Oct. 27, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The University of New Mexico men's soccer team closes out their four-game road swing with a trip to California this weekend, where they will face the last two unbeaten teams in the MPSF. The Lobos (9-5-0 overall, 3-1 MPSF) continue conference play at 4:30 p.m. MT Friday, Oct. 30 with Sacramento State at the Hornet Soccer Field in Sacramento, Calif. New Mexico will face San Jose State at 2 p.m. MT on Sunday, Nov. 1 at Spartan Field in San Jose, Calif. GameTracker will be available for the Sacramento State game, while live stats and an audio broadcast will accompany the SJSU matchup. All links can be found on GoLobos.com.
UP NEXT:
Sacramento State is 8-5-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in MPSF play coming into Friday's matchup. The Hornets topped Cal State Bakersfield 3-1 on Sunday and shut out Seattle 1-0 on Friday night to remain unbeaten in league play. Junior Ernesto Carranza scored his third and fourth goals of the conference season and freshman David Norton added his fourth goal of the year against CSUB.
Freshman Max Alvarez has led Sacramento State offensively thus far with 17 points on eight goals and one assist. Carranza trails closely with six goals and four assists for 16 points, while Norton has nine points on four goals and one assist. Senior Ryan Kenny has logged the most time in goal for the Hornets, starting seven games and posting a 1.46 goals-allowed-average, but sophomore Bryan Oliver has started all four of Sac State's conference games. Oliver boasts a .80 g.a.a in five games played.
Also 4-0 in MPSF play, San Jose State is coming off a 1-0 shutout against Seattle on Sunday and a 3-1 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Friday night. The Spartans are 9-6-1 overall heading into this weekend -- they are riding a win streak of seven, are unbeaten in eight, and are also unbeaten at home in over a year. Sophomore Oscar Yniguez grabbed the late game-winner against Seattle, scoring with just 6:35 left to preserve the perfect record in conference play. Junior Josh Boemecke produced the first two-goal game of his collegiate career, including his first game-winner, against CSUB before departing as the result of a red card issued to him in the 73rd minute.
Sophomore Justin Castro leads the Spartans with 12 points on five goals and two assists, while senior Nick Cukar has five goals, one assist, and 11 points. A total of nine players have found the back of the net for San Jose State this season. Sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Lester is perched atop the MPSF individual stat charts with a goals-allowed-average of 0.75 in 14 games played. Lester was named the co-MPSF Player of the Week on Oct. 19 for recording a pair of shutouts in 200 minutes of action against Air Force and Denver. SJSU also leads the MPSF team stat charts for goals-allowed-average with a mark of 0.90 in 15 games. New Mexico is a close second in the category with a mark of 0.99.
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Head Coach: Michael Linenberger (Duke, `87)
Record at Sacramento State: 133-215-34 (21)
Career Record: Same
Starters Returning/Lost: 7/4
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 17/6
2008 Record: 8-9-2
2008 Conference Record: 3-7-0 (4th)
NM vs. Sacramento State: 12-2-2
Last Time: New Mexico won 2-1 in Sacramento (11-7-08)
Web Site: HornetSports.com
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS
Location: San Jose, Calif.
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Head Coach: Gary St. Clair (San Jose State, `76)
Record at SJSU: 189-168-30 (19)
Career Record: Same
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/6
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 10/9
2008 Record: 9-5-4
2008 Conference Record: 5-4-1 (3rd)
NM vs. SJSU: 13-7-0
Last Time: SJSU won 1-0 in San Jose (11/9/08)
Web Site: SJSUSpartans.com
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND:
New Mexico went 1-1 on the weekend with a loss against Air Force on Friday night and a victory against Denver on Sunday afternoon. The Lobos fell victim to a penalty kick goal against Air Force, dropping a tough 1-0 decision on the road. The Falcons took advantage of a corner kick and subsequent handball in the box with less than five minutes left in the game. Air Force's Kevin Rosser put away the gift-wrapped PK at 85:18 -- his strike was Air Force's only shot on goal. New Mexico dominated on the offensive end and outshot Air Force considerably, pounding Falcon keeper Mike Mauro with 15 shots to Air Force's seven overall. The Lobos topped defending MPSF Champion Denver 2-1 on the road on Sunday, with Michael Reed and P.J. Wilson providing the firepower. The Lobos dealt with arduous weather conditions and a slick field, battling through temperatures in the mid-30's and intermittent snow flurries in Denver. Reed scored the first goal of his Lobo career just under 15 minutes into the game to put New Mexico on the board first. Wilson broke a 1-1 tie with 2:30 left in the first period, giving the Lobos a slight halftime cushion. Wilson's strike proved to be the game-winner, standing up for the remainder of play.
