Sept. 15, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Davis Racks Up Weekly Honors
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team returns home to host the TLC Plumbing Nike Invitational this weekend at the UNM Soccer Complex. New Mexico welcomes UC Davis, Gonzaga, and Binghamton to Lobo Country. The Lobos (2-2-0) will take on UC Davis (2-3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday and Gonzaga (3-1-2) at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Binghamton will face Gonzaga at 5 p.m. Friday and UC Davis at 11 a.m. Sunday. All games will be played at the UNM Soccer Complex. Live video and GameTracker will be available on GoLobos.com for all matches, and an audio broadcast will accompany the feed for games featuring New Mexico.
A pair of UNM men’s basketball single game tickets will be given away during each game featuring New Mexico. Every person in attendance has a chance to win. 250 Lobo knit hats and 100 t-shirts will be given away during Friday’s game, and there will be more giveaways and promotions on Sunday. The Tournament is sponsored by TLC Plumbing and Utilities.
UP NEXT:UC Davis is 2-3-0 after falling to Washington 2-1 in a double overtime match at home Sunday. The Aggies dropped a match against the No. 15/9 UCLA Bruins 4-0 on Thursday, Sept. 10. Their two wins came against Robert Morris (3-0) and Central Arkansas (3-1), and the Aggies opened the season with a 4-1 loss to San Jose State.
The Aggies are led by top returning scorers Paul Marcoux and Chris Leer. Marcoux has two goals on the year thus far, while Lear has notched three assists. Goalkeeper Ryan McCowan has started all five games for the Aggies, recording 14 saves in 429 minutes. He had a season-high six saves in Sunday’s game against Washington, including four in the second half. His goals-allowed-average stands at 2.10. This is the first-ever meeting between New Mexico and UC Davis.
Gonzaga is coming off the Gonzaga/Nike Soccer Classic, in which they emerged as the overall winner with a mark of 2-0-0 in tournament play. The Bulldogs shut out Georgia Southern 3-0 to open play at the tournament on Friday, then posted a 4-0 victory over the University of Detroit Mercy on Sunday afternoon to cap off the weekend. Gonzaga is 3-1-2 on the season.
The Bulldogs return 2008 West Coast Conference Defender of the Year Nick Barclay, who was named the tournament MVP last weekend. Gonzaga returns nine players who contributed 27 of the 28 goals they scored a year ago, led by senior forward Tye Perdido. Perdido had three goals in the tourney, and was also named to the all-tournament team. Bulldog keeper Scott Barnum posted back-to-back shutouts, earning all-tournament honors, and hisgoals-allowed-average stands at 0.64.
Gonzaga and New Mexico tied 1-1 in the teams’ last meeting, which was a neutral game in Las Vegas, Nev. in 2003. Gonzaga leads the all-time series 2-0-1.
UC DAVIS AGGIES
Location: Davis, Calif.
Conference: Big West
Head Coach: Dwane Shaffer (Chico State ’88)
Record at UC Davis: 131-84-23 (12)
Career Record: 136-94-24 (13)
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/7
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 12/11
2008 Record: 13-5-4 (2nd D-I Season)
2008 Conference Record: 5-4-1 (4th)
UNM vs. UC Davis: First Meeting
Web Site: www.UCDavisAggies.com
GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Location: Spokane, Wash.
Conference: West Coast
Head Coach: Einar Thorarinsson (Cornell, ’75)
Record at Gonzaga: 119-110-22 (14)
Career Record: 242-161-35 (23)
Starters Returning/Lost: 7/3
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 14/3
2008 Record: 9-8-2
2008 Conference Record: 6-5-1 (T-2nd)
UNM vs. Gonzaga: 0-2-1
Last Meeting: Tied 1-1 (9-26-03) in Las Vegas, Nev.
