Nov. 5, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
UP NEXT: The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team heads to California this weekend for its final two regular season road matches. UNM visits Sacramento State on Friday, Nov. 7, at 3:30 p.m. (M.S.T.) and San Jose State on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2:00 p.m.
Live stats will be available on www.GoLobos.com for both matches this weekend.
The Lobos are currently 8-5-2 on the season and 4-2-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play. The Lobos’ 12 points put them in second place behind Denver (8-5-2, 6-0-1 MPSF) who has 19 total points.
Sacramento State is 7-7-2 on the year and 2-5-0 in league action. The Hornets are led by senior forward Blake Nunes’ 15 points on six goals and three assists. Nunes is tied with Lobo junior Justin Davis for second in the MPSF in scoring. Senior defender Omar Martinez leads the team with four assists while freshman Bryan Oliver leads the MPSF with a 0.96 goals-against-average in 11 games between the pipes.
The Hornets were hot out of the gate in 2008, going undefeated at 5-0-1 in their first six matches but have lost five of their last six. The Lobos posted a 2-1 win at the UNM Soccer Complex on Oct. 12. Davis and junior Simon Ejdemyr scored in the first seven minutes of that match for UNM.
San Jose State is currently 6-5-4 on the year and in fourth place in the MPSF at 2-4-1. The Spartans are undefeated in their last three contests, including a 3-3 tie at Denver last weekend. New Mexico earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over San Jose State in Albuquerque on Oct. 10. Davis scored the game-winner in overtime in that match.
The Spartans are led by sophomore midfielder Efrain Burgos, Jr.’s 12 points on five goals and two assists. He is currently tied for fifth in scoring and tied for third in goals in the MPSF. Junior Colby Moore leads the team with five assists on the year. Senior Richard Mann has moved into the starting keeper position the past three matches. The reigning MPSf Player of the Week has a 0.87 g.a.a. in four contests this season.
SACRAMENTO STATE HORNETS (7-7-2, 2-5-0 MPSF)
Location: Sacramento, Calif.
Conference: MPSF
Head Coach: Michael Linenberger (Duke `87)
Record at Sacramento State: 124-208-33 (20th)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 8/3
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 16/4
2007 Record: 4-13-2
2007 Conference Record: 3-6-1 (4th)
UNM vs. Sacramento State: 11-2-2
Last Time: UNM Won 2-1 (10-12-08) at Home
Top Goal Scorer: Blake Nunes (6)
Top Assists: Omar Martinez (4)
Top Keeper: Brian Oliver (0.96 g.a.a.)
Notes: UNM has won the last three matches in the series, but it just 3-2-1 all time at Sacramento State. UNM is 1-0-2 in its last three trips to California’s state capital. The lone loss on the road to the Hornets was a 3-2 defeat in the 2001 season. UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein is undefeated against the Hornets in his tenure at UNM, posting a 9-0-2 mark since the start of the 2002 season.
Web Site: www.HornetSports.com
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (6-5-4, 2-4-1 MPSF)
Location: San Jose, Calif.
Conference: MPSF
Head Coach: Gary St. Clair (SJSU `76)
Record at San Jose State: 171-157-25 (19th)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 9/2
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 12/6
2007 Record: 10-9-0
2007 Conference Record: 5-5-0 (3rd)
UNM vs. San Jose State: 13-6-0
Last Time: UNM Won 1-0 in OT (10-10-08) at Home
Top Goal Scorer: Efrain Burgos, Jr., Nick Cukar (5)
Top Assists: Colby Moore (5)
Top Keeper: Richard Mann (0.87 g.a.a.)
Notes: The Lobos have won the last six matches in the series and five in a row in San Jose. The last win for the Spartans in the series was a 3-2 win in OT in Albuquerque in the 2005 season. The last time SJSU beat UNM in San Jose was a 4-3 OT win in 1997. UNM has outscored the Spartans 15-4 in the last four matches played at SJSU.
Web Site: www.SJSUSpartans.com
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND: The Lobos stated the second half of MPSF action with a 3-2 win over UNLV at the UNM Soccer Complex on Friday. It was the only action of the weekend for New Mexico. Juniors Justin Davis and Simon Ejdemyr and senior Mike Porter all scored in the match. Davis, junior Zach Tierney and senior Jack Smithson all logged assists in the contest. Sophomore Justin Fite got his first career start in goal. He played all 90 minutes of the match in his first regular season collegiate action. Fellow sophomore James Urbany also earned his first career start in the midfield.
LOBOS HAVE FACED TOUGH COMPETITION IN 2008: The Lobos always play tough competition throughout the season and this year is no different. New Mexico has wins over No. 2 Akron and No. 12 Michigan State in 2008. They have also faced No. 23 Louisville and No. 25 Cal Poly this season. Three other opponents on UNM’s schedule are currently ranked in the top-10 in the NSCAA Far West Region poll, including No. 7 Denver, No. 7 Washington and No. 10 UNLV.
DAVIS SECOND IN THE MPSF IN SCORING: Junior Justin Davis is now second in the MPSF in scoring in with 15 points on five goals and five assists. He is tied for third in goals and tied for second in assists in the league.
LOBO OFFENSE LEADING THE WAY: New Mexico’s 25 goals on the season are tied for the lead in the MPSF. UNM is second in the league in scoring with 74 points and assists with 24 on the year.
DAVIS NOW A TWO-TIME MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Justin Davis was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week after netting the game-winner against Stanford on Oct. 24. It was his second weekly honor of the season. He also won the award after scoring in UNM’s 1-0 win over No. 2 Akron on Friday, Sept. 12.
WRIGHT MOVING UP THE LOBOS’ ALL-TIME SCORING LIST: Lobo senior Chris Wright has amassed 57 points on 24 goals and nine assists in his career. He is currently in eighth place on UNM’s all-time scoring list. He needs four more points to pass Mario Picazo (1983-85) for seventh place. His 24 goals are currently fifth all-time at UNM.
IN THE RANKINGS: The Lobos are out of all of the rankings for the first time since the start of the 2004 season. It is the sixth week in a row New Mexico has not been ranked. UNM is No. 9 in the NSCAA Far West Region poll.
EJDEMYR NAMED MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Simon Ejdemyr was named the MPSF co-Player of the Week after scoring goal and assist against Sacramento State on Oct. 12. It is the second time in Ejdemyr’s career he has earned 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.
FOUR EARN ACADEMIC ALL-REGION: Four Lobos earned recognition on the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region VI team. Seniors Chris Wright and Mike Porter, junior Simon Ejdemyr and sophomore Eric Staver were all recognized on the team. Wright and 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 BOAST THIRD 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 68-16-14 (.765) since the start of 2004. Here is a look at the top teams in the nation based on winning percentage since 2004.
Wake Forest – 83-18-11 – .790
Akron – 73-16-13 – .779
New Mexico – 69-17-14 – .760
Maryland – 76-21-10 – .757
Indiana – 69-20-18 – .729
UCSB – 75-25-11 – .725
SMU – 70-24-12 – .717
LOBOS TOUGH AT HOME UNDER FISHBEIN: The Lobo men’s soccer team has posted a 27-2-1 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 85% of their matches overall in six years under Fishbein at the UNM Soccer Complex, posting a 51-7-5 mark in his tenure.