Sept. 3, 2008
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TLC Pumbing & Utilities Invitational Tournament Central
Video From the Tucanos Media Luncheon
Olympic Sports Pass Ticket Information
UP NEXT: The 21st ranked University of New Mexico men’s soccer team welcomes a talented group of programs to the UNM Soccer Complex this weekend for the 2008 TLC Plumbing & Utilities Invitational. Michigan State, Louisville and No. 29 UC Davis join the Lobos for the two-day event beginning Friday, Sept. 5. All four teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and each squad is set for another strong year in 2008.
Action begins on Friday when UC Davis and Louisville square off at 2:30 p.m. (M.D.T.) followed by the Lobo women’s match against Drake at 5:30 p.m. The Lobo men host Michigan State at 7:30 p.m.
The Spartans are currently 1-1 after beating St. Francis (4-0) and losing to Vermont (2-1) in their season openers last weekend. The squad is coming off its eighth consecutive winning season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Nine players with extensive college experience return from last season’s 11-6-4 team, including three players who earned All-Big Ten honors. Senior Doug DeMartin, who led the Big Ten with 12 goals in 2007, returns up top. He was voted unanimously as a first-team All-Big Ten honoree and also garnered All-Great Lakes Region accolades.
2008 will also mark the final season for head coach Joe Baum. Baum will retire following 32 years on the sidelines as head coach. Current associate head coach, Damon Rensing, will take over January 1, 2009 as the program’s fifth head coach in its history.
Sunday’s line up begins with UC Davis taking on Michigan State at 11:00 a.m. (M.D.T.) followed by a neutral women’s match between Drake and Hawaii at 1:30 p.m. The Lobo men take on Louisville in the finale at 4:00 p.m.
Louisville is currently 1-0-1 after tying Northeastern 1-1 and defeating James Madison 1-0 last weekend. The Cardinals were ranked as high as No. 21 in the preseason, but are now just outside of the top-30.
The Cards were picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Red division, returning 10 starters from last year’s NCAA Second Round showing. Junior David Simolike returns in goal after finishing with a 0.96 goals-against-average last season. Clapham returns as the team’s leading scorer in the midfield with 14 points last year.
Michigan State Spartans (1-1-0)
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Joe Baum (Michigan State `69)
Record at Michigan State: 308-224-52 (32)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/5
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 17/6
2007 Record: 11-6-4 (NCAA)
2007 Conference Record: 2-2-1 (5th)
UNM vs. Michigan State: 0-1-0
Last Time: Michigan State won 1-0 (9-1-06) at Home
Top Goal Scorer: Doug DeMartin (2)
Top Assists: Seven with 1
Top Keeper: Jeremy Clark (1.08 g.a.a.)
Notes: The last time these two teams met, Michigan State snuck away with a 1-0 win in East Lansing. This is the Spartans’ first trip to the UNM Soccer Complex and just the second meeting between these two teams.
Web Site: www.MSUSpartans.com
Louisville Cardinals (1-0-1)
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Ken Lolla (Duke `83)
Record at Louisville: 16-17-7 (3)
Career Record: 225-102-34 (19)
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/5
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 13/7
2007 Record: 11-7-4 (NCAA 2nd Round)
2007 Conference Record: 6-3-2 (2nd Red)
UNM vs. Louisville: First Meeting
Top Goal Scorer: Ryan McDonald, J.T. Murray (1)
Top Assists: Aaron Clapham (1)
Top Keeper: Andre Boudreaux (0.90 g.a.a. in two games)
Notes: The Lobos will be facing Louisville for the first time in school history. The Cardinals are coming off a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament and are guided by third-year head coach Ken Lolla. Louisville is currently ranked 10th in the NSCAA Great Lakes Region.
