(RV) New Mexico vs (RV) UNLV
Friday, Sept. 1 – 7 p.m. (MT)
Albuquerque, N.M. | UNM Soccer Complex (6,200)
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS | IN-MATCH UPDATES @UNMLoboMSoccer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico men’s soccer season is officially underway and the Lobos (0-2-0) are set to open home play at the UNM Soccer Complex on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. vs UNLV (1-1-0). The Lobos have not lost at home since Oct. 27, 2015 and have gone 9-0-2 since then.
The Lobos have been consistently ranked in the top 25 in the nation in attendance every season since the NCAA began keeping the statistic in 2001.
Records vs. UNLV
Series Record: 24-9-0
When UNLV Ranked: N/A
In Overtime: 1-0-2
Last Meeting: While the Lobos and the Rebels are familiar opponents with 33 matchups over the last 33 seasons of UNM men’s soccer, the last time the teams faced off was Oct. 19, 2012. The Lobos hosted the Rebels in the matchup and claimed an 11-0 victory ranking second in UNM history for goals in a single match. In addition, UNM broke the record for most assists in a single game with 11. The Lobos also posted 30 shots, eighth in program history and accumulated 20 shots on goal, third in the history of UNM men’s soccer.
The match occurred during UNM’s longest scoreless streak in history, 735:32 from 10/12/12 – 11/11/12. UNM posted 11 shutouts that season (T-3rd in history) and registered a 0.727 goals against average (5th).
2x 2016 Champions
Both squads in the matchup claimed conference tournament victories last season. The Lobos entered the Conference USA Tournament as the fifth seed, but made a run past No. 17 Kentucky, No. 5 Charlotte and FIU to claim the championship. Similarly, UNLV entered the WAC tournament fourth and surpassed UT Rio Grand Valley, Utah Valley and Air Force to earn the WAC Tournament Championship. Both teams advanced to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Scouting UNLV
UNLV enters Friday’s game coming off of a 1-0 overtime loss on the road at Oregon State. Prior to the narrow loss at Portland, UNLV upset No. 15 Portland on a last-second header on Friday, August 25. The Rebels’ matchup with the Lobos will mark their third straight road game of the season.
From its 2016 squad that entered the WAC tournament fourth and went on to claim the championship, UNLV returns all 11 starters and 18 letterwinners. The experienced squad also welcomes five newcomers to the program.
Top returners for the Rebels include junior forward Danny Musovski who recorded 30 points on 12 goals and six assists last season. Musovski was named the 2016 WAC Tournament MVP and was also named to the 2016 WAC First Team and the 2016 NSCAA All-West Region Second Team. Also returning is 2016 WAC Freshman of the Year Timo Mehlich who posted 15 points on six goals and three assists last season.
Back-to-Back 0-2
While the Lobos may come into Friday’s match 0-2, the squad is no stranger to the feeling. Last season, the Lobos fell to No. 15 Indiana and No. 9 Notre Dame by one-goal margins to open the season. Following the losses to the pair of tough opponents, UNM went on a four-win streak en route to its 12th NCAA postseason appearance in 16 seasons.
Unbeaten at Home
The Lobos return home to familiar territory at the UNM Soccer Complex. New Mexico men’s soccer has not lost at home since October 27, 2015 when they fell to Charlotte. Since then, UNM is 9-0-2 at the UNM Soccer Complex.
199 and Counting…
Coach Fishbein enters Friday’s contest looking for his 200th victory as head coach at UNM. A win over UNLV would reach the milestone and put him closer to an even bigger milestone – 300 career victories. Coach Fishbein currently boasts 294 career wins and has just six more to go.
Career-High Saves
Senior goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu registered a career-high 10 saves in Sunday night’s match at Seattle. Ten saves ties for eighth in Lobo history for saves in a single game, the record is 15. Leading into his senior season as a Lobo, Beaulieu ranks fourth in UNM history in gareer goals against average with 0.88.
Preseason Honors
The reigning C-USA Tournament Champion Lobos were picked to finish second in the Conference USA behind Charlotte in 2017. In addition, sophomores Tom Smart and Matthew Constant were named to the C-USA Preseason Team.
