Feb. 17, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team finished the regular season with an 11-6-2 record while going 7-3-0 in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation competition. The Lobos narrowly missed a trip to the NCAA tournament even with wins over fourth seeded Akron and fifth seeded Michigan State. The program picked up its fifth consecutive season with 11 or more wins.
LOBOS FACE THE BEST OF THE BEST
New Mexico faced some of the best teams in the country this season. The Lobos defeated the eventual 2008 Big Ten Conference Champion Michigan State on Sept. 5 by a score of 3-2. Only seven days later the Lobos defeated the 2008 MAC Champion and then ranked No. 2 Akron in the opening night game of the Nike Invitational hosted by New Mexico. UNM capped the season by defeating the MPSF regular season champion and then ranked No. 25 Denver Pioneers 1-0 on Nov. 16.
New Mexico narrowly missed an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and finished with at least 11 wins for the fifth straight season. New Mexico faced five eventual NCAA Tournament qualifiers this season in, fifth seeded Akron, Louisville, fourth seeded Michigan State, Cal Poly and Denver and finished with a RPI ranking of 54.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
The Lobos were led offensively by junior Justin Davis. The Litchfield Park, Ariz. native led the Lobos with seven goals and six assists for 20 points. Davis’ 20 points also led the MPSF in scoring. Senior Chris Wright was second on the team with six goal and three assists for a total of 15 points.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
New Mexico had its fair share of postseason awards both on the pitch and in the classroom. The Lobos landed six players on the All-MPSF list. Juniors Justin Davis and Simon Ejdemyr were first team selections while seniors Jack Smithson and Chris Wright were honored on the second team. Sophomores Ryan Farquharson and Michael Reed were given honorable mention recognition. Davis and Ejdemyr also were selected to the Far West All-Region team. Davis picked up second team honors as a forward while Ejdemyr earned third team honors as a defender.
LOBOS DOMINANT IN CLASSROOM AS WELL
The Lobos were just as aggressive in the classroom as they were on the field this season. As a team, New Mexico earned its sixth straight National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award. The award is given to teams who achieve a 3.0 grade point average for the academic year.
Senior Chris Wright and Junior Simon Ejdemyr were selected to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American team. Wright was selected to the second team, while Ejdemyr earned first team honors. New Mexico is the only team in the country to have at least one Academic All-American award winner every year since 2003.
The Lobos put seven student-athletes on the Academic All-MPSF list this fall. The list includes all three seniors, Chris Wright, Mike Porter and Jack Smithson, junior Simon Ejdemyr and sophomores Mike Reed, Eric Staver and James Urbany. This marks the third Academic All-MPSF award for Wright, the second for Ejdemyr, Porter, Reed and Smithson and the first for Staver and Urbany.
Porter, Wright and Ejdemyr were all selected to the Academic Far West All-Region team as well.
SENIOR SEND OFF
The Lobos will lose three seniors in forward Chris Wright, Mike Porter and Jack Smithson. Wright finished his career ranked seventh in points with 62, fifth in goals with 26 and sixth in shots with 148 on the Lobos All-Time list. Wright was the 2007 MPSF Player of the Year. Porter was a 2006 second team All-Conference honoree at defender and finished his career with three goals, four assists and 10 points. Smithson was a two-time All-Conference honoree and finished his career with nine goals, 11 assists for a total of 29 points.