Aug. 15, 2011
Albuquerque, N.M. — With 41 points to their credit and a pair of first-place votes, the New Mexico men’s soccer team has been pegged at second place in the 2011 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Coaches’ Poll.
The Lobos, 9-6-5 overall in 2010 and 5-2-3 in the conference, are tied with Denver (41 points, one first-place vote) in the eight-team field. The squad will return eight starters from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, including all-conference midfielders Michael Green and Lance Rozeboom.
UNM and the six other conference opponents sit behind CSU Bakersfield, which garnered 46 points and five first-place votes. The Roadrunners finished 11-6-3 overall, 5-2-3 in conference play and are coming off an MPSF Pacific Division Title and championship game appearance.
All eight MPSF teams kick off the non-conference portion of the regular season during the weekend of August 26, while the conference schedule begins the weekend of October 1. The Lobos will host two exhibition games prior to the regular on Aug. 18 against Grand Canyon and Aug. 20 against Tulsa. Both contests are slated for 7 p.m. They’ll play host to Towson University in their season opener on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. at the UNM Soccer Complex.
The postseason MPSF Championship Tournament will be played at CIBER Field at the University of Denver, November 10-13. The top two teams from each division along with the next two with the highest point totals from the regular conference schedule will punch their ticket to the Mile High City. The champion of that three-day event automatically qualifies for the NCAA Field.
The following list outlines the full 2011 Coaches’ Poll:
| Rank | Team | Points (1st Place) | 2010 Team Record | 2010 MPSF Finish (Postseason) |
| 1 | CSU Bakersfield | 46 (5) | 11-6-3 Overall; 5-2-3 MPSF | #1 Pacific (MPSF Finals) |
| 2T | New Mexico | 41 (2) | 9-6-5 Overall; 5-2-3 MPSF | #2 Mountain (NCAA 1st Round) |
| 2T | Denver | 41 (1) | 9-7-4 Overall; 6-2-2 MPSF | #1 Mountain (NCAA 1st Round) |
| 4 | Sacramento State | 30 | 11-5-7 Overall; 2-2-6 MPSF | #2 Pacific (MPSF Champ/NCAA 2nd Round) |
| 5 | UNLV | 22 | 6-11-2 Overall; 3-5-2 MPSF | #4 Mountain (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 6 | San Jose State | 19 | 7-9-3 Overall; 1-6-3 MPSF | #4 Pacific |
| 7 | Air Force | 13 | 7-12-0 Overall; 5-5-0 MPSF | #3 Mountain (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 8 | Seattle U | 12 | 5-10-3 Overall; 3-6-1 MPSF | #3 Pacific |