November 4, 1998
LAS VEGAS -- After dropping their second straight road game Friday night against Tulsa, 4-1, the Rebels will conclude the regular season with matchups against SMU and TCU this Friday and Sunday, respectively ... The Rebels, who started the season 6-2, have won just one game in their last seven matches but will look to finish the season at .500 with two victories this weekend ... Sunday's game against TCU is also Senior Day as the Rebels honor three departing seniors, Michael Griego, Kiko Medina and TJon Akins.
Upcoming Schedule:Friday, Nov. 6 SMU 7:00pmSunday, Nov. 8 TCU 12:00pm
UNLV Opponents:
SMU -- This is the ninth meeting between the Rebels and the Mustangs and UNLV has yet to come away with a victory ... The Rebels have been held scoreless in the last two meetings, including a 4-0 loss at home in 1996 ... SMU is in first place in the WAC with a record of 13-3-1 overall and 5-0-1 in conference play ... They are led by Luis Gonzalezs 21 points (nine goals, three assists).
TCU -- UNLV and TCU have met seven times, dating back to 1989 ... The Rebels own a 5-2-0 advantage in the series ... The last time the two teams met the Rebels came away with a 4-0 shutout ... The Horned Frogs have an overall record of 8-7-1 and they are 1-5-0, and tied with UNLV in conference.
Head Coach Barry Barto:
Barry Barto recorded his 250th win October 6 with the teams victory over St. Marys ... The winningest coach in the history of Rebel soccer, Coach Barto is in his 17th season at the helm of the UNLV mens program and his second as the director of soccer ... Arriving in Las Vegas in 1982, Barto has built Rebel soccer into a nationally recognized program, having made five NCAA tournament appearances and posting a winning record in 11 of his 16 seasons ... He now will use this experience in helping build a womens program that will be headed by first-year coach Staci Hendershott ... Barto is currently 25th in victories (255) in Division I soccer history and is 17th among active Div. 1-A coaches.
What to Expect from the Rebels in 1998:
The Rebels return eight starters from the 1997 squad that went 5-11-2 and 2-5-1 in the Western Athletic Conference (7th place) ... This year Coach Barto has seen the offense step up after last years seventh place finish in the WAC in scoring (32 points) ... The Rebels fared well last season when they scored first, going 5-1-1 when jumping to the early lead ... In contrast, UNLV was winless (0-10-1) when opponents scored first ... Ryan Bledsoe and Russell Miller split time in the Rebels first eight games but Bledsoe has seemingly secured the starting role in recent matches.
UNLVs Fresh New Look: The difference between the success the Rebels have had thus far this season is due in part to the great performances turned in by the freshman class ... Of the 25 UNLV goals through the first 15 games, 11 have been scored by freshmen ... There are three frosh currently in the starting lineup, Andrew Hooker, Jason Melendez, and Tyler Turchi.
Possible Starters:Pos. Name GP GS Sh SOG G A Pts. NotesD -- #5 Michael Griego 16 16 24 13 2 3 7 Made a move from forward to sweeper this seasonD -- #16 Todd Roberts 16 16 12 8 2 1 5 Scored his second goal of the season against UCSBD -- #4 TJon Akins 15 15 3 0 0 1 1 Plays in his final game as a Rebel Sunday vs. TCUMF -- #13 Geoff Barto 16 16 11 7 1 2 4 Scored his only goal of the season against UCSBMF -- #2 Jay Hamilton 16 4 4 2 1 0 2 First goal of the season came against LMUMF -- #3 Kiko Medina 12 12 21 12 4 3 11 Second on the team with four goals this seasonMF -- #17 Andrew Hooker 16 16 21 12 2 0 4 Scored the Rebels first goal at Fresno StateF -- #8 Jason Melendez 16 16 30 19 5 4 14 Leads the team in goals (5), and points (14)F -- #23 B.J. McNicol 16 16 19 8 3 0 6 Has converted three penalty kicks this seasonF -- #11 Tyler Turchi 16 16 21 10 3 1 7 One of three freshman to start every game for UNLV
Goalkeepers GP GS Min SV GA SO GAARyan Bledsoe 14 13 1079 50 19 2 1.585Robert Ackah 6 0 136 10 3 1 1.985
All-WAC Selection Michael Griego Returns for his Senior Year:
Michael Griego, a two-time First-Team All-WAC selection returns for his final season with the Rebels ... Griego has an opportunity to make a mark in a number of categories in the Rebel annals before his collegiate career concludes, including goals, where he is currently in a tie for seventh place with 22 ... This season has seen Griego take on a different role, sweeper ... While he has been one of the Rebels biggest scoring threats in his first three collegiate seasons, his knowledge of the system is a value to the relatively young backfield.
WAC Conference Standings
WAC Games All Games W L T Pct. W L T Pct.SMU 5 0 1 .917 13 3 1 .794Tulsa 4 1 1 .750 11 4 1 .719Fresno St. 4 1 2 .714 8 5 4 .588Air Force 3 2 2 .571 8 6 3 .559San Jose St. 3 3 1 .500 12 4 1 .735New Mexico 3 3 1 .500 10 7 1 .583TCU 1 5 0 .167 8 7 1 .531San Diego St. 1 5 0 .167 7 10 1 .417UNLV 1 5 0 .167 7 9 0 .438
