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Update 5:
More from reader albuquerque at comment #3 and my replies at #4 and #5 - cross posted from Big Soccer dot com
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Update 4:
If my math is correct Blake Danaher, Mike Graczyk, David Gualdarama and Joey Vitagliano, as a class, tied the '05 team seniors with a school record 61 wins in 4 years...
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Update 3:
reader albuquerque wrote - "2007 is a complete bust without the stellar defensive duo in the middle in the back. Also, relying on C. Wright isn't going to get in 2008. Finally, I would like to see Fish allow the boys a bit more possesion. They basically hold it for one, two or three passes, then hit the long ball. I would prefer more possesion when warranted. There style was very predictable, therefore somewhat boring in my mind. I understand they have a system, but appears too rigid to me. That is a reflection of the coach apparently from what I am told."
Thanks for the post - there is no question that the relative success of the season (that it wasn't a complete bust) was due in large part to the defense. In my mind it is no mistake and goes beyond Simon Ejdemyr and Zach Tierney who are stellar. There is clearly a commitment to the defensive system and 2 other quality players (Sophomore Stephen Brown and Freshman Ryan Farquharson) with size, speed and ball skills; a decent goalkeeper; and mids that track back and perform their defensive role. The center was good all the way through midfield with Mike Porter and David Gualdarama working well with Simon and Zach.
Chris Wright is mostly an opportunist with medium ability to hold, distribute and create for himself. He's shown improvement going for 2/0; 6/3; and 12/4 goals/assists in his first 3 years. With his strengths and weaknesses he needs to be paired with guys that complement - both upfront and in attacking midfield. We mostly saw him paired with Diego Barrera, PJ Wilson, and Blake Danaher who were not consistently creative, especially against the better clubs.
One productive development in '07 was the move of sophomore Justin Davis from left back as a freshman to attacking left-side midfield where he produced 5 goals and 3 assists. At times he was the most dangerous player on the field.
Finally, I'm a 'system' guy so I think I differ from you on your final thoughts...
Comments?
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Update 2:
Gaucho fans, I don't mean any disrespect. I love your team, the way you play, and rooted for their run to the championship in '06. I was just struck by the consistency of their unsportsmanlike (read-punches) reactions during the two matches in Albuquerque in September. I have it from a reliable source that SMU regretted the 'error' of scheduling UCSB. Just saying...
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Update 1: The UNM Athletics Department has not yet posted their 2007 Season RE-CAP but they do have Season Stats up. Kudos to the Department for a very informative site with great archives...
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Original post:
Original post:
Well, I've been batting this one around for awhile now...
12-5-2 overall (7-1-2 in MPSF play; 6-2-1 at home, 5-3-1 away and 1-0-0 on neutral field) - The Lobos won the sixth MPSF regular-season title in the past seven years and lost an away game to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Did this season live up to expectations (reasonable and highest)? Here's how I recollect it followed by my analysis.
After two losses in exhibition matches in Fort Wayne, IN (3 nil to Notre Dame and 1 nil to Indiana) Coach Fishbein had done his tinkering and was ready for the full season which started with three weekend tournaments. starting in Akron the Lobos lost to the host Zips 3-1 on Friday before rebounding for a 3-1 win over Hartwick College. Back on home soil the following weekend the Lobos again lost Friday (1-0 to Loyola Marymount) and won Sunday (1-0 over Cincinnati). Local fans got a good look at the 2007 edition of the team. They played hard and played for each other but despite being very solid in their third and encouraging in the middle third they lacked creativity and production in the attacking third. The opposition was not strong, the Lobos were clearly superior but the results were mediocre. LMU had one legit chance all night on Friday - a direct kick from 30 yards that Graczyk seemed ill-prepared for as he watched it rip the back of the net.