Web Site: www.UofLSports.com
Recapping Last Weekend: UNM is coming off a solid opening weekend in the Loyola Marymount Fall Classic in Los Angeles, Calif. The Lobos won the LMU Fall Classic with a 1-1 tie against the host Lions on Friday, Aug. 29, and a 2-1 overtime win against San Diego on Sunday, Aug. 31. Junior Euan Holden scored the Lobos’ lone goal in the game against LMU. Senior forward Chris Wright was named the tournament MVP after scoring the game-tying goal against San Diego in the 87th minute on Sunday. Junior Stephen Brown had the game-winner against the Toreros in the 92nd minute on Sunday. Sophomore Ryan Farquharson had both assists in Sunday’s match. Juniors Justin Davis, Simon Ejdemyr and Zach Tierney were all named to the all-tournament team.
Lobos in Home Openers: New Mexico is 12-8-2 in home openers all-time, including 6-6 at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos are 4-2-0 in home openers in head coach Jeremy Fishbein’s tenure. They have lost their last two, faling to No. 10 UCLA 2-0 in 2006 and Loyola Marymount 1-0 last season.
WRIGHT NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Lobo senior Chris Wright was named preseason 2nd Team All-American by CollegeSoccerNews.com. Wright, a 6-5 forward from Fair Oaks, Calif., was the 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Year and the league’s leading scorer with 12 goals and four assists. Wright is listed as a midfielder on CollegeSoccerNews.com’s list, but will primarily fill the forward spot for the Lobos’ this season. His 21 career goals are currently seventh place all time at UNM. He needs two more to pass Lance Watson (2002-05) for sixth and tie Mario Picazo (1983-85) for fifth all-time at UNM.
LOBOS ADVANCEd TO NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR SIXTH TIME: UNM made its sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in school history last season. All of UNM’s postseason bids have come since the 2001 campaign. UNM fell at UCLA 1-0 in the first round, marking UNM’s first opening round exit in six trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Lobos are now 7-4-2 in NCAA Tournament action.
UNM WINS SIXTH LEAGUE TITLE IN PROGRAM HISTORY: Posting a 7-1-2 mark in MPSF action, the Lobos won their sixth league title in school history in 2007. All of UNM’s league trophies have come since the 2001 season. UNM is 41-7-6 in MPSF action in six seasons under current head coach Jeremy Fishbein.
LOBOS BOAST HIGHEST WINNING % SINCE 2004: The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team boasts the highest winning percentage in Division I over the last three years. The Lobos are 62-12-12 (.791) since the start of 2004. Only UC Santa Barbara (66-20-9), Maryland (63-18-10), SMU (63-19-10) and Wake Forest (69-18-10) have more wins than the Lobos over the last four-plus years. Here is a look at the top teams in the nation based on winning percentage since 2004.
New Mexico – 62-12-12 – .791
Wake Forest – 69-18-10 – .763
Akron – 60-15-11 – .762
Indiana – 61-15-16 – .750
UCSB – 66-20-9 – .742
Maryland – 63-19-10 – .739
SMU – 63-19-10 – .730
Three All-Region, Five ALL-MPSF and Eight Starters Return in 2008: The Lobos return eight starters and 14 lettermen for the 2008 campagin. Highlighting this list is senior forward Chris Wright, the 2007 MPSF Player of the Year. Wright led the league in scoring with 12 points and four assists. He was also a member of the All-Far West Region second team. Juniors Zach Tierney and Simon Ejdemyr were also on the All-Far West Region team, as well as first team All-MPSF honorees. Senior Jack Smithson and junior Stephen Brown return from the All-MPSF squad while senior Mike Porter, junior Justin Davis and sophomore Ryan Farquharson are all returning starters.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN STREAK CONTINUES: Chris Wright and sophomore Simon Ejdemyr both earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American honors last season. Wright earned a spot on the first team while Ejdemyr was named to the third team. The Lobos have now had at least one representative on the squad each year since 2003. Only Maryland has had at least one student-athlete honored each year during that same stretch.
LOBOS TOUGH AT HOME UNDER FISHBEIN: The Lobo men’s soccer team has posted a 24-2-1 mark in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action at the UNM Soccer Complex under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. The only two losses at home under Fishbein came against UNLV (2-0 on Oct. 18, 2003) and San Jose State (3-2 (OT) on Oct. 16, 2005). UNM has won 86% of their matches overall in six years under Fishbein at the UNM Soccer Complex, posting a 45-5-5 mark in his tenure.
