Aaron Herrera started his 2016 fall campaign on a high note.
The sophomore defender for the UNM men’s soccer team was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after his performance during the Lobos’ season-opening weekend at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.
This is the first time Herrera has received C-USA Player of the Week honors.
“I think last year just prepared me for it, pretty much. I learned a lot from last year," Herrera said. "This year I know more of what to do and how to help the team."
The Lobos collected two 1-0 losses during the weekend against ranked opponents: No. 13 Indiana and No. 9 Notre Dame. Both goals for the opposition came from penalty kicks.
However, Herrera was part of a back line that limited Notre Dame, the tournament's host, to six shots, compared to the Lobos’ 18 shots.
“I think the better me comes out when we play better teams,” Herrera said. “Notre Dame and Indiana were both pretty good teams, but I think we could’ve come out from that weekend with two results. It was a rough weekend, but it was good.”
The C-USA recognition is just one more thing for the 19-year-old to add to his resume.
Herrera finished his freshman season at UNM with 1,332 minutes of playing time, making 15 appearances. 14 of those were starts.
He can also boast about having a goal featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays and being part of the U-20 Men’s National Team.
But Herrera doesn’t take all the credit, saying he is surrounded by people that he credits as a big part of his success.
“It’s coaching from my teammates too," he said. "They are always putting me in the right spots to do the right things."
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Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men's soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg
