Nov. 1, 1999

Storyline: The UNLV men?s soccer team will play its final regular-season match Sunday when it travels to Albuquerque, NM, to face the Lobos ... this will be the Rebels? second trip to Albuquerque this season, as they competed in the UNM Invitational on Sept. 24-26 ... UNLV won that tournament with victories over Air Force and Centenary ... the Rebels have just one victory on the road this season, a 3-1 decision over Cal State Northridge ... a win Sunday would lift UNLV to 8-10 on the year, a one game improvement over the 1998 season ... the Rebels are tied for fifth place in the MPSF Pacific Division and will most likely finish in that spot ... they could move into fifth place outright if UC Irvine was to fall to San Diego State and the Rebels defeated UNM Sunday ... on the flip side, UNLV could drop to seventh with a loss in Albuquerque and a Cal State Northridge upset of UC Santa Barbara this Thursday.

About New Mexico (8-8-1, 3-2-1): The Lobos are riding a two-match winning streak entering the week after MPSF wins over San Diego State, 1-0, and UC Irvine, 3-1 ... they rank seventh in the conference in scoring, just below UNLV ... Ty Hibbert is UNM?s leading scorer with 17 points on seven goals and three assists ... goalkeeper Chad Nelson ranks fifth in the MPSF with a 1.45 goals against average ... head coach Klaus Weber has a 138-105-15 record in his 13th year at New Mexico ... the Lobos lead the all-time series, 7-3, including six straight ... UNLV?s last victory in the series came in 1992, a 3-2 overtime win.

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 177-136-34 (.559) at UNLV and a career record of 262-161-40 (.609) 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: UC Irvine 4, UNLV 2 - UNLV fell behind early, allowing two goals in the first nine minutes of the match. However, good play by forwards Jason Melendez (Lakewood, CA/Mayfair) and Tuomas Talvio (Helsinski, Finland) allowed the Rebels to knot it up by halftime. Talvio, by himself, beat two defenders and the keeper to net his fifth of the year. Melendez scored his team-leading seventh of the season just five minutes later. The Anteaters, however, surged again, scoring twice in the second half and rolling to the 4-2 win.

UNLV 1, San Diego State 0 - Rebel goalkeeper Ryan Bledsoe (Las Vegas, NV/Eldorado) tallied the team?s second shutout of the year and his first as UNLV posted a 1-0 win over MPSF rival San Diego State on Senior Day at Johann Field. Bledsoe recorded seven saves in the effort while sophomore Tyler Turchi (Little Rock, AR/Pulaski Academy) scored his first goal of the year just after halftime, the only score in the match.

Counter Attack: Freshman forward Tuomas Talvio (Helsinki, Finland) enjoyed a busy week, scoring one of the Rebels? two goals against UC Irvine and setting up the game winner in the San Diego State match. Talvio leads all freshmen in the MPSF in scoring with 14 points ... sophomore forward Jason Melendez (Lakewood, CA/Mayfair) had a three-match scoring streak stopped in the 3-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara. However, his first goal against Cal State Northridge was his sixth of the year. Melendez has led the Rebels in scoring in both of his first two seasons at UNLV, and with 31 career points, he is on pace to finish sixth on the UNLV all-time scoring list. He currently leads all players on the roster in career goals, assists and scoring ... midfielder Ryan Cariss (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley) has three goals on the year, two of them against Cal State Northridge. The freshman came off the bench to score the game winner and one insurance goal in the second half of the match. Cariss, who moved into the starting lineup, now ranks third on the team in scoring and fourth in shots taken. Defending the Post: Senior keeper Ryan Bledsoe (Las Vegas, NV/Eldorado) recorded his first shutout of the year and the team?s second in the 1-0 win against San Diego State. Despite a relatively even match in which UNLV barely out shot the Aztecs, 15-14, Bledsoe was the difference maker, saving seven shots. The match was Bledsoe?s final one at Johann Field, as the game marked the last home match of the season and the finale for four UNLV seniors.

Ranked Opponents: The schedule has not been a particularly easy one for UNLV this season. Six of the Rebels? opponents have made an appearance in one of the three top 25 polls, with UNLV going 1-5 in those matches. Most recently, the Rebels were swept by MPSF rivals UCLA and Cal State Fullerton. Other ranked opponents include San Diego, Washington, Gonzaga and UMBC. UNLV?s 4-3 victory over No. 18 Gonzaga on Sept. 19 was the Rebels? first win over a ranked opponent since bumping off No. 2 Rutgers, 2-1, on Sept. 11, 1994.

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 represented 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.

Close Calls: UNLV played its first overtime match of the year, falling to Vanderbilt 2-1 just nine minutes into extra play. That game marked the first time in 30 matches that the Rebels have gone the extra period. UNLV played five overtime matched in 1997, six in 1996 and five in 1995, but managed to complete all 18 games on the ?98 slate in regulation. Prior to the Vanderbilt match, UNLV?s last overtime game was a 1-1 tie against former WAC rival Fresno State in ?97. UNLV has not won an extra-inning affair since a 2-1 victory over Cal State San Bernardino late in the 1996 season.

Season Finales: UNLV has not won a season finale in six years. The last victory to close a campaign came in 1992, a 4-2 at home against Cal State San Bernardino. Included in the six-match losing streak is a 3-4 loss to New Mexico in 1995.