Dec. 6, 2005
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Broadcast Information
Friday, vs. Clemson 4:30 p.m. (M.S.T)
TV – ESPNU; DirecTV (Channel 609) and Dish Network (Channel 149) if you have the sports packages
Internet – Live Stats and Audio at NCAASports.com
Sunday, vs. TBA 2:00 p.m. (M.S.T)
TV – ESPN2
Internet – Live Stats and Audio at NCAASports.com
Where to Watch the Game: There are many places in Albuquerque that carry ESPNU and it is suggested to call ahead to make sure that your destination will have the game. Here are a couple of places that will be showing Friday’s game.
Coaches Sports Grille
1415 Central Ave NE
(505) 242-7111
610 AM The Sports Animal will broadcast live from Coaches and host a viewing party.
Santa Ana Star Casino
(505) 867-0000
Free Lobo T-shirts for fans who come to watch the game.
Spectator’s
Mountain Run Shopping Center – Eubank & Juan Tabo
(505) 275-1166
Up Next: The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team is making its first appearance in the College Cup in school history. The second-seeded Lobos (17-1-3) defeated the No. 7-seed Cal Bears (14-4-3) 1-0 in overtime on Friday, Dec. 2, 2005, at the UNM Soccer Complex to advance to college soccer’s final four. New Mexico will take on Clemson (15-5-3) in the semifinals on Friday, Dec. 9, at 4:30 p.m. (M.S.T.) at the SAS Soccer Complex in Cary, N.C. Top-seeded Maryland takes on SMU in the other semifinal game on Friday, prior to the Lobos’ contest with the Tigers. The SMU-Maryland match will air live on ESPN2 and ESPNU while the Lobos’ game with Clemson will broadcast live on ESPNU only. The winner will advance to the finals on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 12:00 p.m. (M.S.T.) which will air on ESPN2.
New Mexico finished the 2005 regular season with a 15-1-2 record and a No. 1 ranking in the final Soccer Times Top-25, NSCAA Top-25 and CollegeSoccerNews.com Top-30. UNM reached the NCAA Tournament by winning the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season title. It is the fourth MPSF title and NCAA Tournament appearance for the Lobos in the last five years.
UNM advanced past Wisconsin-Milwaukee on penalty-kicks, 5-3, in the second round. The Lobos gave up two early goals in the match against the Panthers, but battled back to a 2-2 tie after two overtime periods. Sophomore Mike Graczyk made a save in the third round of PKs and junior Lars Loeseth nailed the clincher in the fifth round. The Lobos went on to defeat Cal-State Northridge in third-round action with a 1-0, overtime win at the UNM Soccer Complex. Senior Hermann Trophy Semifinalist Jeff Rowland scored the game-winner 34 seconds into the first overtime while Graczyk posted his school-record 12th shutout of the season. Rowland also netted the game-winner in the fourth minute of overtime against Cal.
Clemson earned an at-large bid after finishing the regular season with an 11-5-3 record. The Tigers struggled to a seventh-place finish in the ACC with a 2-4-2 mark in league play. Junior forward Dane Richards leads the team in scoring with 30 points on 11 goals and eight assists. Junior keeper Phil Marfuggi is a 1st Team All-ACC keeper after posting a 0.80 goals-against-average and eight shutouts on the year. The Tigers have heated up at the right time, dropping Coastal Carolina, No. 14 N.C. State, Notre Dame and Creighton on their way to a College Cup berth.
Clemson Tigers (15-5-3, 2-4-2 ACC)
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Trevor Adair (Lock Haven `82)
Record at Clemson: 181-89-26 (14th Year)
Career Record: 147-65-21 (10th Year)
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2005 Record: 15-5-3
2005 Conference Record: 2-4-2 (7th)
NCAA Titles: 2 – 1984, 1987
How Did They Get In: At-Large Bid
1st Round – Defeated Coastal Carolina – 2-0 at home
2nd Round – Defeated N.C. State – 3-0 in Raleigh, N.C.
3rd Round – Defeated Notre Dame – 1-0 at home
4th Round – Defeated Creighton – 1-0 at home
UNM vs. Clemson: 1st Meeting
Top Goal Scorer: Dane Richards (11)
Top Assists: Dane Richards (8)
Top Goalie: Phil Marfuggi (0.80 g.a.a.) – 1st Team All-ACC
Notes: The Lobos take on an ACC team for just the second time in school history after tying Virginia, 1-1, in the third round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Clemson defeated Notre Dame 1-0 in the third round of the NCAA Tournament while the Lobos tied the Irish, 1-1, in a preseason exhibition game. Tiger midfielder Randy Albright is an Albuquerque native and was a high school teammate of Lobo senior Brandon Moss at Eldorado high school.
