Lobo Soccer- at UNM Soccer Complex (6,200)
When: Wednesday at 7 p.m. (MT)
Who: West Virginia Mountaineers
GoLobos.com: Live stats, box score, live stream, postgame recap and stats
Video: The game will be broadcast live via the Mountain West Network on GoLobos.com
Weather Forecast: 72 degrees and clear with 13 MPH winds
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Lobos did not get off to a great start in Conference USA play, dropping its opener at No. 21 Charlotte last Friday. They will be looking to move on from that defeat Wednesday when they host West Virginia (5-4-0) at 7 p.m. in a non-conference matchup at the UNM Soccer Complex.
“We’re excited for (Wednesday) night’s game against a really good team from West Virginia,” UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “I think the biggest thing is trying to clear our minds of a tough result last Friday against Charlotte. … The mark of a great team is how you respond to losses. Does it make you better? That’s our challenge.”
The Lobos will be tasked with slowing down another talented offensive team as the Mountaineers enter averaging 1.89 goals per game.
“It’s going to be a real challenge,” said Fishbein. “West Virginia is a mature, battle-tested team that’s very aggressive in their approach. They travel anywhere in the country for their games, and we’re excited to get them here at home and see what we’re about. I think they’re going to challenge us in a lot of ways: physically, soccer-wise, athletically. It should be a good test for us.”
Junior Jamie Merriam leads WVU with six goals and 13 points, while three players — senior Andy Bevin and freshmen Joey Piatczyc and Louis Thomas — have five or more assists. It’s a diverse, balanced attack that can strike at any moment. In their last contest the Mountaineers launched 25 shots in a 2-0 victory over Niagra.
The Lobos, meanwhile, are looking to rebound after being held off the scoresheet for the first time this season. Fishbein believes his team will be ready.
“I have faith in them,” he said. “We’ve won some games without big offensive outputs, but I feel good about it.”
Perhaps a bit overlooked about the loss to Charlotte was how well UNM’s defense played. Despite the 49ers accumulating 18 shots, the Lobo defense held firm until the 86th minute. Freshman keeper Jason Beaulieu made a career-high seven saves to help keep the game scoreless until the final moments.
“We’re excited,” Fishbein said. “(Wednesday) night should be a good one. West Virginia is a great team.”
Series Record vs. West Virginia: 1-0-0
Home: 0-0-0; Away: 0-0-0; Neutral: 1-0-0
Last meeting: The only previous meetings between the teams was back in 2005 in Dallas as the Lobos pulled out a 2-0 win.
Up Next: UNM returns to conference play when it faces Florida International on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA … The Mountaineers are coming off a 2-0 win over Niagra in which they piled up a season-high 25 shots. Despite putting just one in the net against Niragra (the other score was an own goal), WVU showed it has a potent offensive attack. The Mountaineers are averaging 1.89 goals per game and have 26 assists on 17 goals this season. Junior Jamie Merriam leads the way with six goals and 13 points. Senior forward Andy Bevin is right behind with 12 points, including a team-high six assists. A pair of freshmen — midfielder Joey Piatczyc and defender Louis Thomas — each have five helpers on the year. Junior Ryan Cain is coming off a hat trick last Tuesday at James Madison. Senior Lee Johnston and sophomore Brent Arnold have each seen time in goal for WVU, with Johnston allowing just one goal in 225 minutes. Arnold has seen the bulk of the playing time, posting a 4-3 record and a 1.49 GAA in 605 minutes. WVU only has one road win thus far, and that was a 2-1 victory at High Point on Sept. 20. It should be a physical match as WVU has already received 15 yellow cards on the season.
GIBBONS ENTERS TOP 10 … Senior Mathew Gibbons entered UNM’s top 10 all-time for minutes played after playing the entire match vs. Charlotte to give him 6,318 total minutes. Plus, it was his 70th career start, which moved him into a tie for ninth most in program history.
ROGERS CLIMBING … James Rogers’ goal at San Diego on Sept. 14 was the 20th of his career, tying him for ninth all-time in UNM history. Meanwhile, his 152 shots rank him eighth and his 56 points leave him two shy of 10th.
TLC TOURNAMENT CHAMPS … UNM claimed the championship of its TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational last weekend by virtue of its plus-two goal differential. Ben McKendry earned Tournament MVP honors, while Nick Miele was named Defensive MVP and Chris Wehan was Offensive MVP. James Rogers and Josh Dye were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
MIELE HONORED … Senior center back Nick Miele was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week on Sept. 23 for his performance in the TLC Plumbing and Utility Challenge.
MOST INTERESTING SCORER IN THE WORLD … Senior midfielder Oniel Fisher has not scored many goals in his Lobo career, but when he does score, it’s a game-winning goal. He has three career goals in 27 matches and each one has been a game winner. Most recently he opened the scoring in UNM’s 2-0 win at San Diego on Sept. 14. He also scored the only goal in UNM’s 1-0 season-opening win over No. 13 Akron on Aug. 29, and his other goal came against Penn St. in the Sweet Sixteen last season, which was the first of two for UNM in its 2-0 win.
BEAULIEU MOVING UP … Jason Beaulieu continues to make moves in the UNM history book. He now has three wins and three clean sheets on the season. The wins are the third most a freshman has ever had for the Lobos (Nate Busek had five in 1990 and Andrew Weber holds the record with seven in 2001), and his shutout total is the second most ever by a freshman. Weber again set the standard with five in his first season.
A MILE HIGH AND LOUDER THAN … The Lobos ranked eighth in the nation in attendance last season, averaging 2,121 fans for each of the team’s 12 home games in 2013. UNM’s match vs. No. 1 UCLA was the second most attended regular-season home game in program history as 5,026 fans came out to UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos are currently averaging 2,792 fans through four home matches.
ROGERS UP FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD… UNM senior forward James Rogers has been named one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
NO EASY PATH … UNM’s schedule is not an easy one to negotiate. Starting with the opener against No. 13 Akron, five of the Lobos’ first seven games are against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes, including a matchup with No. 1 UCLA on Sept. 7.
C-USA FAVORITES … The Lobos were voted by league coaches as overwhelming favorites to repeat as Conference USA regular-season champions. UNM received seven out of nine first-place votes to finish well ahead of the pack. Charlotte and UAB each also received a first-place vote and finished in second and third, respectively. Senior defender Mathew Gibbons and junior midfielder Ben McKendry were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
HERMANN WATCH LIST … Incoming transfer Kevin Correa was named to the MAC Hermann Watch List. Last season he finished sixth in the NCAA in points per game (1.68), eighth in total points (32) and ninth in both goals (13) and goals per game (0.68). He also earned Preseason All-American honors from Soccer America.
FISH AMONG THE BEST … Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein continues to build his coaching legacy at New Mexico. The 2014 season is Fishbein’s 13th at the helm of Lobo Soccer. His UNM record of 168-54-28 makes him the program’s all-time winningest coach. Furthermore, Fishbein has cemented himself among the best in the nation. His 142 wins since 2004 are tied for second in the nation among all active NCAA Division I head coaches.
NCAA Active Win Leaders Since 2004
1st – Sasho Cirovski (Maryland) – 170 wins
T-2nd – Jeremy Fishbein (New Mexico) – 142 wins
T-2nd – Jay Vicovich (Wake Forest) – 142 wins
T-2nd – Tom Vom Steeg (UC Santa Barbara) – 142 wins
5th – Ray Reid (UConn) – 140 wins
6th – Elmar Bolowich (Creighton) – 139 wins
7th – George Gelnovatch (Virginia) – 135 wins
8th – Ken Lolla (Louisville) – 130 wins