Sept. 20, 2006
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Ejdemyr Named Brine MPSF Player of the Week
Up Next: The 18th-ranked University of New Mexico men’s soccer team concludes its 2006 non-conference schedule with the New Mexico Youth Soccer Association Classic hosted by Fairfield Inn-University this weekend at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos will take on American University and the College of Charleston on Friday and Sunday, with the Red Flashes of St. Francis (Pa.) serving as the neutral squad.
Action this weekend begins on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (M.D.T.) when St. Francis (Pa.) (2-5-0) takes on College of Charleston (5-2-1) in the opening match. The Lobos (3-2-2) will follow against American (3-4-1) at 7:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). Sunday’s line-up includes St. Francis (Pa.) facing American at 10:30 a.m. (M.D.T.) followed by the Lobos vs. College of Charleston at 1:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). Fans will be able to follow all of the action live on the Internet via GameTracker and free live video on www.GoLobos.com.
2006 New Mexico Youth Soccer Association Classic
Hosted by Fairfield Inn-University
Friday, Sept. 22
St. Francis (Pa.) vs. College of Charleston – 5:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
American at No. 18 New Mexico – 7:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
Sunday, Sept. 24
St. Francis (Pa.) vs. American – 10:30 a.m. (M.D.T.)
College of Charleston at No. 18 New Mexico – 1:00 p.m. (M.D.T.)
Friday’s game against the Eagles will be the first time New Mexico has faced American. American has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in three of the last five years with their last appearance coming in 2004. The Eagles tied for the regular season Patriot League title in 2005, despite posting a 7-10-1 overall record. The Eagles return eight starters in 2006 and are led by senior midfielder Larry Mark’s four goals and one assist. Junior keeper Chris Sedlak has played every minute in goal, posting a 1.46 goals-against-average.
Sunday’s match against the College of Charleston will also be the first meeting between the Lobos and Cougars. The College of Charleston is off to a good start with a 5-2-1 record. The Cougars are led by senior forward Jeremy Gold’s four goals and three assists. Junior keeper Corbin Waller has played every minute in goal, posting a 1.07 g.a.a. The College of Charleston returns seven starters to a team that went 9-8-2 in 2005 and finished in a tie for fourth place in the competitive Southern Conference. The Cougers are currently ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA South Region.
American Eagles (3-4-1, 0-0-1 Patriot League)
Location: Washington, D.C.
Conference: Patriot League
Head Coach: Todd West (George Mason `88)
Record at American: 65-53-11 (7th year)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 8/3
2005 Record: 7-10-1
2005 Conference Record: 5-2-0 (T1st)
UNM vs. American: First Meeting
Top Goal Scorer: Larry Mark (4)
Top Assists: Garth Juckem (4)
Top Goalie: Chris Sedlak (1.46 gaa)
Notes: American started the season with wins over Howard and Georgetown, but have only one victory in its last six matches. Last week the Eagles lost to George Washington (2-1) before tying Lafayette (1-1) in their first Patriot League game. AU’s 11 goals have come from seven different players so far this season.
Web Site: www.AUEagles.com
College of Charleston Cougars (5-2-1)
Location: Charleston, S.C.
Conference: Southern
Head Coach: Ralph Lundy (Western Carolina `72)
Record at C of C: 225-155-26 (20th year)
Career Record: 350-224-38 (31st year)
Starters Returning/Lost: 7/4
2005 Record: 9-8-2
2005 Conference Record: 4-3-0 (4th)
UNM vs. C of C: First Meeting
Top Goal Scorer: Jeremy Gold (4)
Top Assists: Jeremy Gold (3)
Top Goalie: Corbin Waller (1.07 gaa)
Notes: After starting the season 4-0-1, the College of Charleston has cooled off by dropping two of its last three matches. The cougars did knock off MWC foe Denver (2-1) on Sept. 8 in Wilmington, N.C. Since then, the Cougars have dropped matches to UNC-Wilmington (1-0) and Birmingham Southern (1-0) and defeated No. 25 UAB (4-2).
Web Site: www.CofCSports.com
Ejdemyr Named Brine MPSF Player of the Week: New Mexico freshman defender Simon Ejdemyr was named the Brine-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week for Sept. 18. Ejdemyr led UNM to a 1-1 tie vs. No. 1 SMU at the UNM Soccer Complex on Friday night, holding the high-powered Mustangs offense to just one goal. SMU had been averaging nearly three goals per game, but were shutdown for the final 67 minutes of action on Friday night. He also had a strong game in the Lobos’ 1-0 shutout of Tulsa on Sunday. Ejdemyr was a huge factor in dismantling the Hurricane attack on Sunday while helping the Lobos record their fourth shutout of the season. Ejdemyr is the second Lobo to earn the Brine MPSF Player of the Week honor this season. Junior keeper Mike Graczyk was also Player of the Week following on Aug. 28 after shutting out Portland on the road.