Web Site: www.ClemsonTigers.com
UNM In The NCAA Tournament: The Lobos are making their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past five seasons and their first trip to the College Cup. UNM won its third MPSF regular season title in the past four years, earning the Federation’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. All four of UNM’s trips to the NCAA Tournament have come in the past five years. In 2001, New Mexico won the MPSF Tournament to earn its first NCAA bid. In longtime head coach Klaus Weber’s final year, UNM defeated Florida International 1-0 in the opening round before falling to No. 1 SMU 2-0 in the second round. In 2002, current head coach Jeremy Fishbein’s first season, the Lobos won the MPSF regular season and tournament titles before defeating Bradley 2-1 in the first round. UNM fell to No. 18 Saint Louis 1-0 in the second round. Last year, the Lobos earned a first-round bye before defeating Portland. They went on to tie No. 4 Virginia on the road, but the Cavaliers advanced on penalty kicks 6-5.
Lobo NCAA Tournament Results
2001 – Head Coach Klaus Weber – 7-12-2, 0-6-1 MPSF
Won MPSF Tournament
1st Round – Dallas, Texas – Nov. 23, 2001
Defeated Florida International – 1-0
2nd Round – Dallas, Texas – Nov. 25 2001
Lost to No. 1 SMU – 2-0
2002 – Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein – 18-4-0, 5-1-0 MPSF
Won MPSF Regular Season and Tournament
Final National Ranking – No. 27 (CollegeSoccerNews.com)
1st Round – Peoria, Ill. – Nov. 23, 2002
Defeated Bradley – 2-1
2nd Round – St. Louis, Mo. – Nov. 27, 2002
Lost to No. 18 Saint Louis – 1-0
2004 – Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein – 17-1-2, 10-1-1 MPSF
Won MPSF Regular Season
Final National Ranking – No. 1 (Soccer America)
13th Seed
1st Round – Bye
2nd Round – Albuquerque, N.M. – No. 23, 2004
Defeated Portland – 4-1
3rd Round – Charlottesville, Va. – Nov. 27, 2004
Tied No. 4 Virginia – 1-1
Virginia Advanced on Penalty Kicks 6-5
2005 – Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein – 15-1-3, 7-1-2 MPSF
Won MPSF Regular Season
Final National Ranking – No. 1
2nd Seed
1st Round – Bye
2nd Round – Albuquerque, N.M. – No. 22, 2005
Tied Wisc.-Milwaukee – 2-2 (Advanced on PKs, 5-3)
3rd Round – Albuquerque, N.M. – No. 26, 2005
Defeated No. 15 Cal-State Northridge – 1-0 (OT)
Defeated No. 7 Cal – 1-0 (OT)
Reunions at the College Cup: There are many connections between the Lobos and the other participating teams at the College Cup. Four members of the highly successful Albuquerque Bandidos club team will take part in the action. UNM’s Brandon Moss and Ben Ashwill, Clemson’s Randy Albright and Maryland’s Robbie C’deBaca won two regional championships as Bandido teammates. Moss and Albright were high school teammates at Albuquerque’s Eldorado high school. C’deBaca started his career at UNM as a freshman in 2003 before transferring to Maryland. Senior Cody Hanna went to SMU for two seasons before transferring back to UNM. He was on the Mustang’s roster in 2001-02. Hanna and C’deBaca were teammates on Albuquerque’s St. Pius X high school squad. Lobo sophomore David Gualdarama and SMU senior Duke Hashimoto won the U-19 U.S.Y.S.A. National Title in 2004 with the Honolulu Bulls.
First time on tobacco road: The New Mexico soccer team travels to Cary, N.C., for the 2005 College Cup. It is the Lobos first trip to North Carolina in school history. In fact, UNM has not faced any school from North Carolina and has only played on other ACC team in the history of the program. The Lobos tied Virginia 1-1 in last year’s third round, with the Cavs advancing 6-5 on penalty kicks.
Loeseth Going For His Second Ring: Junior midfielder Lars Loeseth has a chance to accomplish a rare feat, an NCAA Championship in two different sports. The Olso, Norway, native came to UNM in 2004 as a member of the Lobo Ski Team. He led New Mexico to the 2004 NCAA Skiing Championship, the school’s only NCAA title in any sport, behind All-American performances in the Slalom and Giant Slalom events. Loeseth trained with the soccer squad in the 2005 spring semester. He was so impressive that he was put on a soccer scholarship for the 2005-06 school year. The two-time All-American will rejoin the ski team after returning from the College Cup.
