September 15, 1998
LAS VEGAS -- UNLV dropped two games in this weekend's Snickers/FILA Rebel Classic, losing 2-1 to Memphis and 2-0 to Central Florida ... The Rebels will travel to Fresno, California this weekend to take part in the Goal Rush Classic with matchups against Alabama A&M and UMass.
Goal Rush Classic Tournament Schedule:Friday, Sept. 18 UNLV vs. Alabama A&M 6:00pm Fresno St. vs. UMass 8:00pmSunday, Sept. 20 UNLV vs. UMass 12:00pm Fresno St. vs. Alabama A&M 2:00pm
UNLV Opponents
Alabama A&M -- This is the first meeting between the UNLV and Alabama A&M ... The Bulldogs enter this weekend's matchup with a record of 0-6 ... Their last two games, the opponent has outscored the team 12-2 ...Alabama A&M has played one similar opponent with the Rebels, losing to Memphis 1-0 in the season opener (UNLV lost 2-1).
Massachusetts -- This is also the first meeting between UMass and UNLV ... The Minutemen are entering this weekend's tournament with an overall record of 0-3-1 ...They play a home game on Sept. 16 against New Hampshire before taking on Fresno State Friday night in the Goal Rush Classic ... Massachusetts has two players with two points, Brad Kurowski and Seth Lilburn.
Head Coach Barry Barto: Barry Barto recorded his 250th win October 6 with the team's victory over St. Mary's ... The winningest coach in the history of Rebel soccer, Coach Barto is in his 17th season at the helm of the UNLV men's 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 women's program that will be headed by first-year coach Staci Hendershott ... Barto is currently 25th in victories (250) 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 is hoping that the offense steps up after a year that saw them finish seventh 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 ... With a solid defensive unit returning and a revamped offense the one question mark that remains isgoalkeeping duties ... Three players will vie for starting duties in the net and chances are more than one will see significant playing time this season ... Freshman redshirt Robert Ackah and sophomore transfers Ryan Bledsoe and Russell Miller all will have a chance to win the starting nod ... Bledsoe and Miller have split time in the Rebels first two tournaments.
Possible Starters:P Name GP GS Sh SOG G A Pts D #5 Michael Griego 4 4 9 2 1 1 3D #16 Todd Roberts 4 4 4 2 1 0 2D #4 T'Jon Akins 4 4 2 0 0 1 1MF #13 Geoff Barto 4 4 2 0 0 1 1MF #2 Jay Hamilton 4 3 0 0 0 0 0MF #3 Kiko Medina 4 4 12 1 1 2 4MF #17 Andrew Hooker 4 4 3 0 0 0 0F #8 Jason Melendez 4 4 10 0 0 1 1F #23 B.J. McNicol 4 4 1 0 0 0 0F #11 Tyler Turchi 4 4 8 1 2 0 4
Goalkeepers GP GS Min SV GA SO GAA Ryan Bledsoe 2 2 180 3 3 0 1.500Russell Miller 2 2 180 6 2 1 1.000
All-WAC Selection Michael Griego Returns for his Senior Year: Michael Griego, a two-time First-Team All-WAC selection will return 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 10th place with 21 ... This season will see Griego take on a different role ... When the Rebels suit up for their first game against Sacramento State Griego will be playing in the backfield as a sweeper ... While he has been one of the Rebels' biggest scoring threats in his first three collegiate seasons, his knowledge of the system will be a value to the relatively young backfield.
WAC Conference Standings WAC Games All Games W L T Pct. W L T Pct.San Jose St. 0 0 0 .000 5 0 0 1.000New Mexico 0 0 0 .000 4 0 0 1.000SMU 0 0 0 .000 3 0 0 1.000Fresno St. 0 0 0 .000 2 1 0 .667San Diego St. 0 0 0 .000 2 1 1 .625Tulsa 0 0 0 .000 3 2 0 .600UNLV 0 0 0 .000 2 2 0 .500TCU 0 0 0 .000 1 1 1 .500Air Force 0 0 0 .000 1 2 0 .333