As a team, the Lobos have been ranked in the preseason by two organizations. The United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll notched the Lobos 20th while Top Drawer Soccer ranked UNM 19th.
Junior Aaron Herrera also earned Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Second Team honors heading into the season.
It’s A Hard Knock Schedule
The Lobos are no stranger to tough competition, but this season UNM will take on eight squads that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season including three C-USA opponents. Those teams include No. 11 Washington (L, 2-1), (RV) UNLV , CSUN, (RV) Kentucky, (RV) South Carolina, No. 15 UCLA, No. 4 Denver and No. 16 Charlotte.
A Whole New Offense
After a successful run to the 2016 NCAA postseason, the Lobos lost five key seniors from the squad and a pair of dominating attackers including Niko Hansen and Chris Wehan. Hansen was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2017 MLS Superdraft to the Columbus Crew SC while Wehan has been racking up the accolades as a member of Reno 1868 FC, a USL team. The pair combined for 61.8 percent of the Lobos’ goals last season.
Offensively, the Lobos will need to replace the dynamic duo in the attacking third and have added 13 new players to the 2017 roster in effort to replenish the squad. Of UNM’s 20 points in exhibition matches this season, 10 came from new players. The other 10 came from a trio of returners (Aaron Herrera, Sam Gleadle and Luke Lawrence) and a redshirt freshman (Noah Bushey).
The newcomers that scored included freshman Nick Taylor, who led UNM with two goals, as well as freshman Alex Vedamanikam, junior transfer Antoine Vial and redshirt junior transfer Wedner Delmonte who posted one goal apiece.
Defensively, the Boys Are Back
While the Lobo offense will look very different, the UNM defense returns the majority of an experienced and solid back line that helped lead the Lobos to nine shutouts in 2016.
First, senior Jason Beaulieu returns between the posts. He started all 22 games for UNM in 2016 racking up 2,072 minutes. He posted eight shutouts which ranks seventh in Lobo history for most shutouts in a single season. Last season he also tied for ninth in UNM history in single-season wins (12). For his career, Beaulieu heads into the season ranking tied for third in shutouts with 17, sixth in saves with 163, seventh in wins with 26 and sixth in appearances with 51.
Junior Aaron Herrera will help anchor the back line for UNM after competing with the U-20 World Cup over the summer. He started all 22 games for the Lobos last season totaling 2,050 minutes and registering six points (two goals, two assists). In addition, Herrera was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Second Team recognizing him as one of the projected top players in the country this season.
Sophomores Tom Smart and Matthew Constant also return to the Lobo defense. The pair both started all season in 2016, Smart earning 22 starts and Constant starting 20 matches, missing two to play with the Canadian U-20 Team. Smart and Constant were also the only two Lobos to earn Conference USA Preseason honors.
A Leader Among the Leaders
Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein continues to build his coaching legacy at New Mexico. The 2017 season will be Fishbein’s 16th at the helm of Lobo Soccer. His UNM record of 199-73-36 makes him the program’s all-time winningest coach. Furthermore, Fishbein has cemented himself among the best in the nation. His .670 career win percentage ranks him 17th in the nation among NCAA DI active head coaches while his 294 career wins ranks him 21st in the country.
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 25 in attendance nationally every season since the NCAA began keeping those statistics in 2001.
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: Aaron Herrera (US U20); Matthew Constant (US U17 National team, Canda U20 National team); Billy Jones (captained New Zealand U17 in select World Cup quailfying matches); Aaron Scott (U15, U16, U17 Scottish National Team) and Ingi Jónsson (U17 Icelandic National Team).
Excelling Off the Pitch
Lobo Soccer has a rich tradition of academic success. During the Fishbein era (2002 to present), UNM has had 20 Academic All-Americans – more than any other men’s soccer program in the country among all divisions. In addition, the Lobos have garnered 91 Academic All-Conference honorees and 20 NSCAA Scholar All-Americans under Fishbein’s tutelage. As a team, the Lobos have earned the NSCAA Academic Team Award in 13 of the last 14 seasons.