot tie last week against nationally-ranked Connecticut to remain undefeated on the season. The coaching staff will look familiar to Lobo fans. Head coach Carl Junot was an assistant for the Lobos for five season, while assistant coach Mike Graczyk was a three-time MPSF honoree in goal for the Lobos, graduating in 2008.
UC Santa Barbara (0-2-2; 0-0-0 Big West) … The Gauchos make a return trip to Albuquerque to be the home team in neutral games against Harvard and Buffalo on Friday and Sunday. UCSB played the Lobos to a 1-1 tie on Sept. 4 in Albuquerque.