Lobos Looking For Second National Title: New Mexico won its first NCAA Championship in any sport when the Ski Team brought home the hardware in 2004. The soccer squad is hoping to make it two titles in three years at the College Cup.
Rowland Tearing Up the NCAA Tournament: Senior Hermann Trophy Semifinalist Jeff Rowland has three goals and an assist in three games in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. His last two strikes were game-winners in overtime. He has five career goals in seven NCAA postseason games. Junior Andrew Boyens has the Lobos other goal in the postseason. Sophomore Mike Graczyk has posted two shutouts and a 0.61 g.a.a. in three NCAA games.
Record Setting Senior Class: The 2005 Lobo senior class will graduate as the most successful class in school history. This group has posted an 60-15-8 (.771) overall record, won two MPSF titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times.
Home Field Advantage: Fans packed the UNM Soccer Complex for three rounds of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, setting record attendance marks in each game. Against Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4,552 fans spun the turnstiles, while a UNM Soccer Complex record 4,849 attended the Lobos’ 1-0, overtime win over Cal-State Northridge. That record lasted less than a week after a sell-out crowd of 5,600 attended the Lobos’ 1-0 win over Cal in the quarterfinals. UNM’s record for attendance in a single home game is still 7,449 for a 2-0 loss to No. 4 UCLA on Sept. 23, 1989, however, that game was played in University Stadium. The Lobos have drawn over 4,000 fans five times in 2005, averaging a school-record 3,629 fans per game.
Overtime: The Lobos have played in four-straight overtime games, and have come out on top in each of those contests. UNM downed Air Force 1-0 in overtime in the final game of the regular season to clinch the MPSF title. They tied Wisconsin-Milwaukee 2-2 in double overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but advanced on penalty kicks, 5-3. New Mexico then defeated Cal-State Northridge 1-0 in overtime in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos downed Cal 1-0 in overtime in their last game to advance to the College Cup. They have not led a match since defeating Denver, 1-0, on Nov. 11. Lars Loeseth scored the game-winner in that match in the 59th minute. UNM has posted a 6-1-3 record in ten overtime games in 2005.
Lobos Against The NCAA Tournament Field: UNM is 6-0 against NCAA Tournament teams, with all six games coming in their non-conference schedule. Five of the Lobo wins over 2005 NCAA Tournament teams were on the road. Here is a list of the NCAA Tournament teams UNM beat in 2005.
2-0 vs. Penn State – Sept. 2 in Columbus, Ohio
1-0 (OT) vs. Ohio State – Sept. 4 in Columbus, Ohio
3-2 vs. South Florida – Sept. 9 in Dallas, Texas
2-0 vs. West Virginia – Sept. 11 in Dallas Texas
1-0 vs. James Madison – Sept. 18 in Albuquerque, N.M.
2-0 vs. SMU – Sept. 23 in Tulsa, Okla.
MPSF Champs Again: New Mexico scored a pair of 1-0 wins over Denver and Air Force in the last weekend of the regular season to clinch its second, consecutive MPSF title and the fourth crown in the last five years. The Lobos finished with a 7-1-2 record in conference play and 23 points. UNM squeezed by San Jose State (7-2-1), who had 22 points, and Air Force (6-3-1), who finished in third place with 19 points. Had the Lobos dropped their match to the Falcons they would have finished in third place and Air Force would have been MPSF Champs. New Mexico won the MPSF Tournament in 2001, the regular season and tournament in 2002 and the regular season again in 2004.
Four Make Academic All-American: For the second year in a row, four Lobos starters earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American honors. Seniors Ben Ashwill, Jeff Rowland and Matt Wootton all earned spots on the first team while senior Brandon Moss was named to the third team. Ashwill is the Lobos’ first three-time Academic All-American, while Wootton and Rowland both earn their second honors. New Mexico was the only school with multiple first-team honors and the only school with more than two on all of the teams.
Seven Lobos Named Academic All-District: After setting a program high with a 3.35 team grade-point-averaged in the 2005 spring semester, seven Lobos were named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI squad. Ben Ashwill, Jeff Rowland, Brandon Moss, Matt Wootton, Erik Bagwell, Andrew Boyens and Mike Graczyk took all but four of the 11 spots on the team, the most Lobos on one team in school history.
Lobos Downed Three Conference Winners in 2005: UNM played a very difficult non-conference slate in 2005, defeating three eventual conference winners on their way to an 8-0-0 start. The Lobos defeated Big 10 champ Penn State, 2-0 on Sept. 2, Big East Red Division winner South Florida, 3-2, on Sept. 9 and Conference USA regular season leader SMU, 2-0, on Sept. 23.
Two With One Loss: UNM holds the second-best record in the NCAA with a 17-1-3 mark in 2005. The Lobos are one of only two teams with one loss, including No. 2 Akron (18-1-4).
