At the conclusion of the 2011 season, the New Mexico Lobos sit at third place in DI NCAA regular season home attendance figures with an average turnout of 3,749 Lobo Faithful fans per contest. New Mexico is the only team in its league (the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) averaging a four-figure attendance.

 

The Lobos sit behind perennial attendance powerhouses in UC Santa Barbara, holding the No. 1 spot with 4,782 fans, and Maryland, which narrowly edges the Lobos with an average of 3,781.

 

Twenty-six of the nation’s 201 DI men’s soccer teams average over 1,000 fans per game. Ten of those squads draw over 2,000 per match, and six draw 3,000-plus. UConn takes the four-spot with 3,579 fans per game and Akron rounds out the “top five” list with 3,300 on average in attendance.

 

This season, the Lobos set a new record for the highest attended regular season game at the UNM Soccer Complex on Nov. 5 against UNLV. With a 3-0 win that evening, the Lobos logged their first undefeated season in program history in front of 5,284 fans.

 

The team broke that record three games later when Duke visited in the second round of the College Cup Tournament. For the first time in history, the UNM Soccer Complex sold out with an attendance of 6,200 fans. It’s approximated that another 500 or so gathered in the Southeast Stadium lot to peer through the fencing as the Lobos advanced to the Sweet 16 on Carson Baldinger’s golden goal.

 

"We have the best supporters in the country and their energy fuels our players," Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. "The incredible match atmosphere brings out the best in our players.

 

"We all feel a tremendous responsibility to represent and entertain our teammates in the stands. Our supporters are participants, not fans!"

 

This is the seventh time in Fishbein’s 10-year tenure that the Lobos have made an appearance on the nation’s top ten list in home attendance. The team finished first in the nation in attendance in 2005 and second in 2004, but with lower figures than were seen in 2012 (3,629 and 2,379 respectively). Therefore, 2012 represents the greatest turnout for the Lobo Faithful in program history.