All eyes in the nation turned to Albuquerque on September 14th weekend as SMU, Washington and the defending National Champion UCSB Gauchos came to town. The Lobos continued the trend of the season by losing Friday night to Washington 1 nil and then turning it around Sunday with an excellent victory over the Gauchos 2-1. The Washington game was very even. Kevin Forrest (who is joining Graczyk in Denver trying to make the Rapids squad) finished a nice header on one of those sequence of plays you see develop over 70 yards and just know will hit pay dirt. Despite outshooting the Huskies 21-11 and doubling them up in corners (8-4) the finishing problem was the story for the Lobos. After seeing the action against much weaker competition the previous weekend I was encouraged by the play if not the result. I was optimistic when leaving the stadium that the boys would rebound well against UCSB. I knew they'd have to play tough and stand their ground against the Gauchos who appeared to use thuggery as a tactic to complement their pool of excellent players when beating SMU in the early match. The Lobos backs were against the wall at 2-3-0 and facing the then 9th ranked team. It was an excellent game in front of an excellent crowd and we got what we came for when Diego Barrera scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute. Afraid to report that the Gaucho thuggery I witnessed Friday night continued Sunday with at least two malays breaking out - one spilling onto the field and involving both head coaches.
So they're 3 up and 3 down after three weeks and a major question mark - for us and on the national scene. I saw much to be optimistic about that weekend though - this bunch was tough, afraid of nothing and willing to battle for 90 or more minutes. The boys would lose only 2 of 13 games and allow just 7 more goals from there on out. After a two game roll through California the boys were 5-3 and appeared to be solidifying their half of the field and finding the finishing touch beating Cal State Northridge 4 nil and San Francisco (12th ranked at the time) 2 nil. Five players scored the six goals, with only Chris Wright doubling up on the trip.
The Lobos did as expected when they won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title again in 2007 at 7-1-2. Only University of Denver were serious challengers as has been the case of late. The results:
10/05 Tie 1-1 vs. Denver
10/07 Win 6 nil vs. Air Force
10/12 Win 4-1 at San Jose State
10/14 Win 1 nil at Sacramento State
10/20 Win 2-1 vs. UNLV
11/03 Loss 2-1 at UNLV in 2OT
11/09 Win 3 nil vs. Sacramento State
11/11 Win 5-1 vs. San Jose State
11/16 Win 2 nil at Air Force
11/18 Tie nil nil at Denver
A few notable things from league play. The inverse scheduling putting Denver as first and last game set up the only excitement for the league. Because Denver was able to grab a point in ABQ despite being outplayed throughout the the October match the Pioneers had their destiny (and ours) in their hands at home on the last week of the season. I contend that this should never have been the case but may be a microcosm for the season. The Lobos were pretty damned good but not special. They took care of business in league play except for the opening day tie (never should have happened) and 'one of those games' in Las Vegas when, despite dominating all night, were beaten by Lamar Neagle in the second OT. All of a sudden Denver is in the driver seat in early November. When the final tilt arrived the Lobos played conservatively in Denver and got their point back and won the title. Ugly but they were in the big dance.
There was alot of speculation about whether or not UNM would have gotten in as an At-Large if they did not pull that point on November 18th. I don't think so. Their RPI was quite low even though they were a ranked team. It's the RPI that put them in the bottom 16 of the 48 teams in the tournament and bought them a road game in the first round. Everyone figured they'd be going west again in 2007 like the previous year. Sure enough they drew UCLA in the first round. If you recall the Bruins were barely eligible for consideration with a .500 record but that didn't stop pundits from making them the 'team nobody wants to face'. For my part I had no problem having our boys go out there. By then we knew they could play with anyone and feared no team. Tough, talented and well organized in the back. The key was going to be finishing opportunities.
Just after Thanksgiving the Lobos took on the Bruins but could only manage 8 shots (1 on goal) in a 1 nil loss. They only gave up 11 shots - the game winner coming in the 89th minute on a free kick from just outside the box. It was not a 'brilliant shot', having dribbled along the ground before finding the corner of the net. Bad wall placement? Either way there was no time to recover and suddenly the season was over. BTW- obviously the NCAA doesn't seed based on revenue 'cause the mighty Bruins drew only 625 fans to the game - we would have been able to do 8-10 times that number in Albuquerque.
So did this season live up to expectations? For me - no. For the guys I'm sure it didn't. We've all become used to huge win totals and runs into the tournament. Four seniors Blake Danaher, Mike Graczyk, David Gualdarama and Joey Vitagliano were multi-year contributors (with recognition) on some of the best teams in the country and transfer Diego Barrera, the fifth senior, came in for a reason. These guys and returnees at every starting spot except center back (Andrew Boyens) could not have been satisfied with going backward, if only slightly.
What happened? For me it's a one word answer - finishing.
I love(d) watching this team play. The guys are great and Coach Fishbein has built an incredible program. My time and money is well spent in following this bunch and while I may have been disappointed with the way the season ended I was never disappointed with the boys or their effort. Cheers to the five departing players and best of luck in your future endeavors - on and off the field.
