Lobo Soccer- at Matador Soccer Field (1,900) Friday night; Sullivan Field (2,000) Sunday evening
When: Friday at 8 p.m. (MT) at CSUN; Sunday at 5 p.m. (MT) at. No. 19 LMU
Who: CSUN Matadors, No. 19 LMU Lions
GoLobos.com: Live stats, box score, live stream (Sunday only), postgame recap
Video: Sunday’s match at LMU will be streamed live and a link is available at GoLobos.com
Weather Forecast: 78 degrees, clear on Friday; 81 degrees, clear on Sunday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Coming off a successful weekend at home that saw it defeat and draw with a pair of Top 20 teams, the Lobo men’s soccer team finds itself back in the national polls, coming in at No. 21 in both Top Drawer Soccer’s and Soccer America’s rankings.
“You take it a little personally if you’re not in (the rankings,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “This is a program that expects to be there every year. We were probably a little ticked off we weren’t in there early on. It’s the burden you bear when you’re a good team. I think there’s still a lot to prove, and over the course of 17 regular-season games we get to play a bunch of big-time teams.”
That schedule includes a couple more this weekend. LMU has started as well as any team in the country. The Lions are 4-0-0 and have yet to allow a single goal while scoring five of their own. CSUN, meanwhile, is a good program that advanced to the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but had a down season last year and is off to a slow start in 2015.
“Northridge is still a really talented team,” Fishbein said. “They always are. It’s in the hotbed of soccer for the country. … It’s a team we really like to play. I think we match up well. … It’s always a great environment and a fun game. It should be a good one Friday night.”
UNM figures to be up to the task after taking on ranked opponents in each of their first three matches. The Lobos opened at No. 1 UCLA and suffered a close, 1-0 loss, then drew with No. 19 San Diego 2-2 last Friday before defeating No. 13 UCSB 2-1 Sunday night. It helps having one of the best players in the country in consensus National Player of the Week Chris Wehan, who scored all four Lobo goals.
“It was a pretty special weekend,” said Fishbein. “Chris is a great player, but more importantly he’s a great person and a tremendous leader. He sets the tone for our team in terms of his work ethic, his dedication and in how much he cares about the guys on the team. He’s a guy you want to represent you at all times.”
Wehan will have help in the likes of Niko Hansen, who has come close on a number of chances, and Sam Gleadle, who is back in the lineup after dealing with an injury.
“We’ve got a good attacked group,” Fishbein said. “I think you’re going to see some goals from a wide range of guys. … I’m excited about our offense. I think it’s going to keep getting better and better.”
Series Record vs. CSUN: 10-4-1
Home: 8-1-0; Road: 2-2-1; Neutral: 0-1-0
Last meeting: The Lobos defeated CSUN 1-0 in Northridge last season, with Chris Wehan scoring the winner in the 19th minute.
Series Record vs. LMU: 4-1-1
Home: 1-1-0; Road: 0-0-1; Neutral: 3-0-0
Last meeting: UNM is making just its second visit ever to LMU, having earned a 1-1 draw to open the 2008 season.
Up Next: UNM hosts the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational next weekend with matches vs. Missouri St. on Friday and American on Sunday. LMU will also be there and be the neutral opponent.
SCOUTING CSUN … The Matadors are coming off a tough trip to Nebraska last weekend. They fell at No. 3 Creighton 2-1 on a goal in the 89th minute Friday and then dropped a 4-1 contest to Omaha on Sunday. Redshirt sophomore Steven Manios leads the team with two goals and two assists on the year. Senior goalkeeper Adam Hobbs has struggled thus far, sporting a 2.46 GAA and a .588 save percentage. It’s a far cry from his 0.83 GAA in 17 starts last season.
SCOUTING LMU … The Lions have yet to allow a goal in the 2015 campaign, winning their first four matches by a combined 5-0 margin. Senior keeper Paul Blanchette has made 14 saves during his clean sheet streak. The offense, meanwhile, has been led by sophomore Grant Sampson’s three goals. Sophomore Alvaro Madrigal has a goal and two assists, and junior Adrian Perez notched LMU’s other tally.
WEHAN CONSENSUS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK … Chris Wehan swept the National Player of the Week awards by major publications following his back-to-back two-goal games against San Diego and UCSB last weekend. He earned the honor from College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and the NSCAA.
LOBOS CO-CHAMPS OF TOURNAMENT … UNM earned a share of the championship in the Grange & Ashwill Memorial Invitational last weekend after a 2-2 draw with San Diego and a 2-1 win over No. 19 UCSB. The Lobos shared it with the University of Denver, which had identical results. Chris Wehan was named Tournament MVP and Off. MVP, and keeper Jason Beaulieu was named Defensive MVP of the tournament. Josh Goss, Josh Dye and Chris Gurule were named to the All-Tournament Team.
FOUR GOALS EQUALS C-USA OFF. PoW … Wehan was also named Conference USA’s Offensive Player of the Week following his four-goal weekend.
BEAULIEU C-USA DEF. PoW … Sophomore goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31 for his performance against No. 1 UCLA in the season opener. He made six saves, which was the second most he’d ever made in a single match, and posted an .857 save percentage. It was the first such honor of his career.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING … Four Lobos made their first career start in UNM’s loss at No. 1 UCLA on Aug. 29: sophomore Lucas Seligman, true freshman Aaron Herrera, and redshirt freshmen Matt Dorsey and Patrick Khouri. Herrera and Khouri went on to play all 90 minutes. Two other true freshmen, Francesco Casucci and Kasper Kajermo, both made their collegiate debuts as substitutes.