(RV) New Mexico vs. Charlotte
Saturday, Oct. 25 – 6 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 team is set to host its final regular-season game of 2017 on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. against C-USA preseason favorite Charlotte. Four Lobos will be honored as they take the field for their final scheduled game at the UNM Soccer Complex.
The four Lobo seniors to be honored on Saturday include Sam Gleadle, Luke Lawrence, Lucas Seligman and Jason Beaulieu. Fans will want to arrive early as Senior Night ceremonies will begin prior to kickoff.
Series Record vs. Charlotte
1-3-1
When Charlotte Ranked: 1-2-0
In Overtime: N/A
Last Meeting: The Lobos faced the 49ers twice last season, first on Oct. 8 and again in the C-USA Tournament. In the teams’ first meeting, the Lobos suffered a 2-1 loss on the road to the 17th team in the nation. In their second meeting, it was the Lobos that came out on top in a 2-1 victory over the fifth-ranked team in the nation in the C-USA Semifinals. The Lobos carried the momentum into the finals where they earned a 3-0 win over FIU.
Scouting Charlotte
Charlotte enters Saturday’s matchup 1-1-1 in its last three contests. The 49ers are coming off of a 4-3 overtime victory over non-conference opponent Georgia State on Tuesday. Charlotte ranks first in the league in shots per game (16.07) and in corner kicks per game (5.93).
Leading the C-USA preseason favorite 49ers offense is redshirt-junior Daniel Bruce who has accumulated 14 points on five goals and four assists this season. Eight players for Charlotte have shared the scoring thus far in the season including seven with multiple goals.
Defensively, Charlotte is led by C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Elliot Panicco who has posted three shutouts between the posts this season. Panicco has also registered a 1.34 goals against average in 13 games.
Officially Clinched
As the Lobos near the end of the season, they are officially a step closer to the end goal. UNM has officially clinched a spot in the 2017 Conference USA Tournament, currently sitting in fourth place in the league standings with just two games left.
Last Time Out – UNM vs Denver
The Lobos tied Denver on Wednesday 0-0 at the UNM Soccer Complex in the Lobos Love Pink game. Despite the lack of production on the offensive side, defensively the Lobos notched their fourth shutout of the season in the draw.
Senior Night
Saturday’s match will honor four Lobo seniors: Sam Gleadle, Luke Lawrence, Lucas Seligman and Jason Beaulieu will compete in their final regular-season contest at the UNM Soccer Complex.
Nationally Ranked
Senior Jason Beaulieu not only notched his fourth shutout of the season on Wednesday night, but he also collected his 21st career shutout. Beaulieu is currently ranked 25th in the nation in save percentage (0.805) and 24th in total saves (66). He is also ranked second in the C-USA in save percentage, third in goals against average (1.02) third in saves per game (4.40) and third in shutouts per game (.267).
RPI Ranking
The Lobos currently rank 51st in the nation in RPI – an assessment which takes into account not only current record, but also strength of schedule and a multitude of other factors.
Beaulieu – Defensive Player of the week
Senior Jason Beaulieu earned his fourth career Conference USA Player of the Week honor Oct. 9 as he was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week for his performances vs LMU and FAU. He registered his 19th career shutout against LMU before helping lead the Lobos to a 3-1 victory over FAU on Saturday and a 2-0 clean sheet a week later vs UAB, notching his 20th career shutout.
Beaulieu remains ranked third in program history in shutouts behind second-place Andrew Weber who posted 25 from 2001-04. The program leader in career shutouts is current UNM associate head coach Mike Graczyk, who racked up 30 from 2004-07.
First is Best
The Lobos are 6-0-1 when scoring first this season. Under coach Fishbein, UNM is 171-14-22 when scoring first.
Second-Half Explosion
Since the Grange & Ashwill Invitational on Sept. 8, the Lobos have netted all but three goals in the second half of play, scoring 14 of 17 in the second frame following UNM’s outing against UCLA. Of those 14 goals, six have been gamewinners and one tied up the match with 1:17 left. Prior to Sept. 8, the Lobos had scored only three of nine goals in the second half.
Fishbein’s 300: COMPLETE
In his 25th season as head coach, coach Fishbein reached the 300 milestone with UNM’s victory over LMU on Oct. 4. He clinched the triple-century win and had all the credit to give to his guys. “I’m just glad I get to share it with this group,” – Coach Fishbein
Fishbein surpassed 200 wins at UNM with the Lobos’ 3-0 victory over UNLV at the UNM Soccer Complex on Sept. 1. He is the program’s all-time winningest coach and entered the season ranked 17th in the nation among NCAA DI active head coaches.
Preseason Honors
The reigning C-USA Tournament Champion Lobos were picked to finish second in 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, (RV) UNLV, CSUN, No. 13/17 Kentucky, South Carolina, UCLA, Denver and Charlotte.*
*Note: Teams that have already been faced have locked in rankings, other are updated.
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.
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. Four have represented their country in top-level international competition: Aaron Herrera (US U20); Matthew Constant (US U17 National team, Canada U20 National team); Billy Jones (captained New Zealand U17 in select World Cup qualifying matches) and Aaron Scott (U15, U16, U17 Scottish 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.