ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If team chemistry is what leads a program to victory, the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team is on the right track. The Lobos took some time between preseason exhibition contests vs. Air Force and Colorado School of Mines to visit Taos, N.M. for some training sessions and good old fashioned team bonding.
“We felt like taking the guys to Taos was a really excellent opportunity for some great training and team bonding,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “We have 13 new players this year, almost half of the roster, so it was important for the guys to get together off the pitch. I think the team really enjoyed it, and so did our staff.
Now it’s time to get ready for the season to start. Looking forward to our second exhibition game tonight!”
Lobos around the campfire making S’mores.The Lobos took to the road on Saturday afternoon following their 3-1 exhibition victory over Air Force and headed to Taos where they enjoyed team dinner and a campfire – complete with S’mores. Throughout the three-day stay, the team experienced a team hike to Williams Lake in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, a pool barbeque complete with coaches manning a professional-size, eye-brow singeing grill, camp-style card games, highly-focused chess matches and more – all in between training sessions, recovery and team film breakdown.
The squad even had the opportunity to utilize the natural mountain creeks for post-training recovery ice baths.
“Taos was a great opportunity for us to bond with no distractions and get to know each other through other forms of communication and activities,” senior Sam Gleadle said. “After this trip I know that we will be just as good of a team off the field as we will be on it. We were able to get in a few good training sessions and use the nature of Taos to recover.
“I would like to thank our hosts while we were there, the accommodations were incredible and we had a fantastic time.”
Following their exciting adventure, the Lobos are focused on the remainder of their exhibition matches, starting with a 7 p.m. contest vs Colorado School of Mines on Thursday and ending with a competitive matchup on Saturday, August 19 against Grand Canyon.
The No. 20 Lobos will open regular-season competition on Friday, August 25 at No. 11 Washington in a rematch from last season’s NCAA second-round loss against the Huskies.
Follow the UNM men’s soccer team on Twitter @UNMLoboMSoccer and on SnapChat at Lobo Men’s Soccer throughout the season for all the latest information on your Lobos.