Nov. 3, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Up Next: The No. 2 University of New Mexico men’s soccer team can wrap up the 2004 MPSF Championship with a pair of wins this week, but things won’t be easy for the Lobos as they take to the road for the last time during the regular season. UNM faces San Jose State (5-10-1, 4-5-0 MPSF) on Thursday, November 4, at 8:00 p.m. (M.S.T.). The Lobos (13-1-1, 7-1-1 MPSF) then travel to Sacramento State (5-10-1, 4-6-0 MPSF) on Sunday, November 7, at 2:00 p.m. (M.S.T.).
San Jose State Spartans (5-10-1, 4-5-0 MPSF)
Location: San Jose, Calif.
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Head Coach: Gary St. Clair (San Jose State `76)
Record at SJSU: 142-130-22 (15th year)
Career Record: same
 |
Starters Returning/Lost: 8/3
2003 Record: 12-7-2 (NCAA 1st Round)
2003 Conference Record: 5-1-0 (1st)
UNM vs. SJSU: 5-5-0
Last Time: SJSU won 3-2 (11-16-03) at Sacramento, Calif. (MPSF Finals)
Last UNM Win: 1-0 (10-31-03) at Home
Top Goal Scorer: Tim McKinney (5)
Top Assists: Marvin Sorto (7)
Top Goalie: Daniel Benton (1.38 g.a.a)
Notes: The last time these two teams met was in the 2003 MPSF Tournament finals, with the Spartans taking a 3-2, win and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That match included a bench-clearing incident that left Lobos Danny Bills, Ricky Francis and Lance Watson, along with Spartans Johnny Gonzales and Frank Sanfilippo ejected from the game. Since then the two teams have gone in opposite directions, with UNM on the verge of winning their second regular season MPSF title in three years and San Jose State already eliminated from the race. After starting the season 1-9-1, SJSU has won four of the last five and are looking to play the role of the spoiler against New Mexico.
Web Site: www.SJSUSpartans.com”
Sacramento State Hornets (5-10-1, 4-6-0 MPSF)
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Head Coach: Mike Lineberger
Record at Sac.St.: 99-160-26 (16th year)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 7/4
2003 Record: 5-11-2
 |
2003 Conference Record: 2-3-1 (5th)
UNM vs. Sac.St.: 5-2-0
Last Time: UNM won 3-0 (10-10-04) at home
Top Goal Scorer: Ryan Rhoads (7)
Top Assists: Ricky Rodriguez (5)
Top Goalie: Matt McDougal (1.93 g.a.a.)
Notes: UNM defeated the Hornets, 3-0, on October 10 earlier this season at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Hornets have the league’s No. 2 goal scorer in Ryan Rhoads (7), while Ricky Rodriguez’ five assists ranks third in the MPSF. Junior Matt McDougal has played every minute in goal for Sac. St. and has posted a 1.93 g.a.a.
Web Site: <=”” href=”http://www.HornetSports.com?DB_OEM_ID=26000″>
Highest Ever Ranking: With wins over Denver and Air Force last week, the Lobos hold their place at No. 2 in Soccer America’s top-25, the highest ranking in school history for the third week in a row. UNM is also currently ranked seventh in the Soccer Times top-25, eighth in the CollegeSoccerNews.com top-30 and 12th in the NSCAA top-25. The Lobos are 22-9-3 all-time when ranked in the top-30. New Mexico is also third in this week’s Far West Region top-10.
Conference Picture: UNM needs two more wins to secure the 2004 MPSF title and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Denver and UNLV are the only two teams still alive in the league race. One more win by New Mexico will eliminate UNLV. If UNM defeats San Jose State on Thursday, November 4, and San Diego State takes down Denver on Friday, November 5, then the Lobos will lock up the MPSF title.
Junior Jeff Rowland leads with NCAA with a 1.13 goals-per-game average. |
Rowland Leads in the NCAA in Goals Per Game: Junior Jeff Rowland has racked up 17 goals and 37 points in 15 games this season. He leads the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in scoring and goals. He leads the NCAA with a 1.13 goals-per-game average and is third in the nation with 2.47 points-per-game. Rowland’s 17 goals is also the second highest single season mark in UNM history. The school record for goals in a season is 19, set by Edmundo Rodriguez (1991-92) in 1992.
Streak Snapped: New Mexico had its 10-game winning streak snapped at Denver on Sunday, October 17, in a 2-1 loss. The Lobos 10 consecutive wins to start the season were the most in school history. The 10-game winning streak also tied for the most consecutive wins in program history.
Tough at Home: The Lobos have won nine straight matches at the UNM Soccer Complex. The have also posted a 21-1-2 record at home under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. In 2004, UNM is 7-0-0 and has only allowed one goal on their home turf.
Stingy Defense: New Mexico’s back five of senior keeper Andrew Weber, sophomore Andrew Boyens and juniors Ben Ashwill, Ricky Francis and Matt Wootton have been near perfect this season. The Lobos have posted nine shutouts in 2004 and also had a scoreless streak of 466:53 minutes that stretched over eight games and included a school record six consecutive shutouts. The team’s 0.58 goals-against-average ranks fifth in the nation while their 0.60 shutout percentage ranks sixth in the NCAA.
Watson Named Player of the Week: Junior Lance Watson earned his first Brine MPSF Player of the Week award after scoring two goals and an assist in wins over Denver (10/28) and Air Force (10/31).
Weber 2nd Earns Player of the Week Honors: Senior Andrew Weber was named the Brine MPSF Player of the Week for the second time this season after shutting out UNLV (3-0) and recording a 1-1 tie against San Diego State. He also earned the MPSF player of the week earlier this year after shutting out Columbia (3-0) and No. 1 Indiana (1-0). This is the fourth time in his career he has earned the MPSF Player of the Week award.
Senior keeper Andrew Weber ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 0.54 g.a.a. |
New Attendance Mark Set: The Lobos set a new attendance mark at the UNM Soccer Complex on Sunday, September 19, in their 1-0, double-overtime win over No. 1 Indiana. 4,412 fans spun the turnstiles to break the previous record set on September 12, 1997, when 4,352 fans saw the Lobos defeat Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2-0. New Mexico’s overall home game attendance record was set on September 23, 1989, when 7,449 fans saw No. 4 UCLA defeat UNM, 2-0, in University Stadium. The Lobos also had the third largest crowd at the UNM Soccer Complex on Saturday for their, 3-0, win over Columbia when 3,327 fans showed up for the game. Four of the Lobos’ seven home games have had crowds of 2,300 or larger and New Mexico is averaging 2,497 fans per game.
Rowland Racks Up National Recognition: Junior Jeff Rowland was named CollegeSoccerNews.com’s National Player of the Week, the MPSF Player of the Week and Soccer America’s Team of the Week for the week ending September 5. Rowland scored all five of the Lobos’ goals in the opening weekend. He also earned the MVP of the Nike/ALLTELL Classic at Richmond, Va.
Lobos Knock Off No. 1 Indiana: Freshman Blake Danaher scored off an assist from junior Ben Ashwill with 13 second left in the second overtime to give the Lobos a 1-0, win over top-ranked Indiana on Sunday, September 19. The win was the first over a top-ranked team for New Mexico. UNM improved to 10-25-0 against ranked teams, including two wins this season.
Ashwill On National Team of the Week: Junior Ben Ashwill earned a spot on CollegeSoccerNews.com’s National Team of the Week after leading New Mexico to wins over Columbia (3-0) and No. 1 Indiana (1-0). Ashwill had the game-winning assist in the win over the Hoosiers. It is the second time in his career he has made the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week.=””>