Nov. 19, 2011
NCAA Tournament Notes – Game 1 
New Mexico Lobo Men’s Soccer – NCAA Championships
Sunday: 7 p.m., Duke at New Mexico Lobos – Lobo Soccer Complex
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By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
Duke is finally coming to New Mexico and if the Blue Devils were playing in The Pit, the Lobos might be in trouble. But these Devils from Durham, N.C., will try their luck on a Lobo pitch against the No. 1 ranked team in college soccer.
“I feel sorry for anybody who has to play us,” said Lobo coach Jeremy Fishbein.
The Lobos intended victim at 7 p.m., Sunday is the Duke team that slipped past Georgia State 1-0 at Koskinen Stadium in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. Duke’s Christopher Tweed-Kent scored in the 53rd minute to earn the right to take a punch at the nation’s top-ranked team.
Of course, the Blue Devils have their own view of a game with Lobos. “”I can’t wait to go to New Mexico and go from there,” said Tweed-Kent.
If South Florida lives up to its No. 7 seeding and beats UCF on Sunday, the winner of UNM/Duke game will go to South Florida. If UNM wins and South Florida loses, the Lobos will get another home game.
It was somewhat of a shock to Lobo fans when the NCAA bracket was unveiled and the nation’s top-ranked team was slapped with a No. 10 seed. The top eight seeds, if they win, get at least two home games. Fishbein and his Lobos already have shrugged off that bad seed.
What more can you ask for,” said Fishbein. “You get a bye and you are playing at home. The guys are healthy, excited and confident. The bracket has been set and it’s not something we’re going to focus on.”
What the Lobos are focusing on is Duke and taking advantage of the UNM home pitch. Fishbein’s Lobos are 75-13-8 at home. One reason is an obvious one: The Lobos are good. UNM also feeds off the energy provided by the one of the top soccer crowds in the nation.
UNM’s crowd was ranked No. 7 nationally in 2010. UNM drew 5,284 fans for the Lobos’ Nov. 5 game against UNLV this year. They drew 4,781 on Oct. 16 vs. Air Force.
“The crowd here is the best,” said Fishbein. “I think it’s the best anywhere. The crowd will be energized and our guys will be energized.”
Duke comes to Albuquerque with an 11-7-3 mark and is no strangers to postseason play. The Blue Devils have played in the NCAA tourney 25 times. They were pulled into this bracket as an at-large team. They are 30-23-1 in NCAA play.
“We want to make a run in the tournament,” said Tweed-Kent.
The Lobos want to make a run, too – and expect it. That’s just the expectations of Lobo soccer – a program that played in the 2004 national championship game.
UNM carries a 17-0-3 mark into NCAA play. The Lobos won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tourney and have not lost in 20 straight games. This season marked UNM’s first-ever undefeated season.
The Lobos went into the 2011 season planning to put some spark into their offense and that scoring punch behind Blake Smith (nine goals) and Devon Sandoval (eight goals). There is good backup scoring as Kyle Venter, James Rogers, Carson Baldinger, Giovanni Rollie and Lance Rozeboom have combined for 19 goals.
However, you don’t go undefeated without a complete team of warriors. The Lobos are seasoned, smart and aggressive in the midfield and in their defensive backfield. UNM had All-MPSF players in Smith, Rozeboom, Venter, and Sandoval. Midfielder Michael Green and keeper Victor Rodriguez made the second unit.
“We can defend. We can attack,” said Fishbein. “We have a lot of weapons.”
Duke and New Mexico have never met in soccer.
“We are excited,” said Rollie. “We have the same challenge whether we are a No. 10 seed or a No. 32. We’ll get it done.”
The North Carolina Tar Heels (17-2-2) grabbed the No. 1 seed followed by Creighton (18-2), Connecticut (17-3-2) and Boston College with six losses and a 14-6 record.
“Now, we have to go out and show people what we are made of,” said Green.
Exactly. And for the Lobos, it all begins on Sunday.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and Sports Columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. He can be reached at rstevens50@comcast.net