We'll get 'em next year!
12-5-2 overall (7-1-2 in MPSF play; 6-2-1 at home, 5-3-1 away and 1-0-0 on neutral field) - The Lobos won the sixth MPSF regular-season title in the past seven years and lost an away game to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Did this season live up to expectations (reasonable and highest)? Here's how I recollect it followed by my analysis.
After two losses in exhibition matches in Fort Wayne, IN (3 nil to Notre Dame and 1 nil to Indiana) Coach Fishbein had done his tinkering and was ready for the full season which started with three weekend tournaments. starting in Akron the Lobos lost to the host Zips 3-1 on Friday before rebounding for a 3-1 win over Hartwick College. Back on home soil the following weekend the Lobos again lost Friday (1-0 to Loyola Marymount) and won Sunday (1-0 over Cincinnati). Local fans got a good look at the 2007 edition of the team. They played hard and played for each other but despite being very solid in their third and encouraging in the middle third they lacked creativity and production in the attacking third. The opposition was not strong, the Lobos were clearly superior but the results were mediocre. LMU had one legit chance all night on Friday - a direct kick from 30 yards that Graczyk seemed ill-prepared for as he watched it rip the back of the net.
All eyes in the nation turned to Albuquerque on September 14th weekend as SMU, Washington and the defending National Champion UCSB Gauchos came to town. The Lobos continued the trend of the season by losing Friday night to Washington 1 nil and then turning it around Sunday with an excellent victory over the Gauchos 2-1. The Washington game was very even. Kevin Forrest (who is joining Graczyk in Denver trying to make the Rapids squad) finished a nice header on one of those sequence of plays you see develop over 70 yards and just know will hit pay dirt. Despite outshooting the Huskies 21-11 and doubling them up in corners (8-4) the finishing problem was the story for the Lobos. After seeing the action against much weaker competition the previous weekend I was encouraged by the play if not the result. I was optimistic when leaving the stadium that the boys would rebound well against UCSB. I knew they'd have to play tough and stand their ground against the Gauchos who appeared to use thuggery as a tactic to complement their pool of excellent players when beating SMU in the early match. The Lobos backs were against the wall at 2-3-0 and facing the then 9th ranked team. It was an excellent game in front of an excellent crowd and we got what we came for when Diego Barrera scored the game-winner in the 82nd minute. Afraid to report that the Gaucho thuggery I witnessed Friday night continued Sunday with at least two malays breaking out - one spilling onto the field and involving both head coaches.
So they're 3 up and 3 down after three weeks and a major question mark - for us and on the national scene. I saw much to be optimistic about that weekend though - this bunch was tough, afraid of nothing and willing to battle for 90 or more minutes. The boys would lose only 2 of 13 games and allow just 7 more goals from there on out. After a two game roll through California the boys were 5-3 and appeared to be solidifying their half of the field and finding the finishing touch beating Cal State Northridge 4 nil and San Francisco (12th ranked at the time) 2 nil. Five players scored the six goals, with only Chris Wright doubling up on the trip.
The Lobos did as expected when they won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title again in 2007 at 7-1-2. Only University of Denver were serious challengers as has been the case of late. The results:
10/05 Tie 1-1 vs. Denver
10/07 Win 6 nil vs. Air Force
10/12 Win 4-1 at San Jose State
10/14 Win 1 nil at Sacramento State
10/20 Win 2-1 vs. UNLV
11/03 Loss 2-1 at UNLV in 2OT
11/09 Win 3 nil vs. Sacramento State
11/11 Win 5-1 vs. San Jose State
11/16 Win 2 nil at Air Force
11/18 Tie nil nil at Denver
A few notable things from league play. The inverse scheduling putting Denver as first and last game set up the only excitement for the league. Because Denver was able to grab a point in ABQ despite being outplayed throughout the the October match the Pioneers had their destiny (and ours) in their hands at home on the last week of the season. I contend that this should never have been the case but may be a microcosm for the season. The Lobos were pretty damned good but not special. They took care of business in league play except for the opening day tie (never should have happened) and 'one of those games' in Las Vegas when, despite dominating all night, were beaten by Lamar Neagle in the second OT. All of a sudden Denver is in the driver seat in early November. When the final tilt arrived the Lobos played conservatively in Denver and got their point back and won the title. Ugly but they were in the big dance.
