New Mexico Lobos Men’s Soccer – 2014 Season Review
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It was a season that most teams and most programs would rejoice. It was a season with 11 wins, a season of All-Americans, and a season that produced five All-Conference USA players.
It was a season in which the University of New Mexico flat out dominated opponents throughout the season in shots, shots on goal and in aggressive soccer between the lines. In the regular season, Jeremy Fishbein’s Lobos had 276 shots to 118 for the enemy. UNM had 103 shots on goal to 45 for the other guys.
But soccer can be a cruel game. UNM’s shot percentage was .373 and the opposition shot at a .381 percentage and that was one of the little things that contributed to a frustrating ending for Fishbein’s Lobos.
They did not make the postseason.
“I don’t want to let us off the hook,” said Fishbein. “The guys did so many things right and I don’t fault their effort. But it was a disappointing season because of the way it ended. An 11-6-1 record is a good season for a lot of teams, but with our talent level, with our expectations and what we were capable of achieving, well, there naturally is some disappointment.
“We had an excellent team and we outplayed almost every team, but we got a little complacent thinking the opportunities and the wins were just going to come. But at the end of the day, our goal is to be in the NCAA Tournament and play some games at home. That didn’t happen.”
The Lobos opened the 2014 season with a No. 5 national ranking and beat No. 13 Akron 1-0 in the season opener. The Lobos went 7-1-1 over the first nine games, but stumbled to a 4-5-0 finish.
The No. 22 ranked Lobos lost 2-1 to Old Dominion in the Conference USA quarterfinals and that loss coupled with some upsets in other tournaments kept the Lobos out of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
“We had a really talented team with a great start,” said Fishbein. “We scored a lot of goals early and did some really good things on the field. But in the second half there were a lot of little mistakes at inopportune times that turned out to be a weakness that hurt us.
“This is not the memory we wanted and it hurts, but it’s on us.”
The Lobos were known for aggressive and attractive soccer and the talent Fishbein placed on the field earned a lot of recognition for excellence and effort.
Josh Dye was named Second Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA. The junior midfielder carries a 4.05 cumulative GPA in electrical engineering, which was the highest GPA among all 33 men’s student-athletes honored by CoSIDA. As a team, the Lobos earned a Team Academic Award from the NSCAA (3.0 or higher) – for the third consecutive season. It’s the 11th time Fishbein’s Lobo program has received this academic honor.
Fishbein had three Lobos name to the Conference USA All-Academic Team: senior Nick Miele, junior Josh Dye and freshman Jason Beaulieu. UNM led the league in that category. Miele also was on the 2014 Academic All-District VII Team.
“Our players understand that total commitment to our program includes commitment in the classroom,” said Fishbein. “The core of our program includes academic and social excellence as well as excellence on the soccer field.
“In terms of their resiliency, in their work ethic on the field and in the classroom, the guys were outstanding. They were great in the community and great with each other. They did everything the right way.”
The Lobos also landed a player on the College Sports Madness All-American Team – junior Ben McKendry on the second team.
McKendry also was named All-Conference First Team along with teammate Chris Wehan. UNM had three players on the second team in Mathew Gibbons, Miele and James Rogers. Lobo Niko Hansen made the league’s third team.
The Lobos had an 8-2-1 home record in 2014, but went 3-4 away from the UNM Soccer Complex. Wehan led UNM in scoring during the regular season with nine goals, two assists and 20 points. Hansen had five goals followed by Rogers with four.
The Lobos were looking for – and expecting – their 11th NCAA appearance in 13 years, but it didn’t happen. Fishbein says that memory will fuel the Lobos’ fire during the off-season.
“We were a good enough team to be in charge of our own destiny and it was up to us not to let luck or bad luck become a factor,” said Fishbein. “We obviously learned some lessons as a coaching staff and as a team because we failed to reach our goals.
“What you take from this season is the ability to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them. This is a very driven team, a very driven program. Maybe we got away from of some of the things that the program is founded upon – a blue-collar mentality, the ability to hold leads, the ability to shut team out.
“We were so talented and we created so many opportunities that maybe we didn’t take care of some of the little thing that are the core of our program and the core of winning. I’m very proud of this team but at the end of the day we didn’t get it done. It’s disappointing because we have a lot of pride and a bit of arrogance about what we expect and when it doesn’t happen, you get a little humbled.
“That makes us excited and motivated to move forward and get back on the field.”