The Lobos are back in their home field and will be facing two teams in the TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational – Drexel tonight and VCU on Sunday.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said the Lobos are excited to play two home games this weekend, but like always, will focus on one game at a time.
“The most challenging game is always the next game. We don’t get ahead of ourselves,” he said.
Last week, UNM bounced back after its first loss of the season with a 1-0 win at Cal State Northridge last Friday night. Christopher Wehan scored the only goal of the game in the 19th minute. The Lobos dominated the first half of the match, but the second half was tougher.
“They started playing off big balls in the second half and made it more of a war than a soccer game,” Fishbein said. “We handled it well. It was a tough environment. It was their home opener and it was a hostile crowd. I’m proud of the guys.”
Last Sunday, UNM (4-1-0) got its second clean sheet of the weekend with a 2-0 victory over San Diego. The two goals came from Oniel Fisher and James Rogers.
Freshman goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu started both matches last weekend because senior Patrick Poblete was recovering from an injury. Beaulieu’s first official game with the Lobos was against then – No. 1 UCLA where the Lobos fell 2-1.
Fishbein said for the most part Beaulieu did a good job during that game, and right now he feels comfortable with all three of his keepers.
“He continues to gain confidence and the team keeps gaining confidence in him,” Fishbein said.
The Drexel Dragons (2-2-1) are coming off a 0-0 draw against the Saint Joseph Hawks. The Hawks outshot the Dragons 18 to 11 but Drexel’s defense still managed to obtain its third shutout of the season. Before facing the Hawks, the Dragons were coming off back-to-back losses, the last one being 1-0 decision to Loyola.
The VCU Rams (3-3) lost 1-0 their last game against the then-No. 15 Virginia Cavaliers, who earned their third straight win. The Cavaliers dominated the first half of the match, but the half ended scoreless. The Rams woke up in the second half and recorded six shots right after intermission. However, Virginia got the winning goal in the 76th minute.
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Fishbein admits the benefit of playing on the road is that there are less distractions for the players. However, he said the environment during home matches is always great and helps bring confidence to the team.
“We’re going to be very respectful of our opponents, but we’re not the underdog. We’re the favorite every time that we step on the field,” he said.
Isabel Gonzalez is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