There was alot of speculation about whether or not UNM would have gotten in as an At-Large if they did not pull that point on November 18th. I don't think so. Their RPI was quite low even though they were a ranked team. It's the RPI that put them in the bottom 16 of the 48 teams in the tournament and bought them a road game in the first round. Everyone figured they'd be going west again in 2007 like the previous year. Sure enough they drew UCLA in the first round. If you recall the Bruins were barely eligible for consideration with a .500 record but that didn't stop pundits from making them the 'team nobody wants to face'. For my part I had no problem having our boys go out there. By then we knew they could play with anyone and feared no team. Tough, talented and well organized in the back. The key was going to be finishing opportunities.
Just after Thanksgiving the Lobos took on the Bruins but could only manage 8 shots (1 on goal) in a 1 nil loss. They only gave up 11 shots - the game winner coming in the 89th minute on a free kick from just outside the box. It was not a 'brilliant shot', having dribbled along the ground before finding the corner of the net. Bad wall placement? Either way there was no time to recover and suddenly the season was over. BTW- obviously the NCAA doesn't seed based on revenue 'cause the mighty Bruins drew only 625 fans to the game - we would have been able to do 8-10 times that number in Albuquerque.
So did this season live up to expectations? For me - no. For the guys I'm sure it didn't. We've all become used to huge win totals and runs into the tournament. Four seniors Blake Danaher, Mike Graczyk, David Gualdarama and Joey Vitagliano were multi-year contributors (with recognition) on some of the best teams in the country and transfer Diego Barrera, the fifth senior, came in for a reason. These guys and returnees at every starting spot except center back (Andrew Boyens) could not have been satisfied with going backward, if only slightly.
What happened? For me it's a one word answer - finishing.
I love(d) watching this team play. The guys are great and Coach Fishbein has built an incredible program. My time and money is well spent in following this bunch and while I may have been disappointed with the way the season ended I was never disappointed with the boys or their effort. Cheers to the five departing players and best of luck in your future endeavors - on and off the field.
We'll get 'em next year!
5 comments:
albuquerque wrote on Big Soccer dot com at post # 103
Re: Lobos Thread posted Yesterday, 07:20 PM
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=13862781#post13862781
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tolstoy-
Beautifully done. With this kind of effort, and this kind of energy leads me to believe Fish is paying you to get the word out. Can't say I know of any casual fans that have the time or patience for this kind of recognition of a program. Are you a former player or what? Don't get me wrong, I love what you are doing, but it appears that this is a love fest. I am hopeful of some constructive criticism when warranted, and not all fluff.
Having said that, 2007 is a complete bust without the stellar defensive duo in the middle in the back. Also, relying on C. Wright isn't going to get in 2008. Finally, I would like to see Fish allow the boys a bit more possesion. They basically hold it for one, two or three passes, then hit the long ball. I would prefer more possesion when warranted. There style was very predictable, therefore somewhat boring in my mind. I understand they have a system, but appears too rigid to me. That is a reflection of the coach apparently from what I am told.
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cross posted by Tolstoy
cross posted at big soccer dot com at post # 104
Re: Lobos Thread posted Today, 05:41 AM
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=13862781#post13862781
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albuquerque - first, thanks for the read. There's no sense doing something like this if no one stops by. I hope you and others continue to come by and more importantly post there. I looked but did not find a forum to discuss the Lobos in detail so, without ever having done one, I started http://lobo-soccer.blogspot.com/
I'm a more than casual fan - a 'homer'. I try to work my schedule around and then plunk down my $6 for every home game. I use gametracker and/or audio/video feeds for away games and I try to see them in the spring. I check the UNM Official Site on a regular basis and I have a Google Email Alert set up for lobo soccer. So yea, a bit more than casual. I found this program in '05 during the run to the championship game and have been hooked ever since. I'm casual with respect to professional sports/teams/players and most college sports/teams/players. This UNM Lobo Men's Soccer thing is relatively new. It may be different if ABQ had a pro club.
http://lobo-soccer.blogspot.com/ is a 'rag', simple as that. I am self employed, work at home and comfortable in life so I find that I have time and energy to set up the forum. I'm a life-long player (sweeper - HS, Div 3, and various adult leagues around the country) and fan of the game. I've also coached teenagers. I'm not a UNM Alum, I just live in ABQ. I have no relationship with the coaching staff, administration or players. They don't know me. I have exchanged a few emails over time with Jay Blackman, Assistant Director for Media Relations on specific questions/issues.
