Nov. 17, 2009
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer team opens NCAA Tournament play Thursday, Nov. 19, as they host Portland at 7 p.m. MT at the UNM Soccer Complex. This marks the seventh time New Mexico has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in the last nine years. Akron is the overall No. 1 seed in the 48-team field.
Tickets are $6 adults, $3 youth, and $3 students with ID. Parking will be $5, and cars with 4 or more passengers will be allowed to park for free. Tickets are available at the Lobo Ticket Office in the Student Success Center (Northwest corner of Avenida Cesar Chavez and University), at the UNM Bookstore on Main Campus, online at Unmtickets.com, or by calling (505) 925-5858. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and kickoff will be at 7 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex. A live video stream, audio broadcast, and GameTracker will be available online at GoLobos.com under the events tab.
UP NEXT:
This is the fourth meeting between the New Mexico Lobos and the Portland Pilots. New Mexico holds a 1-0-2 lead in the series, which includes a 1-1 tie in the teams’ last meeting on September 28, 2008 in Seattle, Wash. The winner of this first round meeting plays No. 15 seed North Carolina State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 22.
The Lobos are 12-6-1 overall, including a 5-2 mark in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. New Mexico clinched its seventh NCAA berth by tying Sacramento State 2-2 in the Championship Game of the MPSF Tournament. The Hornets advanced on penalty kicks at the conclusion of two overtime periods by a mark of 5-4.
Portland is 10-5-5 overall and finished 4-4-4 in the West Coast Conference. The Pilots are one of four WCC schools to make the tourney as regular season champion San Diego received the league’s automatic berth, while Saint Mary’s and LMU received at-large bids. The last time four WCC schools reached the postseason was in 2004. Portland concluded regular season play with a 5-0 win over San Francisco.
Collen Warner leads all Portland scorers with seven goals and six assists for 20 points thus far in the 2009 season. Jared vanSchaik has posted 19 points on six goals and seven assists, while Luke Ryan has six goals and one assist for 13 points. A total of 12 Pilots have reached the back of the net this season. Goalkeeper Austin Guerrero has started all 20 games in between the pipes for the Pilots, posting 68 saves and a goals-allowed-average of 0.95.
The first four rounds of the NCAA Tourney will be held at campus sites from Nov. 19 through Dec. 6. The semifinals and championship will be held Dec. 11-13 in Cary, North Carolina.
New Mexico is making their seventh appearance in the Tournament over the last nine years. The Lobos have posted a mark of 7-5-2 in NCAA championship play.
Lifted by a No. 2 overall seed in 2005, the Lobos got past Wisconsin-Milwaukee on penalty kicks and beat Cal State Northridge and Cal at home to advance to its first College Cup. New Mexico knocked off Clemson in the semifinals before losing to Maryland in the title game.
In 2001, New Mexico won the MPSF Tournament to earn its first NCAA bid. In long-time head coach Klaus Weber’s final year, UNM defeated Florida International 1-0 in the opening round before falling to No. 1 SMU in the second round.
In 2002, current head coach Jeremy Fishbein’s first season, the Lobos won the MPSF regular season and tournament titles before defeating Bradley 2-1 in the first round. UNM fell to No. 18 Saint Louis 1-0 in the second round.
In 2004, the Lobos earned a first-round bye before defeating Portland. They went on to tie No. 4 Virginia on the road, but the Cavaliers advanced on penalty kicks 6-5.
In 2006, New Mexico beat the University of San Francisco 1-0 before falling to Cal 3-1 in the second round.
The Lobos fell 1-0 at UCLA in the 2007 NCAA Opening Round.
GameTracker will be available on GoLobos.com. Audio and video details are TBD, but please visit GoLobos.com for more information.
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND:
The Lobos fell to Sacramento State on penalty kicks Sunday afternoon in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament Championship Game. New Mexico outshot Sacramento State considerably, posting 21 shots to the Hornets’ 15, but the Lobos weren’t able to net a third goal. The score remained tied 2-2 after two overtime periods.Sacramento State advanced on PK’s by a mark of 5-4 to take the MPSF Tournament title. Stephen Brown and Justin Davis scored a goal each in the tie. The Lobos handed Denver a 1-0 loss on their home turf Friday night in the MPSF Tournament semifinals. Davis led the way, striking with the game-winner just 11 minutes into the game.
NEW MEXICO IN THE FIRST ROUND:
The University of New Mexico men’s soccer has posted a 3-1 record in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. UNM had first-round byes in 2004 and 2005. The Lobos defeated Florida International 1-0 in 2001, Bradley 2-1 in 2002, and San Francisco 1-0 in 2006. New Mexico fell 1-0 at UCLA in the 2007 NCAA Opening Round.
