Aug. 23, 2012
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After being named to the prestigious Hermann Watch List earlier this month, the Lobo duo of Devon Sandoval and Kyle Venter were given more good news. College Soccer News named the pair Preseason All-Americans. Venter made First Team All-America while his teammate Sandoval was named to the Second Team.
Junior defender Kyle Venter was named to 2012 Preseason First Team All-American list after being an All-American as a sophomore last year. He also received All-MPSF and All-Region First Team honors. The Aurora, Colorado native anchored the backline for the Lobos who went undefeated in 2011. Venter would also score five goals and register an assist from his defender spot.
Senior Devon Sandoval provided quite the offensive punch from his forward position last season. Sandoval scored eight goals and registered eight assists for the year, which helped him collect First Team All-MPSF and All-Region honors. He would also finish in the top 25 in the country in both categories. Sandoval would deliver time and time again when it mattered the most for the Lobos. He would score decisive goals in crunch time in the MPSF Tournament championship and in regular season matches against Cal State Northridge, Akron and Syracuse.
The two will now look to New Mexico’s season opener at UCLA tomorrow night. The first game of the year is a highly-anticipated one as both teams are ranked in the top ten in a variety of preseason polls. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. start in Los Angeles, and it will be carried on the PAC-12 Network. For more information about the Network, and its availability, click here.
More Lobo Love In Preseason Polls
National college soccer media outlet, Soccer America, has released their national preseason poll, which gives New Mexico another top ten showing. Soccer America’s Top 25 put New Mexico seventh in the country. Their seventh place position is just one spot ahead of tomorrow night’s opponent UCLA. The Soccer America poll gives the Lobos their fourth national top ten ranking of the preseason, which saw them climb to as high as second in the country in the College Soccer News poll.