REED SCORES FIRST CAREER GOAL:
Junior Michael Reed scored the first goal of his Lobo career just under 15 minutes into Sunday's victory over Denver. Reed got the ball on the right side, beat a defender off the dribble inside, and went top-shelf with a left-footed strike from 25 yards out. Reed has started all 14 games in the midfield for the Lobos this season, and he is a close second on the team in minutes with 1265. Teammate Ryan Farquharson leads with 1267. Reed started 19 of 19 games for the Lobos in 2008 and led the team with 1661 minutes on the season.
DAVIS PICKS UP SECOND MPSF AWARD:
Senior forward Justin Davis was selected as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 19 after notching four points on one goal and two assists over a weekend, Oct. 16-18. Davis is fourth on the MPSF individual stat charts for assists with five. He is currently fifth in the category of points with fifteen, and tied for sixth in goals with five. The MPSF nod is his second of the season, and the Lobos have been pegged for the award three times this year.
FIRSTS FOR CAFFEY:
Freshman forward Josh Caffey was recruited to score goals, and he has already made an impact as a first-year player. Caffey scored his first goal as a Lobo against Seattle on Oct. 16, taking the flick from Justin Davis to beat Seattle keeper Ivan Dizdar one-on-one at 49:51. Caffey started his first game against Stanford on Sept. 27, and has logged 253 minutes so far this season.
GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE:
Lobo soccer fans have gotten a glimpse into the future this season, watching the partnership of freshmen Josh Caffey, Patrick Pacheco, Levi Rossi, and Blake Smith on the forward line. All four have logged quality time throughout the season, and have been given playing opportunities in crucial matches. Pacheco leads the freshmen with 447 minutes, while Caffey and Smith have logged 253 and 194 minutes, respectively. Rossi rounds out the playing time with 64 minutes of action. Look for all four to play attacking roles in the years to come.
LOBOS 14TH IN INITIAL MEN'S RPI:
The Lobos are finally getting some love for playing one of the most competitive non-conference schedules in the country. The Lobos were No. 14 in the first Ratings Percentage Index released by the NCAA on Oct. 12. New Mexico has beaten some of the top teams in the nation so far this season, notching wins over California, Notre Dame, Saint Louis, and Cal State Northridge, among others. The Lobos are building a strong resume for being a Men's College Cup participant, as they have beaten three teams in the Top 48 of the season's initial RPI. New Mexico boasts wins over No. 15 California (8-3-0), No. 24 Notre Dame (7-4-1), and No. 43 St. Louis (7-4-0). The Lobos are also 1-0 against teams in the Top 15 of the initial RPI. The RPI is one of the most important criteria the NCAA uses to determine the teams and seeding for the NCAA Tournament following the regular season. 22 of the 48 slots are reserved for automatic conference bids, and the rest of the tournament slots are filled through at-large bids. The RPI's mathematical formula is designed to objectively compare results and strength of schedule. New Mexico has made the trip to the NCAA Tournament six out of the last eight years. The Lobos won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament all six of those years.
FISHBEIN REACHES 200 CAREER VICTORIES:
Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein reached a career-wins milestone on Oct. 3, notching his 200th career victory with a home win over Cal-State Northridge. Fishbein has posted a 203-96-25 overall record in 17 years, and he reached his 100th program victory at UNM with a Sept. 13 road win over No. 10 Notre Dame. Fishbein is in his 8th year at New Mexico, and currently holds a 107-36-15 record at UNM.
GREEN SNAGS THREE WEEKLY HONORS:
Sophomore midfielder Michael Green earned three weekly awards on Oct. 5 after scoring both goals, including the game-winner, in a 2-0 Saturday home win over Cal-State Northridge. Green was named to the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News National Teams of the Week and was also selected as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week. The MPSF nod was the first of his career and the second of the season for the Lobos. Green is the second Lobo since 2007 to win a national weekly award, and the national honors were the first of his career as a Lobo.