Stingy Defense: Just seven games into the 2006 season, the Lobos have already posted four shutouts. UNM has an MPSF leading 0.54 goals-against-average. Junior keeper Mike Graczyk also leads the MPSF in both shutouts (4) and g.a.a. (0.54) having played every minute in goal for New Mexico. Graczyk is the only Lobo to be on the field every minute of every game for UNM this season.
UNM Against NO. 1: The Lobos scored a 1-1 tie against SMU at the UNM Soccer Complex on Friday in the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational. UNM faced a top-ranked team for the fourth straight season after facing the Mustangs in a hard fought draw. Here is a look at UNM’s 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.
SMU T, 1-1 Sept. 15, 2006 Albuquerque, N.M.
Lobos in the Rankings: UNM is currently No. 18 in this week’s Soccer Times Top-25, 19th in the CollegeSoccernews.com top-30 and No. 22 in the Soccer America Top-25. The Lobos have been ranked for 31 consecutive weeks, dating back to the start of the 2004 season.
Four Lobos Named All-tournament: Four members of the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team were named to the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational All-Tournament team this weekend. Junior keeper Mike Graczyk, junior midfielder David Gualdarama, freshman midfielder Stephen Brown and freshman defender Simon Ejdemyr all took home all-tourney recognition.
Non-Conference Home Unbeaten Streak Snapped: UNM’s 2-0 loss to No. 10 UCLA last week 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 Improve in TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational: Most of the time tying the No. 1 ranked team in the country should be a good result for a team hanging around a .500 record and struggling to score goals. However, UNM felt it let one get away in a 1-1 tie against top-ranked SMU Friday. An own goal by the Mustangs (7-0-1) evened the score in the 57th minute and the Lobos (2-2-2) failed to put home numerous chances in the second half, allowing the game to end in a draw in the opening night of the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational. The Mustangs looked like the better team in the first half, outshooting UNM 7-3 and earning three corners to New Mexico’s none. SMU finally broke through right before halftime on a defensive lapse by the Lobos. Paulo da Silva and Chase Wileman strung together a couple of touches to get into the Lobo box. Wileman sent a cross from the right side that Adrian Chevannes put one past New Mexico keeper Mike Graczyk for the 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute. The Lobos made some adjustments at halftime, including moving All-American defender Andrew Boyens into an attacking midfield position, that paid off immediately. His run down the right side in the 51st minute gave UNM its first corner of the night. Minutes later he fed freshman Justin Davis on a breakaway, but Davis’s attempt from the top of the box was blocked. The equalizer came after Boyens and Davis hooked up again in the 57th minute, with Davis getting deep into Mustang territory before earning a throw-in from the right side. Davis’s long toss made its way to the far post where sophomore Chris Wright took a shot from 10 yards out. SMU keeper Matt Wideman made a great stop but the rebound bounced straight up in the air in front of the goal. Mustang defender Jeff Harwell tried to head the ball over the bar, but it went into the back of the net instead, evening the game at 1-1. UNM’s 17 shots were a season-high against a Mustang squad that had only allowed one goal coming into tonight’s contest. New Mexico committed 15 fouls to six by SMU, while the Mustangs had six total corners to the Lobos’ four. A total of 2,285 fans filled the stands at the UNM Soccer Complex and many found their way to the new bleachers on the south endline.
The Lobos went on to defeat Tulsa 1-0 on Sunday at the UNM Soccer Complex. Freshman Stephen Brown scored his first career goal, improving the Lobos’ record to 3-2-2 on the season. Tulsa (2-5-0) came out of the locker room attacking the Lobo defense, putting two shots on goal and earning a pair of corners in the game’s opening minutes. The Lobo defense held tough not allowing a goal in either situation. New Mexico’s strike came in the 30th minute after freshman Zach Tierney played a long ball from deep on the right side. His pass found a streaking Blake Danaher down the left side who beat everyone to the endline. He could have attempted a tough shot, but decided to cross the ball back in front of the goal. Brown came running down right side and put home a shot past Tulsa keeper Dominic Cervi for the 1-0 lead. Tierney and Danaher were both credited with assists on the play, the first on the year for Danaher and the second for Tierney. The Lobos created numerous chances through out the game, including another one involving Danaher. Senior Lars Loeseth played a long ball from the left side to sophomore Jack Smithson on the right. Smithson laid a pass back right at the top of the box that Danaher smashed toward the net. Cervi made a great save for Tulsa, keeping the score at 1-0. The Golden Hurricane made one final run with 30 seconds left when Eric Burkholder broke through the midfield. A textbook tackle by senior Hermann trophy Candidate Andrew Boyens ended the threat, preserving the shutout. The Lobos put up 13 shots in the match today, compared to eight from the Golden Hurricane. Lobo keeper Mike Graczk made four saves in the match, logging his fourth shutout of the season.
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).
Home Field Advantage: New Mexico finished the 2005 season with an 8-1-1 record at the UNM Soccer Complex and a 2-1-1 at home in 2006. The Lobos are now 33-3-4 at home in the last five 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.