Oct. 3, 2012
#5 Lobo Men’s Soccer vs. Air Force
The Basics: Friday, October 5 – 7 p.m. (MT) at The UNM Soccer ComplexOn The Air: Live streaming through GoLobos.comGoLobos.com LiveStat Links, Game Story, Stats
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The fifth-ranked University of New Mexico will host Air Force in their conference home opener on Friday night. The Lobos are one win away from tying the program’s all-time regular season home-unbeaten streak. UNM’s last regular season home loss was on October 10th, 2010 to Air Force.
#5 NEW MEXICO AT A GLANCE: Coach Fishbein and company are coming off a very challenging road trip to Houston Baptist University. Inclement weather forced the postponement and relocation of the match. 13 hours and one venue change later, New Mexico defeated Houston Baptist 2-1.
AIR FORCE AT A GLANCE: Air Force, like UNM, is coming off a win in their conference opener. They shutout in-state rival Denver 1-0 last Saturday. The Falcons are at the bottom of the conference offensively with only seven goals in ten matches. However, they are tied for first in the MPSF in shutouts.
COACH FISHBEIN: Jeremy Fishbein is in his eleventh season as head coach at New Mexico. The program is 145-45-25 on his watch and has qualified for the NCAA Tournament eight out of his ten seasons in Albuquerque. Under Fishbein, the Lobos have a record of 69-14-9 (.819) in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play.
LOBOS TO WATCH: UNM is led on offense by Devon Sandoval. The senior is the conference leader in goals (7) and points (17). He’s been named MPSF Player of the Week three times this season with a pair of National Team of the Week awards from TopDrawerSoccer.com as well. Fellow senior Blake Smith is tied for third in the country in assists with seven.
ALL-TIME VS. AIR FORCE: To say this series is neck-and-neck might be an understatement. The last five match-ups have all been decided by one goal, and the two teams’ all-time series record is tied at 18-18-1. That record trends in UNM’s favor during Coach Fishbein’s tenure in Albuquerque. Since taking over the program in 2002, the Lobos are 14-3-1 against the Falcons.
DOWN THE ROAD: It will be a two-game weekend for the Lobos at the UNM Soccer Complex. New Mexico will host Denver University on Sunday, October 7 at 1 p.m.