After a disappointing result last weekend, the UNM men’s soccer team is looking to get back on the winning track.
The Lobos (5-3, 0-1 C-USA) fell 1-0 to the Kentucky Wildcats last Sunday during their Conference USA opening match. The statistics showed New Mexico edging Kentucky 12-6 in shots and 8-3 in corner kicks, but in the end it was only the Wildcats who got on the scoreboard.
Head coach Jeremy Fishbein said he had mixed feelings about the loss.
“Not the way we wanted to open conference play,” he said. “We were down a goal five minutes in. But man, to our guys’ credit, we played extremely well. I think we got a hold of things about 20 minutes into the match and just really went at them.”
Their loss to Kentucky broke the Lobos’ five-game winning streak. Fishbein said his team created a few decent chances during the match but wasn’t able to finish them. While it was a disappointing result, he said he also believes his team can use it as a learning lesson.
“Your initial reaction to a loss is, ‘Oh, it’s the end of the world.’ But hey, we’ve won five out of the last six games. So the question is, ‘How quickly do we recover from a loss?’” Fishbein said.
A fast recovery is definitely what the Lobos need, since their next C-USA match will be against a top-tiered foe.
New Mexico is hosting the defending conference champions, the Florida International University Golden Panthers, on Friday night. The Panthers finished the 2015 fall season with a 12-7-1 record and went on to take the 2015 C-USA Championship.
When New Mexico and FIU faced off last year, the match ended in a 0-0 draw after double overtime. The Panthers outshot the Lobos 21-5.
But Fishbein said he thinks this year will be different.
“Last year was last year. We have a different team,” he said. “We are playing them at home. I expect us to be really good and to control the tempo of the game. To create chances and get them on their heels.”
The Lobos have yet to lose a match in Albuquerque this season, holding a 4-0 home record.
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This season, the Panthers have had a few ups and downs. They currently hold a 3-4-1 overall record and a 1-1 conference record. However, these statistics could be deceiving.
FIU’s last win was on Sept. 17, a 2-1 victory over Kentucky. The Wildcats were No. 21 at the time. This week they are at No. 20.
After the win, FIU went on to lose two games in a row: 2-0 to Wake Forest, and 2-1 to Charlotte. This week, both of these teams appear in the top 15 of the NSCAA Coaches poll — Wake Forest sits at No. 11 and Charlotte at No. 14.
FIU outshot Wake Forest 12-8, but was outshot 12-10 by Charlotte. When the Panthers lost to the 49ers, Charlotte was sitting on the No. 5 spot.
Last week the Lobos were ranked No. 21, but after losing to Kentucky, the Lobos fell out of the top 25, even though the team still received 20 votes. FIU is not currently ranked nor has it received votes this week.
Fishbein said FIU will be a difficult opponent, but not an impossible one.
“I have every reason to believe that our guys are going to have a tremendous response and that we are going to be good on Friday,” he said. “That’s all we can focus on.”
First touch against FIU is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
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.
