Sept. 13, 2006
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Up Next: The 21st-ranked University of New Mexico men’s soccer team continues its 2006 home schedule with the TLC Plumbing and Utility Invitational this weekend at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos (2-2-1) host No. 1 SMU (7-0-0) on Friday, Sept. 15, at 7:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). The Mustangs took over the top spot in all four polls this week after defeating No. 10 Indiana (1-0) and No. 17 Brown (5-1) at home last weekend. SMU also dropped Centenary 8-0 at home on Tuesday night.
Action this weekend begins on Friday at 5:00 p.m. when Dayton (0-1-1) takes on Tulsa (2-3-0) in the neutral match. Sunday’s line-up includes Dayton (3-3-) facing SMU at 10:30 a.m. (M.D.T.) followed by the Lobo vs. Tulsa at 1:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). The Lobo women (3-3-0) also take on UTEP on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). Fans will be able to follow all of the action live on the Internet via GameTracker or free live video on www.GoLobos.com.
2006 TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational
Friday, Sept. 15
Dayton vs. Tulsa – 5:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
No. 1 SMU at No. 21 New Mexico – 7:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
Sunday, Sept. 17
No. 1 SMU vs. Dayton – 10:30 a.m. (M.D.T.)
Tulsa at No. 21 New Mexico – 1:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
UTEP at New Mexico (Women) – 4:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
Friday’s game will mark the second time a No. 1 team has visited the UNM Soccer Complex. Indiana brought a No. 1 ranking to Albuquerque two years ago, suffering a 1-0 double-overtime loss to the Lobos at the UNM Soccer Complex in front of 4,412 fans on Sept. 19, 2004. Blake Danaher scored on a feed from former Lobo Ben Ashwill with 13 ticks left on the clock to give UNM the win. The Lobos are 1-3-0 all-time against No. 1 teams and have played a top-ranked opponent in each of the last three seasons.
The Lobos are very familiar with both teams they face this weekend with all three being members of the Western Athletic Conference in the mid-90’s. The Lobos have also played both teams twice in the last three years. Last season, UNM dropped SMU 2-0 in Tulsa, Okla. Sophomore Chris Wright scored both goals, his only two of the season, in that contest. UNM is 3-5-0 all-time against SMU. The last time the Mustangs visited Albuquerque they came away with a 1-0 win in 1998. UNM did score a huge upset win over No. 2 SMU (5-2) in Dallas, Tex., in the 1997 season.
New Mexico holds a 6-4-1 all-time record over Tulsa, including a 2-1 OT win at Tulsa last year. Andrew Boyens scored the game-winner in that match off a feed from Lars Loeseth. The Golden Hurricane scored a 1-0 win over UNM in its last visit to the Duke City in 1997.
NO. 1 SMU Mustangs (6-0-0)
Location: Dallas, Texas
Conference: Conference USA
Head Coach: Schellas Hyndman (Eastern Ill. `73)
Record at SMU: 343-91-32 (23rd year)
Career Record: 441-115-43 (30th year)
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Starters Returning/Lost: 8/3
2005 Record: 16-6-3 (NCAA Semifinals)
2005 Conference Record: 8-1-0 (1st)
UNM vs. SMU: 3-5-0
Last Time: UNM won 2-0 (9/23/05) at Tulsa, Okla.
Top Goal Scorer: Adrian Chevennes, Scott Geppert (3)
Top Assists: Jeff Harwell (5)
Top Goalie: Matt Wideman (0.16 gaa)
Notes: SMU has dominated play so far this season, allowing just one goal in its first six games. They defeated Centenary 8-0 on Tuesday before making the trip to Albuquerque. A 2005 College Cup participant, SMU has vaulted out of the gates to start the 2006 campaign. They have wins over Wisconsin, No. 24 Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Cincinnati, No. 17 Cal, No 17 Brown and No. 10 Indiana. The Mustangs have allowed just one goal in their first six matches.
Web Site: www.SMUMustangs.com
Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-3-0)
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Conference: Conference USA
Head Coach: Tom McIntosh (Tulsa `88)
Record at Tulsa: 112-86-17 (12th year)
Career Record: same
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Starters Returning/Lost: 6/5
2005 Record: 7-7-7
2005 Conference Record: 2-4-3 (8th)
UNM vs. Tulsa: 5-4-1
Last Time: UNM won 2-1 (OT) (9/25/05) at Tulsa
Top Goal Scorer: Eric Burkholder (2)
Top Assists: Four with one
Top Goalie: Andy Aguilar (1.33 gaa)
Notes: Tulsa almost pulled off a huge upset in their last game, falling 2-1 in overtime to No. 10 Indiana. Their other two losses on the year were to Brown (3-0) and Wisconsin (3-0). Their two wins are over No. 24 Wisconsin-Milwaukee (3-0) and Drake (2-1, 2OT). Former Lobo Jason Aul, a 2005 redshirt, is now a starting defender for the Golden Hurricane. He has scored one goal so far this season. Five Tulsa players have scored their six goals on the year. Despite a sub-.500 record, the Golden Hurricane is still ranked No. 9 in the Midwest Region.
