Oct. 1, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Watch Coach Fishbein’s Comments on This Weekend’s Matches
UP NEXT: The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team kicks off the 2008 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation season with two road matches this weekend. The Lobos travel to Denver and Air Force to start conference play, beginning with the Pioneers on Friday, Oct. 3, at 4:00 p.m. (M.D.T.). The Lobos will also face the Falcons on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 1:00 p.m.
GameTracker will be available for the Air Force game this weekend.
Denver traveled to No. 5 Creighton last weekend and fell 2-0. The Pioneers were picked to finish second in the MPSF this season, but are just 2-5-0 in the preconference schedule. Junior Collin Audley and senior Colin Jones each own five points this year. Both games between the Pioneers and Lobos ended in a tie last season. New Mexico needed the 0-0 double-overtime shutout at Denver in the season finale last season to clinch the MPSF title.
Air Force dropped a 4-1 decision at No. 21 UC Davis in their final non-conference game of the season last weekend. The Falcons were actually the first team all season to take an early 1-0 lead on the upstart Aggies, after Sept. 22 MPSF Player of the Week Steve Noller tallied his third goal of ’08 in the 22nd-minute. Air Force still holds a 16-13-1 mark in the all time series against UNM, despite the fact that the Lobos have not lost to the Falcons in eight consecutive matches.
DENVER PIONEERS (2-5-0)
Location: Denver, Colo.
Conference: MPSF
Head Coach: Bobby Muss (UCONN `99)
Record at Denver: 12-9-4 (2nd)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/5
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 17/12
2007 Record: 10-4-4
2007 Conference Record: 6-1-3 (2nd)
UNM vs. Denver: 11-10-3
Last Time: Tied 0-0 (11-18-07) at Denver
Top Goal Scorer: Colin Jones, Collin Audley, Leon Abravanel (2)
Top Assists: Joey Mathot, Kyle Christensen, Ryan Aweida (2)
Top Keeper: Joe Willis (1.33 g.a.a.)
Notes: The Pioneers were picked to finish second in the MPSF this season, but have gotten off to a tough start. These two teams tied both of their matches last season.
Web Site: www.DenverPioneers.com
AIR FORCE FALCONS (2-6-0)
Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Conference: MPSF
Head Coach: Doug Hill (USAFA `83)
Record at Air Force: 7-18-1 (2nd)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/6
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 17/7
2007 Record: 5-12-1
2007 Conference Record: 3-7-0 (T5th)
UNM vs. Air Force: 13-16-1
Last Time: UNM Won 2-0 (11-16-07) at Air Force
Top Goal Scorer: Steven Noller (3)
Top Assists: Kevin Rosser (2)
Top Keeper: Jim Gullo (1.75 g.a.a.)
Notes: The Lobos are gunning for their sixth straight win in the series with Air Force. Head coach Jeremy Fishbein is 8-1-1 against the Academy in his tenure at UNM. The last time Air Force beat UNM was a 2-1 win in Colorado Springs on Oct. 24, 2003.
Web Site: www.GoAirForceFalcons.com
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND: New Mexico was off last weekend and did not play. The Lobos came away from the Husky Classic winless in their last action on Sept. 19-21. UNM tied Portland 1-1 and fell to Washington 3-2 in Seattle, Wash.
DAVIS NAMED MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Justin Davis was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation co-Player of the Week after netting the game-winner against No. 2 Akron on Friday, Sept. 12. Davis has a goal and two assists on the season. It is his first career player of the week honors.
LOBOS AGAINST THE TOP-5: New Mexico’s 1-0 win over No. 2 Akron was their fourth over a top-5 team in school history. UNM is 4-8-2 all-time against teams ranked in the top-5, including two wins and a tie against the last three that visited the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos are 2-3-2 in seven matches against the top-5 in head coach Jeremy Fishbein’s tenure.
Fishbein vs. The Top-5
No. 2 Akron – 1-0 win at home on Sept. 12, 2008
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 SECOND HIGHEST WINNING % SINCE 2004: The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team boasts the second highest winning percentage in Division I over the last three years. The Lobos are 64-15-14 (.763) since the start of 2004. Here is a look at the top teams in the nation based on winning percentage since 2004.
Wake Forest – 75-18-10 – .777
New Mexico – 64-15-14 – .763
Akron – 65-16-12 – .763
Maryland – 68-20-10 – .745
Indiana – 64-17-17 – .740
SMU – 67-21-11 – .732
UCSB – 70-23-9 – .730
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).
IN THE RANKINGS: The Lobos are out of all of the rankings for the first time since the start of the 2004 season. UNM is receiving votes in the Soccer Times Top-25 and the CollegeSoccerNews.com Top-30. The Lobos are No. 7 in the NSCAA Far West Region.
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.