Lobos Welcome FIU to UNM Soccer Complex
Lobo Soccer- at UNM Soccer Complex (6,200)
When: Saturday at 7 p.m. (MT)
Who: Florida International Golden Panthers
GoLobos.com: Live stats, box score, live stream, postgame recap and stats
Video: The game will be broadcast live via the Mountain West Network on GoLobos.com
Weather Forecast: 73 degrees and clear with 10 MPH winds
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Coming off a dominating 6-1 win over West Virginia Wednesday night, the 15th-ranked UNM men's soccer team returns to Conference USA play when it hosts Florida International Saturday at 7 p.m. UNM broke out of its scoring dought in a big way and will look to continue that to earn its first C-USA win of 2014. The Lobos won't be dwelling too long on their last match as they'll need to be focused to stop FIU.
"Florida International is a quality team," head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "We're excited to move forward from (Wednesday's) win.
The Golden Panthers are also looking for their first conference win after dropping a last-minute 3-2 decision to UAB last Saturday. The Lobos are 4-1-1 at the UNM Soccer Complex this season while FIU is just 1-2-1 away from home.
Series Record: 2-2-0
Home: 2-0-0 Away: 0-0-0; Neutral: 0-2-0
Last meeting: UNM is undefeated in two home matches vs. the Golden Panthers, including a 2-1 overtime victory in 2013.
Up Next: UNM travels to take on Florida Atlantic on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. MT in another Conference USA match.
SCOUTING FLORIDA INT’L ... The Golden Panthers are coming off a heartbreaking 3-2, last-minute loss to UAB on Sept. 27. Their only road win this season came in their opener on Aug. 29: a 1-0 win at Michigan. Senior forward Quentin Albrecht is tied for the C-USA lead in goals with five, which accounts for over half the FIU output. Four other players have one goal apiece. Junior midfielder Daniel Gonzalez leads the squad with three assists. Redshirt freshman David Mitchell and junior Robin Spiegel have split time in net for FIU with mixed results. The Golden Panthers are allowing 1.44 goals per game, but Mitchell has seen the bulk of play and is saving 77.8 percent of shots on goal.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST ... After tallying only 10 goals in their first eight games, the Lobos erupted for six in a rout of West Virginia on Oct. 1. Ben McKendry scored twice, while Niko Hansen, Chris Wehan, Kevin Correa and Riley McGovern all found the back of the net as well. It was the most goals in a game for UNM since a 7-2 win over Villanova on Aug. 30, 2013.
GIBBONS ENTERS TOP 10 ... Senior Mathew Gibbons entered UNM’s top 10 all-time for minutes played after playing the entire match vs. Charlotte to give him 6,318 total minutes. Plus, his start against West Virginia was his 71st career start, which moved him into sole possession of ninth place in program history.
ROGERS CLIMBING ... James Rogers’ goal at San Diego on Sept. 14 was the 20th of his career, tying him for ninth all-time in UNM history. Meanwhile, his 153 shots are eighth most and his 57 points are 11th most.
TLC TOURNAMENT CHAMPS ... UNM claimed the championship of its TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational last weekend by virtue of its plus-two goal differential. Ben McKendry earned Tournament MVP honors, while Nick Miele was named Defensive MVP and Chris Wehan was Offensive MVP. James Rogers and Josh Dye were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
MIELE HONORED ... Senior center back Nick Miele was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week on Sept. 23 for his performance in the TLC Plumbing and Utility Challenge.
MOST INTERESTING SCORER IN THE WORLD ... Senior midfielder Oniel Fisher has not scored many goals in his Lobo career, but when he does score, it’s a game-winning goal. He has three career goals in 27 matches and each one has been a game winner. Most recently he opened the scoring in UNM’s 2-0 win at San Diego on Sept. 14. He also scored the only goal in UNM’s 1-0 season-opening win over No. 13 Akron on Aug. 29, and his other goal came against Penn St. in the Sweet Sixteen last season, which was the first of two for UNM in its 2-0 win.
BEAULIEU MOVING UP ... Jason Beaulieu continues to make moves in the UNM history book. He now has three wins and three clean sheets on the season. The wins are the third most a freshman has ever had for the Lobos (Nate Busek had five in 1990 and Andrew Weber holds the record with seven in 2001), and his shutout total is the second most ever by a freshman. Weber again set the standard with five in his first season.
A MILE HIGH AND LOUDER THAN ... The Lobos ranked eighth in the nation in attendance last season, averaging 2,121 fans for each of the team’s 12 home games in 2013. UNM’s match vs. No. 1 UCLA was the second most attended regular-season home game in program history as 5,026 fans came out to UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos are currently averaging 648fans through six home matches.
ROGERS UP FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD... UNM senior forward James Rogers has been named one of 30 national candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
NO EASY PATH ... UNM’s schedule is not an easy one to negotiate. Starting with the opener against No. 13 Akron, five of the Lobos’ first seven games are against teams that are either ranked or receiving votes, including a matchup with No. 1 UCLA on Sept. 7.
C-USA FAVORITES ... The Lobos were voted by league coaches as overwhelming favorites to repeat as Conference USA regular-season champions. UNM received seven out of nine first-place votes to finish well ahead of the pack. Charlotte and UAB each also received a first-place vote and finished in second and third, respectively. Senior defender Mathew Gibbons and junior midfielder Ben McKendry were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team.
HERMANN WATCH LIST ... Incoming transfer Kevin Correa was named to the MAC Hermann Watch List. Last season he finished sixth in the NCAA in points per game (1.68), eighth in total points (32) and ninth in both goals (13) and goals per game (0.68). He also earned Preseason All-American honors from Soccer America.
FISH AMONG THE BEST ... Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein continues to build his coaching legacy at New Mexico. The 2014 season is Fishbein’s 13th at the helm of Lobo Soccer. His UNM record of 168-54-28 makes him the program’s all-time winningest coach. Furthermore, Fishbein has cemented himself among the best in the nation. His 142 wins since 2004 are tied for second in the nation among all active NCAA Division I head coaches.
NCAA Active Win Leaders Since 2004
1st - Sasho Cirovski (Maryland) - 170 wins
T-2nd - Jeremy Fishbein (New Mexico) - 142 wins
T-2nd - Jay Vicovich (Wake Forest) - 142 wins
T-2nd - Tom Vom Steeg (UC Santa Barbara) - 142 wins
5th - Ray Reid (UConn) - 140 wins
6th - Elmar Bolowich (Creighton) - 139 wins
7th - George Gelnovatch (Virginia) - 135 wins
8th - Ken Lolla (Louisville) - 130 wins
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