Aug. 16, 2006
For the fourth-consecutive year, the 2005 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Champion University of NEW MEXICO Lobos sit atop the MPSF Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll, capturing five of the six first-place votes to outpace SACRAMENTO STATE and SAN JOSE STATE who tied for second with 19 points each as the Hornets garnered the remaining first-place vote. DENVER finished fourth in the poll, followed by AIR FORCE ACADEMY in fifth-place and UNLV taking the sixth-spot. The MPSF will determine the Federation champion and NCAA automatic qualifier after a 10-match double-round robin league schedule with the MPSF champion being the team with the best conference record after the final conference matches on Sunday, November 5.
| Rank | Team | Points | 2005 record/MPSF finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | New Mexico | 25 points (5) | 18-2-3 (7-1-2 MPSF) #1 |
| No. 2T | Sacramento State | 19 points (1) | 9-7-2 (4-5-1 MPSF) #4 |
| No. 2T | San Jose State | 19 points | 11-5-3 (7-2-1 MPSF) #2 |
| No. 4 | Denver | 10 points | 7-10-1 (3-7-0 MPSF) #5 |
| No. 5 | Air Force | 9 points | 8-9-2 (6-3-1 MPSF) #3 |
| No. 6 | UNLV | 8 points | 2-16-1 (0-9-1 MPSF) #6 |
No. 1: NEW MEXICO 18-2-3 (7-1-2 MPSF 2005) –
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team has reloaded for the 2006 season. The Lobos are coming off their fourth MPSF title and NCAA appearance in five years, including a 2005 run to the College Cup finals where UNM lost 1-0 to Maryland in the NCAA Championship match. Despite losing seven starters from a year ago, UNM returns 2005 All-American and 2004 MPSF co-Player of the Year Andrew Boyens, who will anchor a Lobo defense that includes 2nd Team All-MPSF goalkeeper Mike Graczyk. New Mexico boasts a preseason No. 3 ranking by National Soccer Coaches Association of America and the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation according to CollegeSoccerNews.com. In the Lobos’ 12-member recruiting class are four NSCAA All-Americans and threestate players of the year.
No. 2T: SACRAMENTO STATE 9-7-2 (4-5-1 MPSF 2005) –
The Sacramento State men’s soccer team expects to build on what was a record-breaking season in 2005. The Hornets finished the year 9-7-2, their best record in over 10 seasons, and also had a program-best six players receive all-Mountain Pacific Federation honors. The Hornets return first team all-MPSF defender Utodi Madu to anchor the back line. Last season’s leading scorer, All-MPSF second-team selection Oscar Sandoval returns after putting away eight goals and four assists. Senior Ryan Rhoads, who buried five goals with five assists last year helped Sac State finish with a Division I program-record eight-game home unbeaten streak that included a 2-0 shutout over Causeway-rival UC Davis and a 1-1 tie with eventual NCAA runner-up New Mexico. All-MPSF honoree Pedro Lupercio returns to the midfield for his final season, with senior defenders Jesse Manton and Eric Ortiz, who helped the Hornets to four shutouts last season. Head coach Michael Linenberger is in his 18th season at the helm after earning co-MPSF Coach of the Year honors in 2005 for the second time in his career. Sac State’s top recruiting class in 2005 grabbed several of the best players in the region, including Shelby Johnson, an all-Metro first team selection out of Natomas High. Also joining the Hornets this season is Emmanual Ochoa, an all-county and all-league selection out of Sanger High.
No. 2T: SAN JOSE STATE 11-5-3 (7-2-1 MPSF 2005) –
The 2006 San Jose State men’s soccer team will look to improve on a 2005 season in which the Spartans went 11-5-3 and fell just short of their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2003. The experienced Spartan lineup for 2006 includes senior midfielders and captains Daniel Perez and Diego Soto return. The scoring burden will fall on El Shaddai Bent, a redshirt freshman spring standout. The defense will be anchored by the returning sophomore tandem of Co-captain Ed Brand and Gavin Wenyon. Both earned all-conference mention a year ago. Brian McGuire, a 2005 redshirt looks to have the inside track for the right-back position. Joining Brand in the center of defense are Ben Saunders, Keven Azevedo and Sam Shore from Australia. Redshirt sophomore Richard Mann returns as the Spartan goalkeeper after posting four shutouts and a 1.13 GAA to earn All-MPSF Honorable Mention in 2005.
No. 4: DENVER 7-10-1 (3-7-0 MPSF 2005) –
The Denver men’s soccer team looks to rebound in 2006 following a 7-10-1 overall record in 2005 and will do so armed with 19 returning letter winners, including two of its leading scorers from a season ago in Greg Fiddick and Ben Mendozza. The Pioneers have also added 12 talented newcomers in hopes of boosting a team scoring average including freshman Miles Marmo (Minneapolis, Minn.), a 76-goal scorer for Breck School and Collin Audley (Fort Collins, Colo.), an All-Colorado honoree his senior season. Also returning is the Pioneers’ top goalkeeper junior Matt Bredehoft, who started in 17 of DU’s 18 matches last season and finished with a 7-9-1 overall record and a solid 1.33 goals-against average. In 2006, DU will play Stony Brook and New Mexico, two squads who advanced to the 2005 NCAA Men’s College Cup where UNM finished as the NCAA runner-up.
No. 5: AIR FORCE 8-9-2 (6-3-1 MPSF 2005) –
The Air Force men’s soccer team rebounded from a rough 2-6-1 start to end the 2005 season on a 6-3-1 run, coming within one game of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Lou Sagastume, in his 28th season, hopes to carry that momentum for the entire ’06campaign. Sophomore Reid Gaiser, the team’s top returning scorer, notched three goals and one assist including two game-winners in 2005. Senior co-captain Brendan Greenaway and junior Jason Belvill headline the backline. Junior co-captain Brian Guyette was a second-team all-MPSF selection at keeper, finishing with a 1.38 goals-against average and a 6-6-2 record with four shutouts. Newcomers Kevin Rosser, a forward from San Jose, Calif., and Jared Gomez, a midfielder from Satellite, Fla., lead a group of talented freshmen. Rosser led his high school to two league championships as a scholar athlete at Bellarmine Prep, while Gomez was a first-team all-conference selection at Satellite High School in Florida.
No. 6: UNLV 2-16-1 (0-9-1 MPSF 2005) –
The UNLV Rebels, coming off one of the most difficult seasons in its history, looks to start a new era in the team’s 33rd year of soccer after the hiring of Mario Sanchez, assistant coach from top-ranked Akron in 2005, to be the fourth head coach in school history. Sanchez will have his work cut out for him, as UNLV was 2-16-1 in 2005, and return just 12 players, while having to deal with the loss of 2005 MPSF Player of the Year Rod Dyanchenko to graduation. The Rebels looked to be led this year by a pair of Scotsmen, senior forward Martin Kenny, who led the nation in scoring at Cayuga College in 2004, andsophomore midfielder Nicholas Paterson. Also expected to make an impact will be senior Cole McCool, returning to anchor the defense, while sophomore Lamar Neagle returns up front after scoring five goals in 2005.