Web Site: www.Gonzaga.edu
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND:The Lobos split last weekend’s matches at the Mike Berticelli Tournament hosted by Notre Dame in which they faced two Top-10 teams. The Lobos picked up a resounding victory Sunday afternoon, edging No. 10 Notre Dame 2-1 in overtime on the Fighting Irish’s home turf. Senior forward Justin Davis notched the game-winner for the Lobos in addition to scoring the tying goal in the first half. Notre Dame got on the board first, taking advantage of miscommunication on the Lobo defensive end for an own goal three minutes into the game. The Lobos took most of the first half to get back on their feet, and Davis took an assist from Michael Reed to knot the score 1-1 at 37:54. The Lobos dominated in overtime, as senior forward Stephen Brown gave Davis a centering feed for a climactic game-winner less than two minutes into the overtime period. New Mexico fell to No. 12 Indiana 3-2 Friday night despite putting up 12 shots against the Hoosiers. The Lobos scored first and led 2-1 with 11 minutes remaining on the clock, but two late second-half goals by Indiana set the final score. Davis and Stephen Brown scored a goal apiece in the loss. New Mexico is 2-2-0 on the season.
Justin Davis NAMED MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK:New Mexico senior Justin Davis was named Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday, Sept. 14. The award is the third of Davis’s career and the first of the season for the Lobos. Davis combined for seven points on three goals and one assist this weekend at the Mike Berticelli Tournament. He was named Offensive MVP and was an all-tournament honoree. Davis nailed the game-tying and winning goals to lead the way for the Lobos in the 2-1 OT win over the host No. 10 Irish.
THREE LOBOS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:Junior Ryan Farquharson and sophomore Lance Rozeboom joined senior Justin Davis on the Mike Berticelli Memorial All-Tournament Team last weekend. The Lobos finished 2nd behind No. 12 Indiana in tournament final standings after winning a tiebreaker with the host team, No. 10 Notre Dame, based on head-to-head play.
DAVIS LEADS MPSF IN SHOTS AND POINTS PER GAME:Justin Davis is currently leading the MPSF individual stat charts for shots and points per game with an average of 4 and 2.25, respectively. He is tied with Max Alvarez (Sacramento State) in the category of goals per game with an average of 1.
FISHBEIN REACHES 100 PROGRAM VICTORIES:Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein reached his 100th program victory at UNM with Sunday’s road win over No. 10 Notre Dame. Fishbein posted a 11-6-2 mark during the 2008 campaign and notched a win over No. 21 Saint Louis in the 2009 season opener. Fishbein is in his 8th year at New Mexico, and currently holds a 196-93-25 overall record (17 years).
DAVIS CRACKS THE ALL-TIME LISTS:Last weekend’s stats helped Davis crack his first Lobo All-Time list. The senior forward is now ninth all-time in career shots at New Mexico with 124. He’s also within striking distance in several other categories. His 17 career goals put him two away from the top ten, while he only needs one more in the assist category. Davis is one career point away from the top ten.
EJDEMYR ON PENALTY KICKS:Strong-footed Lobo senior Simon Ejdemyr is currently 7-7 on career penalty kicks. Ejdemyr scored the Lobos’ first goal of the 2009 season on a penalty kick at Robert R. Hermann Stadium against No. 21 Saint Louis. Ejdemyr also scored the Lobos’ last goal of the 2008 season on a penalty kick, the lone strike in New Mexico’s 1-0 win over No. 25 Denver at home on Nov. 16.
EXHIBITION PLAY:New Mexico looked tough in exhibition play, posting a mark of 3-0 in the 2009 preseason. The Lobos defeated No. 12 Tulsa 3-2 on the road in the exhibition opener and shutout Oral Roberts 2-0 in Tulsa, Okla. New Mexico posted a 4-0 win over CSU-Pueblo in the final exhibition match at the UNM Soccer Complex. Senior Stephen Brown scored two of the Lobos three goals against Tulsa and senior P.J. Wilson scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Oral Roberts. Senior Justin Davis notched two goals of the Lobos’ four goals at home against CSUP.
UNM HAS WON SIX LEAGUE TITLES IN EIGHT YEARS:The Lobos have dominated Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings in recent years, winning six league titles out of the last eight. All of UNM’s league trophies have come since the 2001 season. The Lobos are 48-10-6 in MPSF action in seven seasons under current head coach Jeremy Fishbein.