SEVEN LOBOS ON THE ALL-MPSF SQUADS:
Seven Lobos were named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s soccer all-conference teams on Thursday, Nov. 12. Seniors Justin Davis and Simon Ejdemyr and sophomore Michael Green were first team selections, while junior Michael Reed and sophomore Lance Rozeboom were honored on the second team. Senior Stephen Brown and junior Ryan Farquharson were given honorable mention recognition.
WEEKLY HONORS FOR GREEN:
After scoring both goals in New Mexico’s 2-0 win over UNLV, sophomore midfielder Michael Green was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week and was also selected as the MPSF Player of the Week. The win locked down the number two seed for the Lobos in the upcoming MPSF Tourney. The CSN award is the third national weekly award for Green this year, as he was named to the CSN and Top Drawer Soccer National Teams of the Week on Oct. 5 after scoring both goals in the Lobos 2-0 victory over Cal State Northridge. The MPSF nod is his second this year — he was also named Player of the Week on Oct. 5.
HOLMES GETS FIRST START:
Freshman goalkeeper Justin Holmes made his first career start as a Lobo in the Nov. 1 San Jose State game. Holmes faced 20 shots from the Spartans and posted seven saves to preserve the shutout. Among other highlights, Holmes got impressive air on a monster shot by Dan Addiego, punching the ball out and over the top of the goal. He then came up big on a shot blasted by Nick Cukar at point-blank range just before the half. Holmes’ scissor-kick save in the sudden death overtime period bought the Lobos some time, and Stephen Brown came through with a big goal for the victory.
EJDEMYR CRACKS THE ALL-TIME LISTS:
Lobo senior Simon Ejdemyr has cracked his first Lobo All-Time list. The senior central defender is now seventh all-time in career minutes played at New Mexico with 6387. He has started 71 of 72 games played for the Lobos over the course of four years.
THREE LOBOS ON ESPN ALL-DISTRICT TEAM:
Three Lobos earned recognition on the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI squad. Seniors Justin Davis and Simon Ejdemyr and sophomore Lance Rozeboom were all recognized as first-team selections. Ejdemyr earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American honors last season — he was named to the first team. The Lobos have had at least one representative on the Academic All-American squad each year since 2003. In order to be eligible for ESPN The Magazine All-District recognition, student-athletes must be a significant contributor on the team and have at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point-average. The all-district teams are voted on by the members of the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America. These three Lobos are now eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American recognition. Ejdemyr has a chance to join Chris Wright (2005-08) and Ben Ashwill (2002-05) as the only Lobos to be three-time Academic All-Americans.
REED SCORES FIRST CAREER GOAL:
Junior Michael Reed scored the first goal of his Lobo career just under 15 minutes into the Oct. 25th victory over Denver. Reed got the ball on the right side, beat a defender off the dribble inside, and went top-shelf with a left-footed strike from 25 yards out. Reed has started all 19 games in the midfield for the Lobos this season, and he is a close second on the team in minutes with 1731. Teammate Ryan Farquharson leads with 1733. Reed started 19 of 19 games for the Lobos in 2008 and led the team with 1661 minutes on the season.
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 over a weekend, Oct. 16-18. Davis is currently tied for first on the MPSF indivudual stat charts in the category of points with 20. He is tied for third in assists with six, and tied for fifth in goals with seven. 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 against Seattle on Oct. 16, 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 406 minutes so far this season.
GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE:
Lobo soccer fans have gotten a glimpse into the future this season, watching the partnership of freshmen Josh Caffey, Patrick Pacheco, Levi Rossi, and Blake Smith 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 633 minutes, while Caffey and Smith have logged 406 and 261 minutes, respectively. Rossi rounds out the playing time with 107 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 were No. 14 in the first Ratings Percentage Index released by the NCAA on Oct. 12. 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 built a strong resume for being a Men’s College Cup participant, as they beat 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.
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 206-97-26 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 110-37-16 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 was 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 were the first of his career as a Lobo.
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’ 10-6-0 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.
EJDEMYR ON PENALTY KICKS:
Strong-footed Lobo senior Simon Ejdemyr is currently 9-9 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.
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.
DAVIS CLIMBS THE ALL-TIME LISTS:
Lobo senior Justin Davis has cracked three Lobo All-Time lists. The senior forward is now fourth all-time in career shots at New Mexico with 180. He’s tied for seventh in the assists category with 18 and is ninth in points with 58. His 20 career goals tie him for eighth all-time.
LOBOS TOUGH AT HOME UNDER FISHBEIN:
The Lobo men’s soccer team has posted a 32-2-1 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 91-6-10 when finding the back of the net first and 59-2-5 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.
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.
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.