Oct. 20, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team enters a four-game road swing, in which they will take on MPSF opponents Air Force, Denver, Sacramento State, and San Jose State over a period of two weeks. The Lobos, (8-4-0 overall, 2-0 MPSF) continue conference play at 7 p.m. MT Friday, Oct. 23 with the Air Force Falcons at the Cadet Soccer Stadium in the USAF Academy, Colo. New Mexico will face MPSF nemesis Denver at 1 p.m. MT on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Pioneer Field in Denver, Colo. GameTracker will be available for both matches on GoLobos.com.
UP NEXT:
Air Force is 5-5-1 overall and 0-2 in league play coming into Friday’s matchup. The Falcons dropped a 1-0 decision at San Jose State on Sunday and were shut out 2-0 by Sacramento State in their MPSF opener last Friday night. Senior forward Josh Rhynard has led Air Force offensively so far this season with three goals and three assists for nine points. Rhynard was named the MPSF co-Player of the Week on Oct. 13 after registering two goals and one assist in the Falcon’s 6-3 win over UMKC on Oct. 12.
Senior forward Stephen Noller trails closely with three goals and two assists, while sophomore forward Garrett Getschow has chipped in with three goals. Senior Jim Gullo and freshman Mike Mauro have split time in goal. Gullo has posted a 1.12 goals-allowed-average in seven games played and Mauro has a 1.60 g.a.a. in six. New Mexico has posted a 15-16-1 all-time record against Air Force, most recently defeating the Falcons 4-1 at home on Nov. 14, 2008.
Defending MPSF Champion Denver is coming off two conference losses this week, standing at 3-7-2 overall and 0-2 in the MPSF. The Pioneers fell 2-1 at Sacramento State on Sunday despite taking an early lead with an own goal in the 19th minute. They were edged 1-0 by San Jose State on the road in double overtime during both teams’ MPSF opener on Friday night.
Alex Tarnoczi has led the Pioneers offensively this season with six goals and one assist for 13 points. A total of six Pioneers have found the back of the net thus far. Junior Joe Willis has started all but one game in between the pipes for Denver, posting 55 saves and a 1.50 goals-allowed-average.
Denver clinched the 2008 MPSF title and the automatic NCAA bid it affords before coming into their final regular season game against New Mexico last year. Despite defeating the No. 25 Pioneers 1-0 the day before the NCAA Men’s Soccer Selection Show, the Lobos were denied an at-large bid and the Pioneers remained the only representative from the MPSF in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers finished the 2008 regular season at 10-6-2 overall, 8-1-1 in league play. New Mexico leads the all-time series against Denver with a mark of 12-11-3, highlighted by the most recent home victory on Nov. 16, 2008.
AIR FORCE FALCONS
Location: Colorado Springs, Colo.
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Head Coach: Doug Hill (USAFA, `83)
Record at Air Force: 15-30-2
Career Record: Same
Starters Returning/Lost: 10/1
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 18/2
2008 Record: 5-13
2008 Conference Record: 3/7 – T4th
NM vs. Air Force: 15-16-1
Web Site: GoAirForceFalcons.com
DENVER PIONEERS
Location: Denver, Colo.
Conference: Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Head Coach: Bobby Muuss (Connecticut, `99)
Record at Air Force: 23-18-8
Career Record: Same
Starters Returning/Lost: 6/5
Lettermen Returning/Lost: 16/9
2008 Record: 10-7-2
2008 Conference Record: 8-1-1
NM vs. Air Force: 12-11-3
Web Site: DenverPioneers.com
RECAPPING FRIDAY NIGHT:
The Lobos kicked off Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play last weekend, notching two wins to open their conference schedule. The Lobos shut out the visiting Seattle Redhawks 1-0 Friday night, and came from behind on Sunday to take a convincing 2-1 overtime victory over Cal State Bakersfield. Freshman Josh Caffey scored his first goal as a Lobo against Seattle, taking the flick from senior Justin Davis to beat Seattle keeper Ivan Dizdar one-on-one at 49:51. New Mexico stayed mentally and physically tough against Cal State Bakersfield until the last minute, literally, as Senior Stephen Brown netted the equalizing goal at 89:22 to send the game into the overtime period. Brown’s strike ignited his team and the crowd at the UNM Soccer Complex on Sunday afternoon, knotting the game at 1-1 at the end of regulation. Senior Justin Davis scored the game-winner eight-and-a-half minutes into overtime, beating Bakersfield keeper Eric Shannon one-on-one to net the ball in the right corner. The Lobos are 8-4-0 overall and 2-0-0 in conference, boasting an RPI of #14 as released by the NCAA last week.
DAVIS PICKS UP SECOND MPSF AWARD:
Senior forward Justin Davis was selected as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 19 after notching four points on one goal and two assists this weekend. Davis is tied for first on the MPSF individual stat charts for assists with five. He is currently third in the category of points with fifteen, and tied for fourth in goals with five. The MPSF nod is his second of the season, and the Lobos have been pegged for the award three times this year.
