2015 Men’s Soccer Season Preview
2014 was a disappointment for the men’s soccer team as they struggled down the stretch and didn’t make the NCAA tournament a year after making the College Cup. Last year wasn’t a result of not being talented but instead finding the bad end of luck and not being able to find the back of the net when they controlled the play. The Lobos finished the 2014 season 11-6-1 and 4-4 in conference as well as losing the opening game of the conference tournament. The Lobos outscored their opponents 32 to 16 but they gave up 8 goals in the last four games and lost all four.
The Lobos do lose some key cogs from the last few years that were key to their run to the College Cup in 2013 – gone are Defenders Riley McGovern, Nick Miele, Matt Gibbons, Defender/Midfielder Oniel Fisher (who is playing quality time for Seattle Sounders), James Rogers, and Midfielder/Forward Ben McKendry (who left after his junior season after getting a Home Grown Contract from Vancouver Whitecaps). There are plenty of key loses from this group and players are going to have to step up and fill the voids left by these six players.
The Lobos do return their two leading scorers from last year in junior Midfielder Chris Wehan (10 g, 2 a) and Forward Niko Hansen(5 g, 3a). Other key returnees from last years team include sophomore Forward Sam Gleadle (0 g, 3 a) senior Midfielder/Forward Josh Goss (2 g, 2 a), and the lone returning starter on the back line – junior Center Back Chris Grule. Becoming a starter for this years team to play alongside Grule is junior Center Back Nicholas Rochowski. Sophomore Keeper Jason Beaulieu returns after playing 11 games last year with a .80 Goals allowed average. This group of returnees needs to be the foundation for this year’s team to take a step forward. Wehan and Hanson need to be players that have an impact and puts the opponents in tough situations while putting the Lobos on the prowl.
The Lobos bring in many newcomers and players coming off of redshirt years. This Lobo team is so young that many changes and combinations can happen, but here are a group of six players to keep your eye on. True freshman Aaron Herrera from Las Cruces and the Real Salt Lake Academy in Arizona has started on the back line during the preseason schedule. True freshman from Italy Midfielder Francesco Casucci will show his skill and playmaking ability and has a chance to be a difference maker for the Lobos. The Lobos have two red shirt freshmen that played for Houston Dynamo Academy – Defender/Midfielder Gabriel Camera from Venezuela who will find time on the pitch and has a chance to become a key member of this years team, and Midfielder Matt Dorsey who has a chance to lock down one of the Midfield spots and use his size (6-4) to his advantage on set pieces. New Mexico also has red shirt freshman Patrick Khouri from South Carolina and FC Dallas Academy. Khouri provides something the Lobos didn’t have last year – a strong Defensive Center Midfielder that can control the middle of the field like Brandon Moss (02-05) and Michael Kafari (10-13). Having a player that can control the midfield gives you the ability to move players around and forces teams to work around you in stead of going straight for goal. Junior College All-America Defender Yuri Domiciano comes to the Lobos from Iowa Community College and will be counted on to be a key cog in the back line for the Lobos. Domiciano is from Brazil and has a chance to be a Defender that makes runs towards goal and give the Lobos offence a new look. The Lobos also return a key member of the 2012 Lobos team in Adrian Mora Delgado who is a Defender/Midfielder who has a chance to be a big wild card for this team. If he can be a force, the Lobos have a chance to have a very special year.
New Mexico Men’s Soccer once again has one of the best and toughest schedules in America. Key non-conference games include a season opening game at UCLA (8-29), UC Santa Barbara (9-6) and at CS Northridge (9-11). If the Lobos can get results in 2 of these three games it sets them up for a great seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can play well in conference. The Lobos can’t have any lapses against teams that they outclass because those results hurt seeding and counter-balances any great wins they have.
The Lobos catch a break when it comes to the conference schedule this year – the expected three other top teams – Charlotte, UAB and Kentucky – all have to come to Albuquerque and play the Lobos. This gives the Lobos a huge advantage in Conference USA as the get to play the better teams at home where the Lobos have a huge advantage. If New Mexico can win these home games and not have any bad slip-ups on the road, I don’t think it is out of the question for the Lobos to get a top 8 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
My predictions for this year are that the Lobos will win the regular season championship in Conference USA and make a run to the elite 8. I believe that last year was a strange year and this program will get back on track and be the national force that it has been in the past. I believe that Chris Wehan will win Conference Player of the Year and will be an All-American. I believe Wehan is in for a very special year and I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he ended up with 10 goals and 10 assist. Here is to a fun year of Lobo Soccer – get out and make some noise and make some memories with this team!