NEW MEXICO AGAINST THE TOP-25:
New Mexico's win over No. 4 Cal marked the team's third win over Top-25 teams, and their second victory over Top-10 programs this season. The Lobos' 6-4-0 mark includes a 3-0 win over No. 21 Saint Louis, a 2-1 (OT) win over No. 10 Notre Dame, and the 2-1 win over No. 4 Cal. The Lobos also notched all three wins on the road, defeating Saint Louis and Notre Dame on their home turf. The California win came at a neutral site in Stanford, Calif.
URBANY SCORES THIRD CAREER GOAL, FARQUHARSON SECOND:
Both goals in the Lobos' victory over No. 4 Cal on Sept. 25 came from third-year Lobos who consistently work hard in the midfield, but don't necessarily get a lot of chances to score goals. Junior James Urbany's strike was his second of the season and second in a row -- he also found the back of the net in New Mexico's 3-0 victory over Gonzaga on Sept. 20. Urbany has three career goals. Junior Ryan Farquharson's goal was his first of the season and the second of his career.
PACHECO, RODRIGUEZ GET FIRST STARTS:
New Mexico freshmen Patrick Pacheco and Victor Rodriguez each got their first starts as Lobos in New Mexico's matchup against Gonzaga on Sept. 20. Pacheco, a Taos, N.M. native, made the best of his opportunity, banging in the winning goal in New Mexico's 3-0 romp over Gonzaga. Goalkeper Rodriguez started in between the pipes for the Lobos, picking up the win while posting three impressive saves in just over 68 minutes. Rodriguez captained Las Cruces High to a 5A State Championship.
EJDEMYR ON PENALTY KICKS:
Strong-footed Lobo senior Simon Ejdemyr is currently 8-8 on career penalty kicks. Ejdemyr scored the Lobos' first goal of the 2009 season on a penalty kick at Robert R. Hermann Stadium against No. 21 Saint Louis, then broke a 1-1 tie with a PK to lift New Mexico to a 2-1 win over UC Davis at home on Sept. 18. Ejdemyr also scored the Lobos' last goal of the 2008 season on a penalty kick, the lone strike in New Mexico's 1-0 win over No. 25 Denver at home on Nov. 16.
DAVIS RACKS UP WEEKLY HONORS:
After scoring both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over No. 10 Notre Dame on their home field, New Mexico senior forward Justin Davis was named to the Soccer America National Team of the Week on Sept. 15. He combined for seven points on three goals and one assist Sept. 11-13 at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament hosted by Notre Dame. Davis was named Offensive MVP and was an all-tournament honoree. He nailed the game-tying and winning goals to lead the way for the Lobos in the resounding win over the Fighting Irish on Sept. 13. Davis added a goal and an assist in a narrow 3-2 loss to No. 12 Indiana on Sept. 11. The honor was the second weekly award the Litchfield Park, Ariz. native earned in two days -- he was also named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week on Sept. 14. Davis's MPSF nod is the third of his career and the first of the season for the Lobos. Davis was the first Lobo since 2007 to win a national weekly award.
DAVIS CLIMBS THE ALL-TIME LISTS:
Lobo senior Justin Davis has cracked three Lobo All-Time lists. The senior forward is now fifth all-time in career shots at New Mexico with 169. He's ninth in the assists category with 17 and tenth in points with 53. His 18 career goals put him one away from the top ten.
LOBOS TOUGH AT HOME UNDER FISHBEIN:
The Lobo men's soccer team has posted a 31-2-1 mark in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action at the UNM Soccer Complex under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. The only two MPSF losses at home under Fishbein came against UNLV (2-0 on Oct. 18, 2003) and San Jose State (3-2, OT) on Oct. 16, 2005. New Mexico carries a 59-9-5 mark overall in eight years under Fishbein at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos capped off the 2008 season with a 1-0 win over No. 25 Denver at home.
NEW MEXICO IS STRONG WITH A LEAD:
The Lobos are tough to beat when scoring first or leading at the half. In head coach Jeremy Fishbein's tenure, New Mexico is 89-6-9 when finding the back of the net first and 57-2-4 when holding a halftime lead. The last time the Lobos surrendered a lead and lost the match was against No. 12 Indiana in Notre Dame, Ind. in a 3-2 loss to the Hoosiers this season.