Tough at Home: The Lobos had won 14-straight games at the UNM Soccer Complex before losing to San Jose State on October 16. However, UNM is still 31-2-3 (.903) in more than three seasons under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. That record includes a 1-0 defeat of top-ranked Indiana on Sept. 19, 2004. The crowd has played a big part in New Mexico’s home field success. The Lobos averaged a school-record 3,629 fans per game in 10 home games in 2005. New Mexico set a new single game record for attendance at the UNM Soccer Complex against Cal in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament when a sell-out crowd of 5,600 fans spun the turnstiles.
Most Goals in 11 Years: The Lobos exploded for 7 goals against UNLV in a 7-2 win on Saturday, Oct. 22. It was the best output under head coach Jeremy Fishbein and the most goals in a game since an 8-1 win over Colorado School of Mines on Sept. 6, 1994.
Fishbein Gets 150th Win: UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein recorded his 150th win in a 7-2 rout of UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 22. He holds a 156-75-18 (.663) record in over 12 years as a collegiate head coach. He is in his fourth year at UNM and has posted a 60-15-8 (.771) as head of the Lobos.
Lobos in the Rankings: The Lobos remained in the top-3 in the four major polls at the end of the regular season. They are No. 1 in the CollegeSoccerNews.com top-30, NSCAA top-25 and Soccer Times top-25 and No. 3 in the Soccer America top-25.
17 Wins: The Lobos won their 17th game of the season against Cal in the quarterfinals. It is the third time in school history UNM has reached 17 wins in a season, all three coming under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. The school-record for wins is 18 set in 2002. UNM also won 17 games in 2004.
NCAA Statistical Rankings: Jeff Rowland has 36 points on 16 goals and four assists and is tied for 15th in the NCAA in scoring. He is also 10th in goals-per-game. Sophomore keeper Mike Graczyk’s 0.60 g.a.a. is 7th in the NCAA. As a team, the Lobos’ 13 shutouts in 21 games are sixth in the nation while their 0.63 g.a.a. is tied for ninth. UNM’s 17-1-3 mark is also the second best record in the NCAA.
Lobos on National Teams of the Week: Four Lobos have been named to CollegeSoccerNews.com and Soccer America Teams of the Week in 2005. Jeff Rowland was CollegeSoccerNews.com’s National Player of the Week in Week 1, and on Week 8’s squad, Andrew Boyens earned a spot on both teams following Week 2 and Cody Hanna represented UNM on Week 3’s squads. Ben Ashwill also earned a spot on Soccer America’s Week 4 national team. Boyens was again on Soccer America’s squad in Week 10.
Rowland a Hermann semifinalist: Lobo senior forward Jeff Rowland has been named one of 15 semifinalist for the 2005 MAC Hermann Trophy. He is coming off a record breaking season in 2004 after scoring 45 points on 19 goals and seven assists and is a consensus preseason All-American selection. So far this season he has scored 16 goals and four assists in 21 games.
Keeping the Momentum: UNM is coming off one of the most successful campaigns in school history. The Lobos finished the 2004 regular season ranked No. 1 in Soccer America’s Top-25, posted a 17-1-2 record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The school record for wins in a season is 18 set in 2002.
2005 Lobos Climbing the All-Time Lists: Seniors Lance Watson and Jeff Rowland are putting their names on UNM’s all-time lists in scoring, goals, assists and shots. Rowland currently ranks third in points (104), tied for second in shots (236) and second all-time with 45 career goals. The school-record for career goals in 57 set by Justin Sells (1994-97). Watson is currently sixth in points (65), sixth in goals (22), tied for second in assists (21) and fourth in shots (178). Senior Ben Ashwill is also tied for eighth in career goals with 19. Senior Brandon Moss ranks second in minutes played with 7,327 while sophomore Mike Graczyk is eighth in wins (17) and tied for fifth in shutouts (13).
Graczyk Sets Shutout Record: Sophomore keeper Mike Graczyk has recorded 13 shutouts in his first season as UNM’s fill-time keeper. He broke Andrew Weber’s previous high of nine shutouts in 2004.
Local Flavor: Although the Lobos are bringing in some of the top players in the country, they are still winning with a roster dominated by homegrown players. Nine of UNM’s 26 players are from the Land of Enchantment. Even more impressive is the fact that five of those nine are starters or regular players.
Barklage a Freshman to Watch: Freshman Brandon Barklage was named one of the Top-100 Freshmen to Watch by CollegeSoccerNews.com. The 5-11, midfielder/forward from St. Louis, Mo., has started 15 games and recorded a goal and five assists.