New Mexico - Two And A Half  Star Class Ranking - The Lobos have added a nine member recruiting class that pulls players from New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado as well as defender Johan Bergstom from Hofors, Sweden and midfielder Brendon Boucaud from St. Anns, Trinidad who add an international flair to the class.  Jeremy Fishbein, who will enter his eighth season as the head coach at New Mexico in 2009, is under no illusions about what it takes for a team to be successful.  Fishbein stated, “The key to successful teams is teamwork and putting team goals first and not being individuals.”  New Mexico entered the 2008 season with high expectations and what appeared to be their most experienced and deepest team since the 2005 season when they were 18-2-3 and advanced all the way to the NCAA Finals.  Things didn’t work out as planned in 2008 as the Lobos had what might be best described as an up and down 11-6-2 season that was noteworthy in that it halted New Mexico’s string of consecutive MPSF titles and NCAA Tourney appearances at four.  Sometimes the intangibles make the difference between a disappointing season and a successful season.  Lack of consistency, complacency, and perhaps even a touch of overconfidence seemed to hamper the Lobos at times in 2008.  All things considered, New Mexico was clearly the best team in the country in 2008 that did not receive an invite to the NCAA Tournament.  Fishbein will likely enter the 2009 season looking for his team to take it one contest at a time and to play with the level of intensity from start to finish that has exemplified the more successful New Mexico teams.   New Mexico will enter the 2009 season with several holes to plug.  They lose highly talented forward Chris Wright along with veteran midfielders Jack Smithson and Mike Porter due to graduation.  The Lobos also will be without defender Zach Tierney who was a three year starter who transferred to UIC.  However, a solid core of talented players return beginning with senior forward Justin Davis (7g, 6a) who was the Lobos top goal scorer last year.  Davis, who was responsible for five game winning goals last year, has the  quickness and touch on the ball needed to be very effective in the attacking third.  A 2008 First-Team All MPSF selection, Davis will be the go-to guy and the key to the Lobos productivity on the offensive side of the ball in 2009.  Senior P.J. Wilson (3g, 0a) is among other returning forwards who should play an important role in the New Mexico attack in 2009.  The New Mexico midfield is a bit of a question mark heading into the 2009 season.  Junior Michael Reed and sophomore Michael Green (2g, 3a) are among returning linkmen who were starters last year.  Senior Evan Holden, junior James Urbany, and sophomore Lance Rozeboom are among other returning midfielders who look to be in the mix in 2009.  The backline looks to be very good with the return of senior Simon Ejdemyr who has been a First-Team All-MPSF selection for the past three years and senior  Stephen Brown who has been a starter for the past three seasons.  Junior Ryan Farquharson (0g, 3a), who has two years of starting experience under his belt, is also an extremely capable defender.  Junior back David Murphy and sophomore back Travis Campbell should also challenge for more playing time in 2009.  Junior Justin Fite, who appeared in five contests last year, is the only goalkeeper listed on the Lobo’s 2009 roster who saw action last year.  New Mexico has little margin for error in 2009 and can’t afford lapses in play due to a brutal September schedule that includes non-conference opponents Saint Louis, San Francisco, Indiana, Notre Dame, UC Davis, Gonzaga, California, and Stanford.  The MPSF race again looks to be up for grabs but with Denver, instead of the Lobos, the team to beat heading into the 2009 season.  Despite all the success that New Mexico has enjoyed over the past few seasons under Fishbein and the winning tradition created,  they are a squad that is in some ways starting all over in 2009 with the opportunity to gel as a team and start a new streak of their own.  If they come together as a team, take it one match at a time, and if the newcomers are able to contribute, the opportunity exists for a very successful year.  If not, it could be a really long season in Albuquerque. 

 

Josh Caffey - Temple Texas - Forward - Belton High School - NSCAA High School All-Region IV Team in 2008 - Multi-year First Team All-District - Member Lonestar Soccer Team.   

 

Patrick Pacheco - Taos, New Mexico - Midfielder - Taos High School - All-Time leading goal scorer at Taos High - First-Team All-District - Second-Team All-State - Member Region IV team.

 

Julian Roberts - Rio Rancho, New Mexico - Midfielder - Rio Rancho High School - Played club for Classic Red Star - 2007 First-Team All-District - Played on two district championship teams.

 

Lawrence Robledo - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Forward - La Cueva High School - First-Team All-District selection - Second Team All-State as a senior - Played club for Classic Red Star.

 

Blake Smith - Boerne, Texas - Forward - Boerne High School - First-Team All-District - First-Team All-Region - Second Team All-State selection - Plays for Classic USSF Developmental Academy.

 

Kyle Venter - Aurora, Colorado - Defender - Smokey Hill High School - First-Team All-Conference - Colorado All State Honorable Mention - Team captain of Real Colorado Team.

 

Levi Rossi - Denver, Colorado - Midfielder - Regis Jesuit High School - Plays club soccer for the U-18 USSF Developmental Academy team of Real Colorado - Team captain in high school.  

 

Johan Bergstrom - Hofors, Sweden - Defender - Borgarskolans Gymnasium - Played for the Swedish Premier League Club Gefle IF - Played for Sandvikens IF for two seasons.

 

Brendon Boucaud - St. Anns, Trinidad - Midfielder - St. Anthonys College - Member of the Trinidad and Tobago National U-20 team in 2006-07 - Played club soccer for the St. Anns Ranger S.C.