Sept. 9, 2008
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UP NEXT: The 23rd ranked University of New Mexico men’s soccer team hosts the 2008 NIKE Classic at the UNM Soccer Complex this weekend. The Lobos welcome undefeated and No. 2 ranked Akron Zips (3-0-1) on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. New Mexico will face Cal Poly (2-1-0) on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 5:30 p.m.
Each game of the weekend will be available on All Access on GoLobos.com. GameTracker will also run for all eight contests this weekend. Admission for each day is only $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for youth. Group tickets are also available for parties of 25 or more. For complete ticket information call the UNM Ticket Office at (505) 925-LOBO or click here.
A full weekend of action begins on Friday, Sept. 12, with four matches on the schedule, starting with the UNLV women taking on Fairleigh Dickinson at Noon (M.D.T.). On the men’s side, Missouri State (0-3-1) and Cal Poly square off at 2:30 followed by the Lobo women vs. No. 24 Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The evening is capped off with the Lobo men’s match against the second-ranked Zips.
Akron is 3-0-1 on the year with wins over No. 3 Notre Dame (3-0), No. 15 West Virginia (1-0) and Cincinnati (2-1). Their only tie came at No. 7 Indiana (0-0). Their No. 2 ranking is the highest designation for the program since owning the top slot for four weeks during the 2005 campaign.
The Zips are led by sophomore forward Steve Zakuani. The 2007 MAC Newcomer of the Year and current Hermann Trophy candidate has three goals and two assists on the year. The Zips defeated the Lobos 3-1 in Akron, Ohio, in the season opening match last season. It is the only other meeting between these two schools.
Sunday’s line up begins with the UNLV women taking on No. 24 Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 10:00 a.m. (M.D.T.) followed by the men’s match between No. 2 Akron and Missouri State at 12:30 p.m. The women’s match between UNM and Fairleigh Dickinson kicks off at 3:00 p.m. followed by the Lobo men’s match against Cal Poly at 5:30 p.m.
Cal Poly is coming off a 1-0 loss to Loyola Marymount and a 3-1 win over Kentucky last weekend. The Mustangs were ranked No. 24 in the CollegeSoccerNews.com Top-30 last week and are receiving votes in this week’s poll. They are also ranked No. 7 in the Far West Region by the NSCAA. They opened the season with a 2-0 win over MPSF foe Air Force.
The Mustangs are led by junior forward Daniel Cumming’s two goals. Senior midfielder Julian Alvarez also has two assists on the year. Cal Poly was picked third in the Big West preseason coaches poll behind UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara.
NO. 2 AKRON ZIPS (3-0-1)
Location: Akron, Ohio
Conference: Mid American
Head Coach: Caleb Porter (Indiana `98)
Record at Akron: 31-9-4 (3rd)
Career Record: same
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Starters Returning/Lost: 6/6
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 12/6
2007 Record: 15-4-2 (NCAA 2nd Rd)
2007 Conference Record: 4-0-1 (1st)
UNM vs. Akron: 0-1-0
Last Time: Akron won 3-1 (8-31-07) at Home
Top Goal Scorer: Steve Zakuani (3)
Top Assists: Steve Sakuani, Ben Zemanski (2)
Top Keeper: Evan Bush (0.24 g.a.a.)
Notes: These two teams opened the season last year at Akron with the Zips winning 3-1. Ryan Farquharson scored his only goal of the season in the match. Both Akron and UNM have faced Notre Dame this season. The Lobos fell to the Irish 2-1 in overtime at home in exhibition play, while the Zips defeated ND 3-0 in Bloomington, Ind.
Web Site: www.GoZips.com
CAL POLY MUSTANGS (2-1-0)
Location: San Louis Obispo, Calif.
Conference: Big West
Head Coach: Paul Holocher (Santa Clara `90)
Record at Cal Poly: 18-12-8 (3rd)
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Career Record: 127-36-15 (10th)
Starters Returning/Lost: 9/2
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 19/7
2007 Record: 11-4-4
2007 Conference Record: 6-2-4 (3rd)
UNM vs. Cal Poly: 2-2-0
Last Time: UNM Won 3-0 (9-13-02) at Home
Top Goal Scorer: Daniel Cumming (2)
Top Assists: Julian Alvarez (2)
Top Keeper: Eric Branagan-Franco (0.67 g.a.a.)
Notes: This will be the fifth match-up in the series. The Lobos topped the Mustangs 3-0 in their last meeting on Sept. 13, 2002. That match was played at the UNM Soccer Complex in Jeremy Fishbein’s first season as head coach at New Mexico.
Web Site: www.GoPoly.com
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND: The Lobos split last weekend’s matches with Michigan State and Louisville in the TLC Plumbing & Utility Invitational. UNM defeated the Spartans 3-2 on Friday night behind goals from senior Jack Smithson, junior P.J. Wilson and freshman Michael Green. UNM dropped a heartbreaker to Louisville on Sunday 2-1 in double overtime. Senior Chris Wright scored the Lobos’ lone goal in that contest. Wright, junior Justin Davis and sophomore Michael Reed were all named to the all tournament team.
LOBOS AGAINST THE TOP-5: New Mexico is 3-8-2 all-time against teams ranked in the top-5, however they have a win and a tie against the last two that visited the UNM Soccer Complex. They scored a 1-1 tie against No. 1 SMU at home on Sept. 15, 2006, and a 1-0 double-overtime thriller against No. Indiana on Sept. 19, 2004. The Lobos are 1-3-2 in six matches against the top-5 in head coach Jeremy Fishbein’s tenure.
Fishbein vs. The Top-5
No. 1 SMU – 1-1 tie at home on Sept. 15, 2006
No. 1 Maryland – 0-1 loss in the College Cup finals in Cary, N.C., on Dec. 11, 2005
No. 4 Virginia – 1-1 tie in the NCAA 3rd round in Charlottesville, Va. on Nov. 27, 2004
No. 1 Indiana – 1-0 (2OT) win at home on Sept. 19, 2004
No. 1 UCLA – 0-1 loss at UCLA on Oct. 9, 2003
No. 1 SMU – 0-2 loss at SMU in the NCAA 2nd round on Nov. 25, 2001.
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 22 career goals are currently tied for sixth place all time at UNM. He needs one 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 63-13-12 (.784) since the start of 2004. Only UC Santa Barbara (68-20-9), Maryland (65-19-10), SMU (64-19-11) and Wake Forest (71-18-10) 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 – 63-13-12 – .784
Wake Forest – 71-18-10 – .768
Akron – 62-15-11 – .767
UCSB – 68-20-9 – .747
Maryland – 65-19-10 – .745
SMU – 64-19-11 – .739
Indiana – 61-16-17 – .739
THREE ALL-REGION, FIVE ALL-MPSF AND STARTERS RETURN IN 2008: The Lobos return eight starters and 14 lettermen for the 2008 campaign. 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. 23 in the CollegeSoccerNews.com Top-30 and No. 25 in the Soccer Times Top-25. UNM is also receiving votes in the NSCAA Preseason Top-25 and ranked third in the Far West Region by the NSCAA.
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 75-4-7 when finding the back of the net first and 47-1-3 when holding a halftime lead. 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 nine 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 State
3T. UNLV
5. Sacramento State
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.