Oct. 4, 1999
REBELS TAKE WEEK OFF BEFORE MPSF PLAY UNLV gets two weeks to prepare for nation?s elite.
This Week: No matches scheduled.
Storyline: The UNLV men?s soccer team will enjoy its first bye week on the season since beginning play on Sept. 1 ... the Rebels will need the extra time as they try to snap a two-match losing streak against MPSF rival UCLA on Friday, Oct. 15 at Johann Field ... the Bruins are ranked No. 3 in the latest Soccer America poll ... the slate gets no easier as No. 5 Cal State Fullerton follows UCLA to Johann Field on Sunday, Oct. 17 ... UNLV is 3-3-0 at home this season and 1-1-0 against ranked opponents.
UNLV Head Coach Barry Barto: The winningest coach in the history of Rebel soccer, Barto is in his 18th season at the helm of the UNLV men?s program and his third as the school?s Director of Soccer ... he has a record of 175-132-34 (.563) at UNLV and a career record of 260-157-40 (.613) in his 24th year ... since his arrival in 1982, Barto has built Rebel soccer into a nationally recognized program, with five NCAA tournament appearances ... he recorded his 250th career win on Oct. 6, 1998 with the team?s victory over St. Mary?s.
Noting Last Week: Vanderbilt 2, UNLV 1 (OT) - UNLV saw its three-match winning streak snapped in overtime, 2-1, in Nashville, Tenn. The Rebels were on the brink of elimination in regulation when senior Geoff Barto (Henderson, NV/Green Valley) bent a free kick around a Vanderbilt wall to tie the match at 1-1 with just two minutes left. That goal sent the match into the extra frame, where the Commodores came away with the game winner in just under nine minutes into overtime.
Western Kentucky 2, UNLV 1 - The Rebels, with just two days rest following their physical match with Vanderbilt, battled back from a 1-0 deficit for the second time on their road trip. Again, Barto was the catalyst, putting in a cross from freshman Kevin Lunkwitz (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron-Memorial) at 63 minutes to tie the match. The Hilltoppers blasted back with the game winner at 83:50 to seal the victory.
Tournament Champs: After four attempts this season, the Rebels finally brought home a tournament championship by winning the UNM Invitational on Sept. 26. The Rebels knocked off MPSF foe Air Force in a non-conference match before icing the tourney crown with a 6-3 victory over Centenary. The six goals was UNLV?s highest offensive output since a 7-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara in 1993. UNLV had hosted tournaments in each of the previous three weeks, splitting each weekend with a win and a loss. The title was the first since taking the Nike Goal Rush Classic in Fresno, CA last year and keeps alive a string of five years in which UNLV has gone unbeaten through at least one in-season tourney.
