Jeremy Fishbein - 2014 Coach of the Year
Jeremy Fishbein – 2014 Coach of the Year Courtesy: New Mexico Athletics
Release: 11/25/2014
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Jeremy Fishbein
Halfway through the 2013 season, the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team and head coach Jeremy Fishbein were at a crossroad. The team had lost three straight home games for the first time in Fishbein’s 12-year tenure, and that caused the Lobos to fall out of the national rankings for the first time in over two years.
Fishbein, though, would not let his team panic. The Lobos proceeded to lose just once more during the regular season en route to a Conference USA championship in their first year in the league. Fishbein was also awarded the conference’s Coach of the Year award, and UNM received the No. 7 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The program’s all-time winningest coach, Fishbein showed why he is so respected across the country by leading his team through adversity and to a level only reached once before. In the NCAA Tournament the Lobos played up to their lofty ranking, shutting out George Mason and No. 16 Penn State at home, before traveling to the University of Washington and shutting out the No. 2 Huskies to earn the program’s second ever trip to the College Cup. UNM ultimately fell in the national semifinals to eventual national champion Notre Dame, but that did nothing to diminish the squad’s tremendous season as the Lobos finished ranked fourth in the nation.
UNM placed nine members on C-USA’s All-Conference Teams, including the Defensive Player of the Year in Kyle Venter, and the Freshman of the Year in Chris Wehan. Perhaps most importantly, though, the team earned its 10th NSCAA Academic Team Award under Fishbein, proving you can have excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Venter was named a First Team NSCAA Scholar Athlete, Academic All-District and Academic All-Conference USA. Also, Nick Miele was named NSCAA Scholar All-Region and Academic All-Conference USA, while James Rogers was named NSCAA Scholar All-Region and to the Academic All-District Team.
Following the season the Lobos also had the most successful draft in school history as four players were selected by MLS teams: Venter in the second round, Michael Kafari and Michael Lisch in the third round, and Michael Calderon in the fourth round.
Once on the brink of disaster, the 2013 season was truly one for the ages for Fishbein and the Lobos.