UNM HAS WON SIX LEAGUE TITLES IN EIGHT YEARS:
The Lobos have dominated Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings in recent years, winning six league titles out of the last eight. All of UNM's league trophies have come since the 2001 season. The Lobos are 48-10-6 in MPSF action in seven seasons under current head coach Jeremy Fishbein.
TWO ALL-REGION, FOUR ALL-MPSF RETURN:
The Lobos return seven starters and 14 lettermen for the 2009 campaign. Highlighting this list is senior forward Jusin Davis and senior defender Simon Ejdemyr, who were first-team All-MPSF selections in 2008. Both Davis and Ejdemyr were also members of the All-Far West Region second and third teams, respectively. Davis led the Lobos and the MPSF in scoring last season with seven goals and six assists for 20 points, while Ejdemyr scored five goals and notched one assist as a defender. Juniors Ryan Farquharson and Michael Reed return from the All-MPSF squad, while seniors Stephen Brown and P.J. Wilson and sophomore Michael Green are all returning starters.
FIREPOWER RETURNS:
The Lobos will have 78 percent of their goals scored returning from last season, including MPSF leading scorer Jusin Davis and sharp-shooting Simon Ejdemyr, who went 5-5 on penalty kicks last season. Senior P.J. Wilson had three goals on the season in 2008, while senior Stephen Brown and sophomore Michael Green scored two apiece.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN STREAK CONTINUES:
Senior Simon Ejdemyr was named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American selection in 2008, earning first-team honors. New Mexico is the only team in the country to have at least one Academic All-American award-winner every year since 2003.
LOBOS DOMINATE IN CLASSROOM:
The Lobos were just as aggressive in the classroom as they were on the field in 2008. As a team, New Mexico earned its sixth straight National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award. The award is given to teams who achieve a 3.0 grade point average for the academic year. The Lobos return three student-athletes from last year's Academic All-MPSF list in senior Simon Ejdemyr and juniors Michael Reed and James Urbany. This marks the second Academic All-MPSF award for Ejdemyr and Reed, and the first for Urbany. Ejdemyr was also selected to the Academic Far West All-Region team.
NEW MEXICO 12TH IN NCAA HOME ATTENDANCE:
UNM averaged 1,632 fans per game at the UNM Soccer Complex in the 2008 season. A total of 16,322 spun the turnstiles in ten home games last year, ranking 12th in average attendance in the NCAA. The Lobos were 8-2-0 in the 10 home games in 2008. UNM has ranked in the Top-15 in attendance each year since the 2001 season. The Lobos 3,629 average in 2005 is still a single-season NCAA record for average per game in a season.
FARMING LOCAL TALENT:
Three New Mexico freshmen join the Lobo ranks this season, raising the number of local players on the 2009 UNM roster to six. Midfielder Patrick Pacheco of Taos HS was the school record holder for most goals in a season (32) and most assists (16) in a season, in addition to being the all-time leading goal scorer at THS with 67 goals and 36 assists in a four-year span. Pacheco was named second team all-state in 2007 and 2008. Midfielder Julian Roberts of Rio Rancho HS played on two district championship teams in 2007 and 2008, and was named first-team all-district in 2007. Forward/midfielder Lawrence Robledo of La Cueva HS was a member of the 2008 state championship team, was named second team all-state as a senior, and was an all-state honorable mention his junior year. Robledo was also the fifth-leading scorer in district 5A with 19 goals and 17 assists, totaling 55 points his senior year. Pacheco, Roberts, and Robledo team up with fellow New Mexicans Michael Reed (MF, Sandia HS), Dominique Romero (MF, La Cueva HS), and Victor Rodriguez (GK, Las Cruces HS) on this year's squad.
2009 SPRING SEASON:
The Lobos played five matches in the 2009 Spring season, posting a mark of 2-0-2. April 4 - 2-1 win over Fort Lewis College (Wilson, Ejdemyr) April 4 - 1-0 over Colorado State Pueblo (Davis) April 11 - 0-0 tie at UC-Santa Barbara April 12 - 0-0 tie at Cal-Poly
UNM SOCCER COMPLEX:
2009 marks the 14th year the Lobos will take the pitch at the UNM Soccer Complex. The home field for the Lobos seats 6,200 fans and is equipped with endline bleachers, a new press box and a Daktronics video scoreboard. The Lobo men's soccer locker room boasts state-of-the-art video equipment, personalized lockers, and a spacious area for use solely by the men's soccer program.
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