Web Site: www.TulsaHurricane.com
UNM Against NO. 1: The Lobos have taking on a No. 1 ranked team four times in school history, including each of the last three seasons. The 1-0, double-overtime win over No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 19, 2004 is the only time a top-ranked opponent has visited the UNM Soccer Complex and New Mexico’s only win over a No. 1 squad. Current Lobo junior Blake Danaher scored the game-winner with 13 second left in the match in that contest. Senior Andrew Boyens played every minute of the Indiana game and Junior David Gualdarama is the only other current Lobo to see time in that match, logging 33 total minutes. Here is a look at UNM’s other games against No. 1 ranked foes:
SMU L, 0-2 Nov. 25, 2001 NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Dallas, Texas
UCLA L, 0-1 Oct. 9, 2003 Los Angeles, Calif.
Indiana W, 1-0 (2OT) Sept. 19, 2004 Albuquerque, N.M.
Maryland L, 0-1 Dec. 11, 2005 NCAA College Cup Finals Cary, N.C.
Lobos in the Rankings: UNM is currently No. 21 in this week’s CollegeSoccernews.com top-30 and No. 24 in the Soccer Times Top-25, but have fallen out of the Soccer America and NSCAA top-25. The Lobos have been ranked for 30 consecutive weeks, dating back to the start of the 2004 season. UNM fell out of the top-10 for the first time last week since its win over No. 1 Indiana on Sept. 19, 2004, a streak of 24 weeks.
Non-Conference Home Unbeaten Streak Snapped: UNM’s 2-0 loss to No. 10 UCLA on Friday marked the first time the Lobos lost a non-conference home game under head coach Jeremy Fishbein, posting an 12-1-2 record over the last four years at home. The previous non-conference loss at home was a 2-1 setback against Air Force in a non-MPSF match on October 7, 2001, in Klaus Weber’s final year as head coach.
Lobos Split Michigan State Trip: The Lobo men’s soccer team dropped its first non-conference home game in the Jeremy Fishbein era with a 2-0 loss to No. 10 UCLA Friday. Maxwell Griffin struck twice in the second half for the Bruins in the win on the opening night of the Crescent Financial Solutions Invitational. The 15th-ranked Lobos put one of their 12 shots on goal against UCLA (1-2-1) and have now been shutout three times in fur games. The Bruins outshot UNM (1-2-1) 14-12 and put five of their chances on target, forcing Lobo keeper Mike Graczyk to make three saves. Freshman P.J. Wilson had two of the better looks in the first half of play. In the 27th minute he took a feed from junior Joey Vitagliano and beat Bruin keeper Eric Reed, but his shot was just wide of the net. In the 35th minute he fired a rocket from 30 yards out that hit the post. “This was a real disappointing loss for us,” stated Fishbein. We played well and created chances, but the mental drop-off in the second half cost us. Give credit to UCLA. They finished their opportunities and we didn’t and that was the difference in the game.” The loss is just the third at the UNM Soccer Complex since Fishbein took over in 2002. UNM has a 31-3-3 record in that stretch. It is also the first non-conference home loss for the Lobos since falling to Air Force in 2001 when Klaus Weber was head coach.
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team scored a 1-0 win over Cal State Northridge Sunday. Junior David Gualdarama drove home the winning score in the 68th minute, evening the 15th-ranked Lobos’ record at 2-2-1 on the season. “We got the breaks today,” stated UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “Northridge played well and we were lucky to come out with a win. We played well in spurts, but we need to put it together for an entire 90 minutes.” CSUN outshot the Lobos 11-10 and had four corners to New Mexico’s two. The Lobos were definitely more physical, committing 15 fouls to the Matador’s nine. New Mexico has knocked off Cal State Northridge for three consecutive years, including a 1-0 (OT) win in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
New Mexico Picked to Win MPSF Title…Again: 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 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.
Boyens Named to Hermann Watch List: Senior All-American Andrew Boyens is one of 25 players named to the 2006 MAC Hermann trophy Watch List. The Hermann trophy is the top honor for Division I college soccer. Boyens is just the second Lobo to be nominated for the Hermann. Jeff Rowland was a finalist in 2005. Boyens was also named 1st Team Preseason All-American by CollegeSoccerNews.com and a preseason All-American by Soccer America magazine.
