New Mexico at UC Irvine – Saturday, Sept. 17 – 9 p.m. (MT)
Irvine, Calif. | Anteater Stadium (2,500 cap.)
GAME NOTES
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team, now receiving votes in the NCAA Division I national rankings, is looking to continue its shutout streak on Saturday as the Lobos travel to UC Irvine for a 9 p.m. (MT) kick off on Saturday. Live stats will be available as well as live updates via the @LoboMensSoccer Twitter account.
LIVE STATS
IN-GAME UPDATES @LoboMensSoccer
The Lobos have not allowed a goal in 428:38 minutes and are riding a four-shutout streak as they head to California to face the Anteaters. Saturday’s game marks the Lobos’ final tune up before entering Conference USA competition, taking on #21 Kentucky on Sunday, Sept. 25.
- “This week the big emphasis is just getting our legs back under us,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said at a press luncheon earlier this week. “After three, two-game weekends in a row, we’ve had some guys that have really logged some mintutes but the recovery has been good and the attitude has been good … We’re looking forward to it. The team is in a good place and ready to play so it’s going to be a nice trip.”
Two Lobos are returning to their home state this weekend. Senior Chris Wehan will be just less than 30 minutes from his home town of Laguna Niguel, Calif. while senior Niko Hansen hails from Sacramento, Calif.
Series Record
6-6-0
Last Meeting: The last time the Lobos and the Anteaters faced off was on Oct. 21, 2012 when New Mexico claimed a 2-1 victory in double overtime at home. The Lobos were ranked #7 at the time and overcame a late, game-tying goal in regulation for the win.
Scouting UC Irvine
The Anteaters enter this week’s competition coming off of three straight losses vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 2-1, Santa Clara, 1-0, and Loyola Marymount, 1-0. UC Irvine hosted FCGU and traveled to Santa Clara six days apart before returning home to host Loyola Marymount on Wednesday. UC Irvine returns 17 players from last season in which the squad went 5-11-4 overall. Returners include five starters who combined for eight goals and nine assists. The Anteaters lost seven starters (12 goals, 20 assists) including keeper Michael Breslin who started all 16 games and posted 66 saves.
Last Time Out
The Lobos extended their shutout streak to four this week with back-to-back wins at the 2016 Grange and Ashwill Memorial Invitational. New Mexico earned the tournament title with 1-0 victories over both CSU Bakersfield and Grand Canyon. On Friday, UNM and CSUB went into double overtime in a game that looked as if it would end in a tie. With about 30 seconds left on the clock, junior keeper Jason Beaulieu booted the ball down field and found senior Niko Hansen, who scored with 28 seconds remaining for the thrilling victory. On Sunday, Hansen struck again in the 54th minute with his third gamewinner of the season to top GCU.
Grange and Ashwill All-Tournament Selections
Four Lobos earned All-Tournament honors over the weekend including junior Jason Beaulieu, redshirt-freshman Tom Smart and seniors Chris Gurule and Niko Hansen. In addition, Smart was named Defensive Most Valuable Player while Hanson earned Offensive Most Valuable Player and Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Hansen First in the Nation
Senior Niko Hansen netted two game-winning goals this past weekend to total three for the 2016 season. He is currently tied for first in the nation with his three game-winning goals and is also ranked in six other categories. In addition, Hansen’s goal against GCU is currently up for TopDrawerSoccer.com’s College Goal of the Week! Watch and vote here:
Lobos in NCAA Stat Rankings
Hansen isn’t the only Lobo getting some national recognition. Junior Jason Beaulieu is ranked in the top eight in two categories including goals-against average and save percentage. The keeper is currently seventh in goals against average (0.322) and eighth in save percentage (0.895). Beaulieu is also ranked 17th in goalie minutes played (559:32) and holds spots in two other categories.
Team NCAA Stats
As a team, the Lobos are ranked sixth in the nation in save percentage (0.900), seventh in team goals against average (0.32), and seventh in shutout percentage (0.67) in the country.
Movin’ On Up
The Lobos are now receiving votes in the NCAA Division I top-25 national rankings. UNM received 20 points in the most recent rankings on Sept. 13. The Lobos are the seventh-highest team on the list of those receiving votes and rank above Conference USA foe Old Dominion (9).
It’s All About the Shutout
The Lobo defense has entered the 2016 scene in stellar fashion, not allowing a single goal in the run of play. Junior goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu has tallied 17 saves in net for a .895 save percentage while posting FOUR straight shutouts. Beaulieu has spent all 559:32 minutes in net this season and has been near perfect between the posts with the exception of two penalty-kick goals.
In the Books – Four Straight Shutouts
Following this weekend’s competition, the Lobos are now riding a four-shutout streak right into the UNM record book. Four straight shutouts ties for fifth overall in New Mexico soccer program history. The record for consecutive shutouts is seven, set from Oct. 14, 2012 to Nov. 9, 2012.
No Goals In …
The Lobos have not allowed a goal in 428:38 which is currently 5th in Lobo history. The only streaks longer were in 2012 (735:32), 2004 (689:06), 2010 (652:54) and 2011 (572:46). All four teams reached the NCAA tournament, three reached the NCAA Sweet 16.
Preseason Honors
The Lobos were picked to finish tied for fourth in Conference USA with South Carolina as voted on by the league’s coaches. In addition, seniors Chris Wehan and Niko Hansen were selected to the 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA Team. Wehan was also named to the MAC Hermann Trophy preseason watch list for the second straight season.
Lobo Soccer: A Mile High and Louder Than …
The UNM Soccer Complex is building a reputation as one of the nation’s toughest venues to play in. In addition to being “a mile high and louder than…”, New Mexico has turned Albuquerque into one of the hottest tickets in college soccer. The Lobos have ranked in the top 15 in attendance nationally every season since the NCAA began keeping those statistics in 2001. It was first in attendance nationally in 2005 and ranked in the top 10 from 2009-2014. In 2015, the Lobos continued the streak among the nation’s attendance leaders hosting 16,918 fans (1,691 per game average) for 15th overall in the country.
International Pride
While the diversity of the team roster is obvious, many Lobos have some serious international credentials. Five have represented their country in top-level international competition: Patrick Khouri (Jamaica U20 World Cup qualifier, US U15), Aaron Herrera (US U20 – currently preparing for U20 World Cup qualification); Matthew Constant (US U17 National team and Canada U20 National team); Billy Jones (captained New Zealand U17 in select World Cup quailfying matches); Rafa Jimenez (Australian U20 World Cup quaifying team).
Excelling Off the Pitch
Lobo Soccer has a rich tradition of academic success. During the Fishbein era (2002 to present), UNM has had 19 Academic All-Americans – more than any other men’s soccer program in the country among all divisions. In addition, the Lobos have garnered 89 Academic All-Conference honorees and 12 NSCAA Scholar All-Americans under Fishbein’s tutelage. As a team, the Lobos have earned the NSCAA Academic Team Award in 12 of the last 13 seasons.