TWO ALL-REGION, FOUR ALL-MPSF AND SEVEN STARTERS RETURN:The Lobos return seven starters and 14 lettermen for the 2009 campaign. Highlighting this list is senior forward Justin Davis and senior defender Simon Ejdemyr, who were first-team All-MPSF selections in 2008. Both Davis and Ejdemyr were also members of the All-Far West Region second and third teams, respectively. Davis led the Lobos and the MPSF in scoring last season with seven goals and six assists for 20 points, while Ejdemyr scored five goals and notched one assist as a defender. Juniors Ryan Farquharson and and Michael Reed return from the All-MPSF squad, while seniors Stephen Brown and P.J. Wilson and sophomore Michael Green are all returning starters.
FIREPOWER RETURNS:The Lobos will have 78 percent of their goals scored returning from last season, including MPSF leading scorer Justin Davis and sharp-shooting Simon Ejdemyr, who went 4-4 on penalty kicks last season. Senior P.J. Wilson had three goals on the season in 2008, while senior Stephen Brown and sophomore Michael Green scored two apiece.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN STREAK CONTINUES:Senior Simon Ejdemyr was named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American selection in 2008, earning 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.
LOBOS DOMINATE IN CLASSROOM:The Lobos were just as aggressive in the classroom as they were on the field in 2008. 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. The Lobos return three student-athletes from last year’s Academic All-MPSF list in senior Simon Ejdemyr and juniors Michael Reed and James Urbany. This marks the second Academic All-MPSF award for Ejdemyr and Reed, and the first for Urbany. Ejdemyr was also selected to the Academic Far West All-Region team.
LOBOS TOUGH AT HOME UNDER FISHBEIN:The Lobo men’s soccer team has posted a 29-2-1 mark in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation action at the UNM Soccer Complex under head coach Jeremy Fishbein. The only two MPSF 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. New Mexico carries a 54-8-5 mark overall in seven years under Fishbein at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos capped off the 2008 season with a 1-0 win over No. 25 Denver at home.
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 83-5-9 when finding the back of the net first and 54-2-4 when holding a halftime led. The last time the Lobos surrendered a lead and lost the match was at Washington on Sept. 21, 2008 in a 3-2 OT loss to the Huskies.
NEW MEXICO 12TH IN NCAA HOME ATTENDANCE:UNM averaged 1,632 fans per game at the UNM Soccer Complex in the 2008 season. A total of 16,322 spun the turnstiles in ten home games last year, ranking 12th in average attendance in the NCAA. The Lobos were 8-2-0 in the 10 home games in 2008. 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.
FARMING LOCAL TALENT:Three New Mexico freshmen join the Lobo ranks this season, raising the number of local players on the 2009 UNM roster to six. Midfielder Patrick Pacheco of Taos HS was the school record holder for most goals in a season (32) and most assists (16) in a season, in addition to being the all-time leading goal scorer at THS with 67 goals and 36 assists in a four-year span. Pacheco was named second team all-state in 2007 and 2008. Midfielder Julian Roberts of Rio Rancho HS played on two district championship teams in 2007 and 2008, and was named first-team all-district in 2007. Forward/midfielder Lawrence Robledo of La Cueva HS was a member of the 2008 state championship team, was named second team all-state as a senior, and was an all-state honorable mention his junior year. Robledo was also the fifth-leading scorer in district 5A with 19 goals and 17 assists, totaling 55 points his senior year. Pacheco, Roberts, and Robledo team up with fellow New Mexicans Michael Reed (MF, Sandia HS), Dominique Romero (MF, La Cueva HS), and Victor Rodriguez (GK, Las Cruces HS) on this year’s squad.
2009 SPRING SEASON:The Lobos played five matches in the 2009 Spring season, posting a mark of 2-0-2.April 4 – 2-1 win over Fort Lewis College (Wilson, Ejdemyr)April 4 – 1-0 over Colorado State Pueblo (Davis)April 11 – 0-0 tie at UC-Santa BarbaraApril 12 – 0-0 tie at Cal-Poly
UNM SOCCER COMPLEX:2009 marks the 14th year the Lobos will take the pitch at the UNM Soccer Complex. The home field for the Lobos seats 6,200 fans and is equipped with endline bleachers, a new press box and a Daktronics video scoreboard. The Lobo men’s soccer locker room boasts state-of-the-art video equipment, personalized lockers, and a spacious area for use solely by the men’s soccer program.