Jan. 24, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Postseason accolades continue to roll in for the New Mexico men’s soccer program. Following the first undefeated season in program history, the Lobo men’s soccer team has been named the City of Albuquerque’s Sports Hall of Fame Team of the Year.
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“The people of Albuquerque really fueled our passion and tenacity this season, and this recognition is just a real honor for our team and staff.” — Lobo Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein |
The team will be formally recognized at a city banquet scheduled for Feb. 28.
The Lobos finished the season with an 18-0-4 record, setting a new program record for consecutive games won in a single season with 13. New Mexico also set a program record for consecutive games unbeaten with 22, surpassing the previous records of 20 games unbeaten over two seasons and 11 games unbeaten in a single season.
Ranked No. 1 in the nation across all three major polls at the conclusion of their season, the Lobos took first place in three tournaments including the TLC Invitational, the University of Akron Tournament and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament.
Three players were named to the MPSF All-Tournament team after the team’s claim on the title; Kyle Venter and Michael Green each garnered spots on the All-Tournament team while Lobo keeper Victor Rodriguez was named the tournament MVP.
The team saw two players – Venter and Lance Rozeboom – named All-Americans by multiple publications, and one player in Levi Rossi named a CoSIDA Academic All-American. Additionally, five Lobos earned all-region honors (Rozeboom, Venter and Green along with Blake Smith and Devon Sandoval) while Smith, Venter and Rossi also picked up Scholar All-Region honors.
Both Lobo seniors, Green and Rozeboom, were drafted in the supplemental rounds of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Green was selected by Toronto in the first supplemental round, while Rozeboom went to D.C. United in the second.
In addition, ten-year head coach Jeremy Fishbein was named the 2011 Hall of Fame Coach of the Year by the City of Albuquerque. Fishbein was named the Far West Region Coach of the Year and finished the season with a Division I .726 winning percentage. His record at UNM stands 137-44-25 and 68-14-9 in conference play. Associate head coach Paul Souders picked up the Far West Region Assistant Coach of the Year award.
This marks the second time that the Lobos and Fishbein have received this honor, the first time being in 2005 when the team made its NCAA Tournament title game appearance.
“Speaking on behalf of the team, it’s a great honor to be recognized by the city,” Fishbein said. “Albuquerque is home to the best fans in the country, and our Lobo Faithful are a huge part of what makes New Mexico soccer so unique.”