Undefeated Non-Conference Streak Broken: With a 1-0 loss at Michigan State in week 2, the Lobos snapped their 15-match non-conference undefeated streak. UNM posted an 8-0-0 record in regular season non-conference action in 2005. It was the second straight year the Lobos went undefeated and untied in out-of-conference play. In 2004, New Mexico recorded a 6-0-0 record before the start of MSPF action. Over the last two years, UNM has defeated the likes of No. 1 Indiana (1-0 on 9/19/04), at No. 13 VCU (2-1 on 9/5/04), at No. 18 Ohio State (1-0 on 9/4/05), and No. 23 Penn State (2-0 on 9/2/05). The last time UNM had lost a non-conference game prior to this weekend was at No. 20 UC-Santa Barbara on October 12, 2003.
Reed Out for The Season: Freshman All-American and 2005 New Mexico Player of the Year Michael Reed suffered a knee injury during practice prior to the Lobos’ season opener against Portland and will be out for the rest of the season. Reed was expected to be an impact player, starting the Fort Lewis exhibition game in the midfield.
Two Lobos Led Their PDL Teams in Goals: Sophomore Chris Wright and freshman P.J. Wilson both led their PDL teams in goals this summer. Wright found the net five times in limited playing time for the Indiana Invaders. Freshman Michael Reed and sophomore Mike Porter also played for the Invaders over the summer. Wilson was named the PDL’s U-19 Player of Year after leading the Fort Wayne Fever with eight of the team’s 18 goals. Freshman Zach Tierney was twice named to the PDL Team of the Week for his play with the St. Louis Lions. Other Lobos playing in the PDL this summer include sophomore Jack Smithson (Chicago Magic) and freshman Eric Staver (Kalamazoo Kingdom).
Pair of Lobos Win the U-18 USYSA National Title: Freshmen Bryan Sajjadi and Stephen Brown teamed-up to lead the Dallas Texans to the 2006 USYSA U-18 national championship. It was the second-straight youth national title for Brown and Sajjadi with the Texans.
Lobos Welcome Four All-Americans and Three State Players of the Year in 2006: Freshman Gardner Morrow was an NSCAA High School All-American and Vermont Player of the Year at Champlain Valley High School in Shelburne, Vt., in 2005. Michael Reed was also an NSCAA High School All-American and New Mexico Player of the Year at Sandia High School in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2005. Zach Tierney is a two-time NSCAA Youth All-American from Wildwood, Mo. P.J. Wilson is a two-time NSCAA Youth All-American, 2005 NSCAA High School All-American and the 2005 Indiana Player of the Year at Canterbury High School in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Home Field Advantage: New Mexico finished the 2005 season with an 8-1-1 record at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos are now 32-3-3 at home in the last four years under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. The 3-2, overtime loss to San Jose State on Oct. 16 snapped a 14-match home winning streak, the longest in school history.
New NCAA Attendance Mark Set: 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 sellout 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 drew over 4,000 fans five times in 2005, averaging an NCAA record 3,629 fans per game.
Fishbein Adds Two More Honors to His Resume: Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein added to his list of accomplishments with the 2005 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Coach of the Year and the Far West Region Coach of the year honors. Fishbein was also the 2002 MPSF Coach of the Year and the 2004 Soccer America National Coach of the Year.
Fishbein Inducted Into the FLC Athletic Hall of Fame: University of New Mexico men’s soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein was inducted into the Fort Lewis College Athletic Hall of Fame on Aug. 19, in Durango, Colo. In seven seasons at Fort Lewis (1992-98), Fishbein’s teams posted a 74-47-7 record (.605) and won four league championships — two in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (1997, 1998) and two in the Colorado Athletic Conference (1993, 1995). He also guided the Skyhawks to their first two NCAA Division II playoff trips (1997, 1998).
Two other Lobo coaches are already in the Fort Lewis College Athletic Hall of Fame. UNM assistant men’s soccer coach Luc Cisna was a two-time All-American at FLC and a 2005 inductee. Lobo women’s basketball head coach in a Fort Lewis alum and a 2003 inductee.
Loeseth Making a Mark on Lobo Athletics: Senior midfielder Lars Loeseth accomplished a rare feat in 2005, two NCAA runner-up trophies in two different sports in the same year. Not only was he a part of the Lobo soccer team’s amazing run in 2005, he also was an All-American member of the second place UNM ski team in 2006. 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 three-time All-American has been a part of three of the four most successful teams in school history.