Barring reversal, Lobos set to play final home match

Tonight’s Senior Night could be last for program set to be eliminated

Senior Night in athletics is when you say goodbye to those who are taking the home field for the final time.

Senior Night arrives tonight for the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team. Fans could be saying goodbye to … everybody.

It figures to be an emotional turn to the finish line for the Lobos (4-10-0, 2-4-0 Conference USA), who kick off at 7 p.m. vs. Marshall (5-8-2, 1-3-1), and for 17th-season coach Jeremy Fishbein.

For now, his program is on the chopping block as a financial measure. There have been suggestions, even pledges, from legislators and at least one gubernatorial candidate to do what’s necessary to save the sport for 2019.

And Fishbein wrote in an email blast Thursday, “I will continue to believe in everything that Lobo Soccer stands for and believe that there will be a men’s soccer program at the University of New Mexico next year.”

But any program-saving measures are speculative at this point. There are no arrangements for any offseason program, which has been a staple under Fishbein. Until further notice, tonight at the UNM Soccer Complex is not only a farewell for seniors Matt Dorsey, Simon Spangenberg and Antoine Vial, but to all that is Lobo men’s soccer.

The players, meanwhile, are being proactive. Fishbein said 18 of 24 players eligible to return registered on Oct. 15, the first allowable day, for the NCAA Transfer Portal. (He said on Tuesday during a press conference that 20 had signed up.) It puts their name and contact information before every college program in the country and allows coaches at other schools to contact them without risking a tampering charge.

As down as the season has been, there remains stakes in this match. UNM is in sixth place in Conference USA, and the top seven teams make its postseason tournament. UNM closes the regular season Nov. 3 at Charlotte, which also hosts the tournament.

“Please support our players and thanks for all that you’ve done for our program,” Fishbein added. “I will reach back out to you upon completion of the fall season … hope not for a while!”