IRVING, TEXAS — The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team has been selected to finish second in the league in the Conference USA Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference announced Friday morning. In addition, sophomores Tom Smart and Matthew Constant earned spots on the C-USA Preseason Team.
The Lobos entered last season’s Conference USA Tournament as the fifth seed with a 4-3-1 C-USA record but completed an excellent run, taking out a pair of nationally ranked squads in No. 17 Kentucky and No. 5 Charlotte en route to the championship match. UNM shutout FIU 3-0 in the finals to claim the title.
UNM, which enters the 2017 season ranked No. 20 in the country, sits behind Charlotte in the poll, which enters the season ranked just ahead at No. 15. The Lobos finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 12-7-3 while Charlotte finished 12-4-2.
New Mexico is followed in the poll by FIU and Kentucky while South Carolina rounds out the top five. Charlotte collected four first-place votes, UNM and FIU each had two while UAB had one.
Constant and Smart earn their first preseason honors with their places on the squad after completing their freshman campaigns in stellar fashion, both earning C-USA All-Freshmen Team honors in 2016.
Smart was not only named to the All-Freshman Team but was also selected to the C-USA Third Team for his performances that included seeing 1,991 minutes on the field and starting all 22 games in his inaugural season. He was a key part of the Lobo defensive unit that amassed nine shutouts last season while also tallying a pair of assists.
Constant started all 20 of the games in which he played last season, missing two to compete with the Canada U20 Team midseason. He saw 1,852 minutes on the pitch and was another key defensive factor en route to the Lobos’ nine shutouts last season.
UNM earned its 12th NCAA postseason appearance in 16 seasons in 2016, advancing past Portland to make it to the second round before falling to Washington in Seattle. The Lobos will not have an easy road this season as they take on eight squads that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season including three C-USA opponents.
Of the Lobos’ 27-man roster, 14 players are returning from 2016 including five redshirt freshmen.
UNM kicks off the 2017 season with an exhibition match on Saturday, August 12 at 10 a.m. against Air Force at the UNM Soccer Complex.