FIRSTS FOR CAFFEY:
Freshman forward Josh Caffey was recruited to score goals, and he has already made an impact as a first-year player. Caffey scored his first goal as a Lobo in Friday’s game against Seattle, taking the flick from Justin Davis to beat Seattle keeper Ivan Dizdar one-on-one at 49:51. Caffey started his first game against Stanford on Sept. 27, and has logged 202 minutes so far this season.
GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE:
Lobo soccer fans got a glimpse into the future this weekend, watching the partnership of freshman Blake Smith, Josh Caffey, Patrick Pacheco, and Levi Rossi on the forward line. All four have logged quality time throughout the season, and have been given playing opportunities in crucial matches. Pacheco leads the freshmen with 385 minutes, while Caffey and Smith have logged 202 and 180 minutes, respectively. Rossi rounds out the playing time with 57 minutes of action. Look for all four to play attacking roles in the years to come.
LOBOS 14TH IN INITIAL MEN’S RPI:
The Lobos are finally getting some love for playing one of the most competitive non-conference schedules in the country. The Lobos are No. 14 in the first Ratings Percentage Index released by the NCAA last week. New Mexico has beaten some of the top teams in the nation so far this season, notching wins over California, Notre Dame, Saint Louis, and Cal State Northridge, among others. The Lobos are building a strong resume for being a Men’s College Cup participant, as they have beaten three teams in the Top 48 of the season’s initial RPI. New Mexico boasts wins over No. 15 California (8-3-0), No. 24 Notre Dame (7-4-1), and No. 43 St. Louis (7-4-0). The Lobos are also 1-0 against teams in the Top 15 of the initial RPI. The RPI is one of the most important criteria the NCAA uses to determine the teams and seeding for the NCAA Tournament following the regular season. 22 of the 48 slots are reserved for automatic conference bids, and the rest of the tournament slots are filled through at-large bids. The RPI’s mathematical formula is designed to objectively compare results and strength of schedule. New Mexico has made the trip to the NCAA Tournament six out of the last eight years. The Lobos won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament all six of those years.
FISHBEIN REACHES 200 CAREER VICTORIES:
Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein reached a career-wins milestone on Oct. 3, notching his 200th career victory with a home win over Cal-State Northridge. Fishbein has posted a 202-95-25 overall record in 17 years, and he 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 106-35-15 record at UNM.
GREEN SNAGS THREE WEEKLY HONORS:
Sophomore midfielder Michael Green earned three weekly awards on Oct. 5 after scoring both goals, including the game-winner, in a 2-0 Saturday home win over Cal-State Northridge. Green was named to the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News National Teams of the Week and was also selected as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Player of the Week. The MPSF nod is the first of his career and the second of the season for the Lobos. Green is the second Lobo since 2007 to win a national weekly award, and the national honors are the first of his career as a Lobo.
GREEN MOVES UP THE CHARTS:
Michael Green has quickly established himself as a scoring threat in the New Mexico attack. His two goals against Cal-State Northridge put him second in scoring behind senior Justin Davis on the Lobo individual stat charts. Green has nine points on three goals and three assists this season, while Davis has fifteen points on five goals and five assists. Green was an impact player for the Lobos last season as a true freshman, playing in all 19 matches and starting eight. He has started all but three matches for the Lobos in 2009.
NEW MEXICO AGAINST THE TOP-25:
New Mexico’s win over No. 4 Cal marked the team’s third win over Top-25 teams, and their second victory over Top-10 programs this season. The Lobos’ 6-4-0 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 goals in the Lobos’ victory over No. 4 Cal on Sept. 25 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. Junior Ryan Farquharson’s goal was his first of the season and the second of his career.
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 first on the MPSF individual stat charts for shots per game with an average of 4.17. Simon Ejdemyr and Davis are tied for first in game-winning goals — they and five other players have two game-winners in twelve games played for an average of 0.17. Davis is tied for second in assists with five. Lobo keeper Justin Fite is second in goals-against-average with a mark of 1.07.Davis is third in the category of points with 15, while Michael Green is tied for ninth with nine points. Davis is tied for fourth in the category of goals with five.
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 was 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.
DAVIS CLIMBS THE ALL-TIME LISTS:
Lobo senior Justin Davis has cracked three Lobo All-Time lists. The senior forward is now fifth all-time in career shots at New Mexico with 158. He’s ninth in the assists category with 17 and tenth in points with 53. His 18 career goals put him one away from the top ten.
LOBOS TOUGH AT HOME UNDER FISHBEIN:
The Lobo men’s soccer team has posted a 31-2-1 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 59-9-5 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 88-6-9 when finding the back of the net first and 56-2-4 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.
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 RETURN:
The Lobos return seven starters and 14 lettermen for the 2009 campaign. Highlighting this list is senior forward Jusin 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 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 Jusin 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.
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 Barbara April 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.