It is difficult for me to criticize college kids (unless they aren't giving effort) but I'll express opinions and seek and post those of others so we can have an 'outside of the program discussion'.
As for 2007 - I kept thinking and saying - they're good but not special - they are missing that special player, that intangible thing that special teams have. We should continue to discuss whether that's a result of coaching, style of play, player talent, etc, as we move into 2008 - I look forward to it - T.
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albuquerque wrote on Big Soccer dot com at post # 106
Re: Lobos Thread posted Today, 09:29 AM
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=13866562#post13866562
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tolstoy - interesting thoughts!
I agree on some, but not on others. The seaon was not a bust, but could have been without the defensive play. I believe that is what I said. Yes, the wingbacks were good at times. The freshman wingback made several mistakes that cost goals, one cost the game. Brown is very good, but sometimes caught sleeping defensively. I really like him moving forward. I also disagree on the midfield. They were average at best. Perhpas they were not capable of more creativity. David G. was good side to side and at times nifty with the feat, but no overall purpose to his play in the attacking third. I'm sorry but I don't get the Porter issue. I don't believe he is the quality player needed in that position to advance the program. (Too many reds as he is usually overmatched athletically). He is there as he is a local of sorts, who completely buys into fishbein system (workrate), but really doesn't have the tools at this level in my opinion. I'm sure he is a nice kid, but I prefer to keep this to soccer talk.
I'm all for a system, but a system that allows for more possession. I find this system very predictable and safe, but personally not very entertaining.
The Justin D. move was also very good. He is a solid player with a great determination to succeed.
I am very hopeful that this new class will bring in a few of those "special" offensive players we seem to be missing. I am very upbeat about 08", as I was very disappointed in the 07' results.
Finally, I do believe that it takes a certain kind of kid to play for fishbein. He likes to break them down like a rented mule, then build them up his way. Some kids simply won't or should not be broken. I am not so sure he has discovered that at this point. You can be tough and demand discipline, but you also have to respect the individual and occasionally be flexible. I wonder if he has a military background? Just an opinion!
Anyway, thanks for taking the lead. This will be fun!
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cross posted by Tolstoy
that is definitely what you said and how I read it. My reference to your statement in my post was obviously not clear.
This will definitely be fun - glad you took the bait and referrals and comment posts at the blog will be appreciated to keep the dialog interesting - Regards, T. - http://lobo-soccer.blogspot.com/
BTW- If my math is correct Blake Danaher, Mike Graczyk, David Gualdarama and Joey Vitagliano, as a class, tied the '05 team seniors with a school record 61 wins in 4 years...
cross posted at big soccer dot com at # 108
Re: Lobos Thread posted Today, 01:08 PM
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=13868404#post13868404
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let's talk Mike Porter (5th year senior to be) - 6-1 /165 - Defender/Midfield from Las Cruces, NM - redshirted in first year
- 2005 played 1 game
- 2006 started 20 of 21 games logging 1503 minutes - 2nd team All-MPSF - missed 1 game for accumulated yellow cards - 1 goal a game winner; 2 assists; 4 points; 9 shots; 3 on goal
- 2007 started 19 of 19 for 1391 minutes - no honors besides academic - 1 goal a game winner; 1 assist; 3 points; 9 shots; 3 on goal
- he's never been red carded
Porter is a classic defensive midfielder who is also called upon to play stopper at times. His score line is pretty consistent with that. In '07 he played fewer minutes than '06 to allow Michael Reed (a more attacking mid) more time on the pitch.
He's one of the guys I keep a close eye on (in game) as a barometer of their composure and organization. When he's disrupting, holding and distributing in the middle third the team's possession game is at its best and they are the most dangerous/productive.
I listed him as key player all year and especially in the NCAA tourney tilt with UCLA which was a 50/50 result, play-wise. I see every reason to believe he'll log major minutes in 2008 and his play will be a determining factor on overall success. In short, I like his game AND believe he belongs on the field for a top club.
We obviously agree on the importance of the position. If spring and summer training sessions lead to a better player fit than Porter so be it, he needs to sit or play himself into another spot. It's a cruel world but I don't think that will be the case - Regards, T.
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