Feb. 28, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — At the conclusion of the 2011 season, the New Mexico Lobos sit at third place in DI NCAA regular season home attendance figures with an average turnout of 3,749 Lobo Faithful fans per contest. New Mexico is the only team in its league (the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) averaging a four-figure attendance.
The Lobos sit behind perennial attendance powerhouses in UC Santa Barbara, holding the No. 1 spot with 4,782 fans, and Maryland, which narrowly edges the Lobos with a average of 3,781.
Twenty-six of the nation’s 201 DI men’s soccer teams average over 1,000 fans per game. Ten of those squads draw over 2,000 per match, and six draw 3,000-plus. Uconn takes the four-spot with 3,579 fans per game and Akron rounds out the “top five” list with 3,300 on average in attendance.
This season, the Lobos set a new record for the highest attended regular season game at the UNM Soccer Complex on Nov. 5 against UNLV. With a 3-0 win that evening, the Lobos logged their first undefeated season in program history in front of 5,284 fans.
The team broke that record three games later when Duke visited in the second round of the College Cup Tournament. For the first time since its renovation, the UNM Soccer Complex sold out with an attendance of 6,200 fans. It’s approximated that another 500 or so gathered in the Southeast Stadium lot to peer through the fencing as the Lobos advanced to the Sweet 16 on Carson Baldinger’s golden goal.
“We have the best supporters in the country and their energy fuels our players,” Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “The incredible match atmosphere brings out the best in our players.
“We all feel a tremendous responsibility to represent and entertain our teammates in the stands. Our supporters are participants, not fans!”
This is the seventh time in Fishbein’s 10-year tenure that the Lobos have made an appearance on the nation’s top ten list in home attendance. The team finished first in the nation in attendance in 2005 and second in 2004, but with lower figures than were seen in 2012 (3,629 and 2,379 respectively). Therefore, 2012 represents the greatest turnout for the Lobo Faithful in program history.
A comprehensive list of all 26 teams averaging 1,000 fans or more per home game follows:
Top 26 AttendancesTeam2011 Conference AffiliationAverage AttendanceUC Santa BarbaraBig West4782MarylandAtlantic Coast3871New MexicoMoutain Pacific Sports Federation3749ConnecticutBig East3579AkronMid-American3300LouisvilleBig East3023CreightonMissouri Valley2909Cal PolyBig West2140ClemsonAtlantic Coast2111Wake ForestAtlantic Coast2007IndianaBig 101928Saint LouisAtlantic 101885North CarolinaAtlantic Coast1828CharlotteAtlantic 101542Notre DameBig East1447VirginiaAtlantic Coast1444USFBig East1405St. John’sBig East1371South CarolinaConference USA1327MichiganBig 101136PortlandWest Coast1112FurmanSouthern1096West VirginiaBig East1087Coll. of CharlestonSouthern1017SIU EdwardsvileMissouri Valley1003UABConference USA1000
Breakdown by ConferenceConferenceTeamAverage Attendance
Atlantic Coast (ACC)
(5)
Maryland
Clemson
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Virginia
3781
2111
1828
2007
1444
Atlantic 10
(2)
Charlotte
Saint Louis
1542
1885
Big East
(6)
Connecticut
Louisville
Notre Dame
USF
St. John’s
West Virginia
3579
3023
1447
1405
1371
1087
Big 10
(2)
Indiana
Michigan
1928
1136
Big West
(2)
UC Santa Barbara
Cal Poly
4782
2140
Conference USA
(2)
South Carolina
UAB
1327
1000
Mid-American (MAC)Akron3300
Missouri Valley
(2)
Creighton
SIU Edwardsville
2909
1003
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)New Mexico3749
Southern (SoCon)
(2)
Furman
Coll. of Charleston
1096
1017
West Coast (WCC)Portland1112