Sept. 29, 2009
Lobo Men And Women’s Soccer Team Up To “Kick Cancer”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team returns home for a single game this week, as they team up with UNM Hospital, the UNM Cancer Center, and the American Cancer Society to “Kick Cancer” during a doubleheader at the UNM Soccer Complex on Saturday, Oct. 3. The Lobo women’s soccer team will lace up their cleats first for a 5 p.m. match against Mountain West Conference foe TCU. Following the women, the Lobo men will take the field in a non-conference match-up against Cal-State Northridge at 7 p.m. GameTracker, live video, and an audio broadcast will accompany both games on GoLobos.com.
Both men’s and women’s teams will augment the cancer research theme by taking the field in pink jerseys, while giveaways include 1,000 pink water bottles and pink Howl Towels provided by UNMH. The Lobos will also be giving away a pair of Lobo men’s basketball single-game tickets. A silent auction of Lobo soccer gear will raise funds for the American Cancer Society, whose presence raises awareness for breast cancer research. The games are sponsored by UNMH and UNMCC.
UP NEXT:
Cal-State Northridge dropped to 5-2-1 following the Big West Challenge this weekend, in which they went 0-1-1. CSUN battled to a scoreless draw against the MPSF’s preseason #1 Denver on Friday night in the opening game of the Challenge, hosted by Cal-State Fullerton. Goalkeeper Michael Abalos made six saves for the Matadors, earning the first shutout of his career and the team’s third this season.
The Matadors were handed their second loss of the season on Sunday, when they fell to Coastal Carolina 2-1 after nearly scoring on three occasions with the clock winding down. Midfielder Rafael Garcia and defender Chad Borak were named to the Big West Challenge All-Tournament Team. CSUN’s only other loss came at the hands of San Diego in their second game of the season. Northridge will travel to UC Riverside for their inaugural Big West Conference game against the Highlanders this Wednesday evening prior to their match-up against the Lobos on Saturday.
CSUN brings back eight starters, 20 total position players, and 12 seniors from their 8-7-4 squad in 2008. They finished fifth in the Big West with a mark of 4-3-3, and were picked fourth in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll this year. CSUN has been paced by senior Sunghyun Kim so far this season, who leads the team with two goals and three assists for seven points. A three-time All-Big West selection, Kim was named to the first team last year and took home a second team award from the NSCAA. Senior forward Cameron Sims has three goals on the season, and was named the Big West Athlete of the Week on Sept. 14 after scoring two game-winning goals in a week’s time. Senior Dylan Riley was named Athlete of the Week by the conference office on Sept. 21 after scoring twice for the Matadors in the Prego Italian Express Invitational.
Cal-State Northridge Matadors
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Conference: Big West
Head Coach: Terry Davila (Cal-State Northridge, ’94)
Record at CSUN: 105-70-30 (11)
Career Record: same
Starters Returning/Lost: 8/3
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 19/5
2008 Record: 8-7-4
2008 Conference Record: 4-3-3 (5th)
NM vs. Northridge: 7-3-1
Web Site: GoMatadors.com
Notes: UNM won 4-0 (9-20-07) in Northridge, Calif.
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND:
The Lobos came away with a formidable 2-1 win over No. 4 California at the Stanford Nike Classic on Friday night, breaking a 1-1 tie with 1:30 left in the game. Junior Ryan Farquharson scored the game-winner, finishing a corner kick by teammate Justin Davis to complete the victory over the top-tier Golden Bears. Junior James Urbany scored off a cross from Stephen Brown to put the Lobos on the board first, netting his third career goal in the 20th minute. New Mexico outshot California by a considerable mark of nine to four in the second half, and came away with a victory in a very high paced, well played match. Sunday afternoon proved to be a tougher outing for the Lobos, as they dropped a 2-0 decision to Stanford in the last game of the Stanford Nike Classic. The first 10 minutes of the match were all Lobos, and the team put the pressure on Stanford keeper John Moore throughout the game with plenty of quality chances. The New Mexico offense made a concerted push with less than two minutes left in the game, but was unable to find the back of the net. The Lobos are currently 5-3-0 on the season.
NEW MEXICO AGAINST THE TOP-25:
Friday night marked New Mexico’s third win over Top-25 teams, and their second victory over Top-10 programs. The Lobos’ 5-3-0 mark includes a 3-0 win over No. 21 Saint Louis, a 2-1 (OT) win over No. 10 Notre Dame, and the 2-1 win over No. 4 Cal. The Lobos also notched all three wins on the road, defeating Saint Louis and Notre Dame on their home turf. The California win came at a neutral site in Stanford, Calif.