IN THE RANKINGS: The Lobos are ranked No. 19 in the preseason CollegeSoccerNews.com Top-30 and the Soccer America Preseason Top-25. They are 24th in the Soccer Times Top-25 preseason poll. New Mexico has now been ranked for 52 consecutive weeks, dating back to the start of 2004. The Lobos are also receiving votes in the NSCAA Preseason Top-25.
New Mexico is Strong with a Lead: The Lobos are tough to beat when scoring first or leading at the half. In head coach Jeremy Fishbein’s tenure, New Mexico is 75-3-7 when finding the back of the net first and 47-1-2 when holding a halftime lead. The last time UNM surrendered a lead and lost the match was at UNLV on Nov. 3, 2007, in a 2-1 OT loss to the Rebels. The only time the Lobos lost a match when leading at the half was a 3-2 loss to the Spartans in the finals of the 2003 MPSF Tournament Nov. 16, in Sacramento, Calif.
NEW MEXICO NINTH IN THE NCAA IN HOME ATTENDANCE: UNM averaged 2,080 fans per game at the UNM Soccer Complex in the 2007 season. A total of 18,723 spun the turnstiles in nine home games this season, ranking ninth in average attendance in the NCAA. The Lobos were 6-2-1 in the nin home games in 2007. UNM has ranked in the top-15 in attendance each year since the 2001 season. The Lobos 3,629 average in 2005 is still a single-season NCAA record for average per game in a season.
LOBOS PICKED TO WIN MPSF TITLE…AGAIN:The coaches around the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation selected UNM as the preseason favorite to win the MPSF in 2008.
1. New Mexico
2. Denver
3T. San Jose St
3T. UNLV
5. Sacramento St
6. Air Force
RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 22: CollegeSoccerNews.com pegged the 2008 Lobo recruiting class as the 22nd best in the nation. It is the fifth year in a row New Mexico has had its recruiting class in the top-40 by CollegeSoccerNews.com. Highlighted by two NSCAA High School All-Americans, a transfer from NCAA Champ Wake Forest and an additional adidas ESP participant, the Lobos’ 2008 incoming class is loaded with talent. Topping the list of newcomers are midfielder Michael Green and goalkeeper Victor Rodriguez. Both players earned NSCAA High School All-American honors last season. A pair of new faces are already enrolled at UNM and are training with the team this spring. David Murphy has transferred from Wake Forest after helping the Demon Deacons to the 2007 NCAA title. He was a club teammate of Stephen Brown on the Dallas Texans squad that won three consecutive U.S.Y.S.A. national titles. Holden is also transferring to UNM after spending the last two seasons at UConn. Lance Rozeboom is a freshman who began his collegiate career in January after graduating early from Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gal Yaar is a talented club player joining the Lobos from Israel. Four other high school players will join the Lobo program in the fall, including Travis Campbell, Justin Holmes, Masashi Shibuya and Gary Weisbaum.
2008 SPRING SEASON: The Lobos played six matches in the 2008 Spring season, posting a 4-1-1 mark.
April 5 – 3-0 win over Air Force (Wright 2, Reed)
April 5 – 2-0 win over Fort Lewis (Wright, Rozeboom)
April 11 – 1-1 tie at Wake Forest (Davis)
April 13 – 1-0 win at Duke (Ejdemyr)
April 18 – 3-1 win at El Paso Patriots (Wilson 2, Tierney)
April 30 – 2-4 loss at Colorado Rapids (Smithson 2)
COMING AND GOING AFTER 2007: UNM will return eight starters and 14 lettermen to their line-up in 2008. Three starters and seven letterwinners total from 2007 will not be back in 2008. Seniors Mike Graczyk, David Gualdarama and Diego Barrera will be missing from the starting 11 next season while Joey Vitagliano and Blake Danaher are a pair of senior reserves who will not return after exhausting their eligibility. Letterwinners sophomore Bryan Sajjadi and redshirt freshman Gardner Morrow transferred from UNM while sophomore Charles Conway and redshirt Ryan Lytle will also not return in 2008.