Dec. 3, 2004
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced its 2004 men’s all-region teams today and five Lobos were among those honored in the Far-West Region. Juniors Lance Watson and Jeff Rowland were first team members, senior Andrew Weber and sophomore Andrew Boyens earned spots on the second team, and junior Brandon Moss garnered third team honors. The Lobos’ five players on the All-Far West team were the most among any team in the region.
Coming off one of its most successful seasons in school history, the Lobos, who won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, have already garnered plenty of post-season recognition. Eight UNM players were named to the All-MPSF team, including Rowland and Boyens who were named co-players of the year.
Andrew Weber was a second-team selection. |
Rowland led the Lobos in scoring this season with 19 goals and seven assists. His 19 goals tied the school record set by Edmundo Rodriguez in 1992, while his 45 total points set a new program-high. Rowland was also an ESPN 1st Team Academic All-American selection in 2004. He finished the regular season ranked second in the nation in goals-per-game and fourth in scoring. This is Rowland’s first all-region honor.
Watson was second on the team in scoring with eight goals and four assists. He finished the year ranked third in the MPSF in scoring and was named to the All-MPSF 1st Team. This is the second time Watson has earned all-region recognition in his career. He was a member of the All-Midwest region third team following his freshman season.
Andrew Boyens earned a spot on the second-team. |
Weber closed out one of the most successful careers of any Lobo by capturing almost every goalkeeping record at UNM. He is the all-time leader in wins (50), saves (348), shutouts (25), minutes (7,681) and games played (83) at New Mexico. This season he posted a 0.55 goals-against-average, the lowest in school history and the third lowest in the NCAA. Weber was the MPSF Goalkeeper of the Year in 2004 and makes his second appearance on an all-region team after earning third team All-Midwest region honors following his sophomore season.
Boyens was not only the 2004 MPSF co-Player of the Year, but he was also the Newcomer of the Year in the conference. He led a defense that ranked in the top-5 in the NCAA with a 0.58 g.a.a. UNM recorded a school-record 11 shutouts in 2004 and allowed just 12 goals on the season. Boyens scored a pair of goals on the year and earned his first all-region honor.
Brandon Moss was named to the third team. |
Moss moved from defender to midfielder and was still one of the top players in the region. He posted one goal and one assist, but also managed to control the midfield by playing nearly every minute for New Mexico. He was a 2nd Team All-MPSF member and makes his second-straight appearance on the All-Far West region squad after earning second-team honors last season.
New Mexico’s five players on the All-Far West region team are the most all-region honorees in a single season for the UNM men’s soccer program. The Lobos have had just 11 players earn all-region honors on 18 occasions in the 21-year history of the program. However, since Jeremy Fishbein took over as head coach in 2002, UNM has had six players earn nine all-region awards.