URBANY SCORES THIRD CAREER GOAL, FARQUHARSON SECOND:
Both of Friday’s goals came from third-year Lobos who consistently work hard in the midfield, but don’t necessarily get a lot of chances to score goals. Junior James Urbany’s strike was his second of the season and second in a row — he also found the back of the net in New Mexico’s 3-0 victory over Gonzaga on Sept. 20. Urbany has three career goals. Farquharson’s goal was his first of the season and the second of his career.
LOBOS SPREAD OUT THE SCORING:
As New Mexico has settled into their season, the team has started to spread out the scoring. Though senior forward Justin Davis leads the team with ten points on four goals and two assists, his numbers are closely trailed by several Lobos. Senior Stephen Brown has two goals and two assists for six points. Junior James Urbany has five points on two goals and one assist, as does sophomore Michael Green with one goal and three assists. Senior Simon Ejdemyr has two goals and four points. Junior Ryan Farquharson, senior P.J. Wilson, and freshman Patrick Pacheco round out the scoring with one goal apiece.
PACHECO, RODRIGUEZ GET FIRST STARTS:
New Mexico freshmen Patrick Pacheco and Victor Rodriguez each got their first starts as Lobos in New Mexico’s matchup against Gonzaga on Sept. 20. Pacheco, a Taos, N.M. native, made the best of his opportunity, banging in the winning goal in New Mexico’s 3-0 romp over Gonzaga. Goalkeper Rodriguez started in between the pipes for the Lobos, picking up the win while posting three impressive saves in just over 68 minutes. Rodriguez captained Las Cruces High to a 5A State Championship.
FOUR LOBOS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM:
Sophomore Michael Green was named the Offensive MVP of the TLC Plumbing Nike Invite, Sept. 18-20, while Lobo David Murphy took MVP honors on the defensive end. Junior Ryan Farquharson and sophomore Lance Rozeboom joined them on the all-tournament team. New Mexico hosted the tournament and won it outright, posting a 2-0-0 record on the weekend.
EJDEMYR ON PENALTY KICKS:
Strong-footed Lobo senior Simon Ejdemyr is currently 8-8 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, then broke a 1-1 tie with a PK to lift New Mexico to a 2-1 win over UC Davis at home on Sept. 18. 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.
LOBOS ON THE MPSF STAT CHARTS:
Justin Davis is currently leading the MPSF individual stat charts for shots per game with an average of 4.12. Simon Ejdemyr is tied for first in game-winning goals — both he and Nick Marshall of UNLV have two game-winners in eight games played for an average of 0.25. Davis is third in the category of points with ten. He is tied for third in the category of goals with four. Michael Green is tied for third in assists with three. New Mexico is currently leading the conference as a team in goals-against-average, posting nine goals in eight games for an average of 1.12.
DAVIS RACKS UP WEEKLY HONORS:
After scoring both goals in a 2-1 overtime win over No. 10 Notre Dame on their home field, New Mexico senior forward Justin Davis was named to the Soccer America National Team of the Week on Sept. 15. He combined for seven points on three goals and one assist Sept. 11-13 at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament hosted by Notre Dame. Davis was named Offensive MVP and was an all-tournament honoree. He nailed the game-tying and winning goals to lead the way for the Lobos in the resounding win over the Fighting Irish on Sept. 13. Davis added a goal and an assist in a narrow 3-2 loss to No. 12 Indiana on Sept. 11. The honor was the second weekly award the Litchfield Park, Ariz. native earned in two days — he was also named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week on Sept. 14. Davis’s MPSF nod is the third of his career and the first of the season for the Lobos. Davis is the first Lobo since 2007 to win a national weekly award.
MIKE BERTICELLI ALL-TOURNEY:
Junior Ryan Farquharson and sophomore Lance Rozeboom joined senior Justin Davis on the Mike Berticelli Memorial All-Tournament Team Sept. 11-13. 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.
FISHBEIN REACHES 100 PROGRAM VICTORIES:
Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein reached his 100th program victory at UNM with a Sept. 13 road win over No. 10 Notre Dame. Fishbein is in his 8th year at New Mexico, and currently holds a 103-34-15 record at UNM. Fishbein is approaching a career-wins milestone as well, having posted a 199-94-25 overall record in 17 years.
DAVIS CRACKS THE ALL-TIME LISTS:
Lobo senior Justin Davis has cracked three Lobo All-Time lists. The senior forward is now eighth all-time in career shots at New Mexico with 141. He’s in a three-way tie for ninth in the assist category with 14, and is tied for tenth in points with 48. His 17 career goals put him two away from the top ten.
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 5-5 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 56-8-5 mark overall in eight 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 86-6-9 when finding the back of the net first and 55-2-4 when holding a halftime lead. The last time the Lobos surrendered a lead and lost the match was against No. 12 Indiana in Notre Dame, Ind. in a 3-2 loss to the Hoosiers this season.
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.