Nov. 6, 2003
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team landed a program-record, six members on the District VI All-Academic team today. The Lobos took over half of the spots available on the District VI team with junior Eric Carlson, and sophomores Ben Ashwill, Jeff Rowland, Lance Watson, Brandon Moss, and Matt Wootton all being honored.
Each of the following Lobo soccer players were named to the District VI All-Academic team and are nominated for Academic All-American consideration:
Eric Carlson * Junior * 3.95 g.p.a. * Major: Financial Management
Games Played/Started: 17/8 … 0 Goals… 0 Assists… 0 Points… Key reserve for the Lobos who has played in every game for the Lobos in 2003… Moves in and out of the starting line-up… Transferred to UNM from Delaware in 2002… Played in 21 of 22 games in 2002… Was fourth on the team in scoring with three goals and five assists… Five assists tied for fifth in the MPSF in 2002… Albuquerque, N.M.
Ben Ashwill * Sophomore * 3.90 g.p.a. * Major: General Management
Games Played/Started: 17/12… 4 Goals… 1 Assist… 9 Points… Scored game winner in 2OT vs. Denver…Had two goals in a 3-0 win over San Diego State for his third career multi-goal game… Was 2002’s First Team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, second freshman in school history to earn First team all conference… Was 2002 MPSF Tournament Most Valuable Player… Was a 2002 CollegeSoccerNews.com Freshman All-American … Was 2002 Soccer America Freshman All-American … Led the MPSF in 12 goals in 2002…Three of his goals were game-winners in 2002 … Has scored 13 career goals and 30 career points in less than two full seasons of play…Two-time MPSF Player of the Week and National Team of the Week in 2002… Albuquerque, N.M.
Brandon Moss * Sophomore * 3.95 g.p.a. * Major: General Management
Games Played/Started 15/15… 0 Goals… 0 Assists… 0 Points…One of the most talented defenders in theMountain Pacific Sports Federation …Played over 1,400 minutes this season … Earned all-tournament team honors at the 2003 Crescent Financial Solutions Invitational…Named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com national Team of the Week for 10/29-11/2…2002 All-MPSF 2nd Team… Was 2002 CollegeSoccerNews.com Freshman All-American…Played in every game in 2002 and recorded 2025 minutes which was the most ever by a UNM freshman and the sixth highest total in schoolhistory… Has scored two career goals… Albuquerque, N.M.
Jeff Rowland * Sophomore * 3.90 g.p.a. * Major: General Management
Games Played/Started: 16/11 … 4 Goals… 3 Assists… 11 Points… Second on the team in scoring with four goals and three assists in 2003…Moved into the starting line-up as the season progressed…Named the Offensive MVP of the 2003 Crescent Financial Solutions Invitational…Played in the final 10 games of 2002, scoring three goals…Scored game-winning goal against Denver in the 2002 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s semifinals…One of the only two Lobos to have scored goals in the NCAA Tournament…Scored against Bradley in the 2002 1st round NCAA game, a 2-1 win for UNM…Albuquerque, N.M.
Lance Watson * Sophomore * 3.22 g.p.a. * Major: General Management
Games Played/Started: 15/14 … 6 Goals… 1 Assist… 13 Points… Leads the team in scoring with 13 points on six goals and an assist…Named to three all-tournament teams in 2003, including the Offensive MVP of the TLC Plumbing & Utilities Invitational, an honor he also took home in 2002 … Three of his six goals scored have been game winners … Was on 2002 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation 2nd Team…2002 MPSF All-Tournament Team…2002 All-Midwest Region Third Team…Third on team in scoring in 2002 with four goals and eight assists…His eight assists tied for 2nd in MPSF in 2002…Albuquerque, N.M.
Matt Wootton * Sophomore * 3.90 g.p.a. * Major: Political Science
Games Played/Started: 16/14… 0 Goals… 2 Assists… 2 Points… Has played in all but one game in 2003 with 14 starts and 1324 minutes…Scored his second assist against San Diego State… Was named to the SMU Classic all-tournament team…Saw action in 19 of 22 games for the Lobos in 2002…Earned 13 starts and 1,000 minutes of playing time…Had an assist against Denver in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament semifinals…Colleyville, Texas.
Student-athletes must have at least a 3.20 grade-point-average, and play a major role in their team’s success in order to be nominated for a spot on the team. Once nominated, a vote is taken by members of the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to determine who is named to the team. Each member of the All-District team is automatically nominated for consideration to the Academic All-American team.
This is the first time the Lobo men’s soccer team has had any student-athletes nominated to the Academic All-District team since the 1997 season. Only three players in the program’s history, David Robertson (’85 & ’86), Steve Farrer (’90), and Jason Hix (’93 & ’94), have been named Academic All-American for the Lobos.