The No. 21 UNM men’s soccer team will travel to California this weekend to take on two more opponents: the Cal State Northridge Matadors, and the Loyola Marymount Lions.
This past weekend, the Lobos (1-1-1) played in the Grange & Ashwill Memorial Invitational and became co-champions, along with the University of Denver (3-0-1). The Lobos finished the tournament with a 2-2 draw with then-No. 18 San Diego and a 2-1 win against UC Santa Barbara.
All four goals for UNM were courtesy of midfielder Chris Wehan, who was named National Player of the Week by College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and the NSCAA.
Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he was happy about Wehan, but that soon other players will have to step up if the team wants to keep up with the competition.
Although he isn’t exactly thrilled with his team’s current record, Fishbein said he is keeping a positive attitude.
“This is a team that is continuing to get better and better,” he said. "I like where we are right now."
UNM has a total of 15 underclassmen, the 11th most of any team in the country. But Fishbein said he expects everyone on his team to play like veterans.
“It’s not a young team anymore,” he said. "It’s a team that has played three excellent opponents, each unique, and I think we’ve dealt with it well."
The Lobos will begin their weekend against CSUN (1-2-0) on Friday. The Matadors are starving for a victory after a rough weekend, having fallen 1-2 to No. 3 Creighton on Friday, and 1-4 to Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday.
Fishbein said CSUN sometimes struggles with overplaying, but that it's still a talented team that he expects will put on a good show.
“It’s a team we really like to play. I think we match up well,” he said.
The biggest challenge for the Lobos will come on Sunday, when they face No. 19 LMU (4-0-0). The Lions have yet to allow a goal this season. Their senior keeper, Paul Blanchette, has made a total of 14 saves during this clean-sheet streak. He now has 15 career shutouts, which is an LMU all-time record.
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But Blanchette doesn’t just stop goals: sometimes he helps score them, too.
During their match against Boston College on Sunday, the Lions pulled a 1-0 win with a goal that occurred just one minute into the match. Blanchette assisted this goal when he directed a punt to his teammate, forward Grant Sampson, who set the shot over the Boston keeper’s head.
Sampson is another LMU player to watch, as he leads his offense with three goals this season.
Fishbein said his team welcomes the challenge of playing high-ranked teams because he considers New Mexico to be one of “the big boys” in the college soccer world. He said the key to success is to have a good mental approach because “quality on its own is limited.”
“You can’t have an off day. Every game is big; it’s your biggest game,” Fishbein said. “You have to be good every day. When you play big teams, that’s what you are up against. There’s no hiding.”
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @cisabelg.
