Aug. 24, 2009>
Lobos Defeat No. 12 Tulsa
Lobos Shut Out Oral Roberts 2-0
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team plays its last exhibition match Thursday, Aug. 27, taking on Colorado State University-Pueblo at 7 p.m. MT at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos open the regular season on the road at Saint Louis at 6 p.m. MT Tuesday, Sept. 1, and take on San Francisco at 7 p.m. MT on Saturday, Sept. 5 in the home opener. Gametracker will be available on GoLobos.com for all matches.
This is the first-ever meeting between New Mexico and CSU-Pueblo. The ThunderWolves return six starters and 15 lettermen from their 11-8-2 squad in 2008. The season record marked the second-highest win total in program history. CSUP was selected to finish fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2009 Preaseason Poll, exactly where they finished last season.
Sophomore Robert Kinsey is the ThunderWolves’ top returning scorer, posting 13 goals and seven assists for 33 points in 2008. Kinsey was also one of three unanimous selections to the preseason all-RMAC squad. Junior Chris Smith will likely be in goal for the ThunderWolves. Smith played in 20 of the team’s 21 games last season, picking up 89 saves and posting a 1.62 goals-against-average.
New Mexico wrapped up an 11-6-2 season in 2008, finishing second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with a mark of 7-3-0. The Lobos return seven starters and 14 lettermen in 2009, highlighted by senior forward Justin Davis. Davis led the Lobos and the MPSF in scoring last season with seven goals and six assists for 20 points. The Lobo backline is also one of the team’s strongest assets going into the ’09 season, anchored by senior central defender Simon Ejdemyr. Both Davis and Ejdemyr were first-team all-MPSF and third-team all-Far West Region selections.
New Mexico is 2-0 in exhibition play going into Thursday’s matchup. The Lobos defeated No. 12 Tulsa 3-2 on Friday night in Tulsa, Okla., then moved on to shut out Oral Roberts 2-0 on Sunday. Senior Stephen Brown highlighted Friday’s outing against Tulsa, scoring two of the Lobos’ three goals in the win. Senior P.J. Wilson paced the Lobos up front on Sunday, notching two against Oral Roberts.
“We had a good team effort this weekend,” said Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “A lot of guys got their first taste of a college game. We’re continuing with preseason and we’ve got one more exhibition game left. Then it’s on to [the regular] season.”