March 31, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team will host a pair of home matches Saturday against Fort Lewis College at 10:30 a.m. and Colorado State – Pueblo at 12:30 p.m. on Robertson Field. New Mexico has assembled another top tier spring schedule in order to prepare them for a run at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship and their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in ten years.
New Mexico finished the season 11-6-2 and returns three of its top-five scorers from the 2008 campaign including MPSF scoring champion Justin Davis. The senior from Litchfield Park, Ariz. scored seven goals and six assists for a total of 20 points. Simon Ejdemyr tallied five goals and one assist for a total of 11 points while Steven Brown pitched in two goals and three assists for a total of seven points.
Fort Lewis is the four-time defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Champions and finished the season 18-2-3. The Skyhawks were ranked second nationally but lost to Midwestern State, 5-0 in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
CSU-Pueblo also a member of the RMAC had their season shelved by Fort Lewis College in the semifinal round of the RMAC Tournament and finished the season with a 11-6-2 record.
The Lobos take their show on the road and will visit UC-Santa Barbara on April 10. The Gauchos finished the 2008 season 10-7-5 with a second round 3-2 double overtime loss to California. On Sunday, April 12 the Calif. road trip continues with a visit to Cal-Poly. The Mustangs also reached the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. After a 1-0 win over UCLA in the opening round of the tournament, Cal-Poly fell to UC Irvine 3-0.
The Lobos will conclude their spring schedule with a visit to Dick Sporting Goods Park as they take on Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15.
Follow the Lobos spring progress and preparations for the fall at www.GoLobos.com.