September 22, 1998

LAS VEGAS -- The Rebels returned to their winning ways with two victories this past weekend at the Goal Rush Classic in Fresno, Calif. ... UNLV defeated Alabama A&M 4-0 on Friday night then rallied from behind to win a 2-1 overtime decision against Massachusetts on Sunday. Freshman Jason Melendez scored two goals and had one assist and was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts ... Also earning all-tournament accolades was Michael Griego, who scored the game winning goal vs. UMass, and Andrew Hooker.

Upcoming Schedule:
Friday, Sept. 25 - at Loyola Marymount - 1:00pm
Sunday, Sept. 27 - at UCSB - 2:00pm

UNLV Opponents

Loyola Marymount -- The Rebels own a 5-1-1 advantage over the Lions of Loyola Marymount ... The one loss in the series came last year in Los Angeles as UNLV fell 3-2 ... The only other game hosted by LMU resulted in a 2-0 victory in 1982 ... The lions enter Friday nights contest with a record of 3-4 ... They are led by four players with one goal a piece.

UCSB -- The series between these two teams date all the way back to 1974 with the Rebels leading the series 14-9-4 ... The last meeting was in 1995 at Johann Field and the Rebels won by the score of 2-1 ... The Gauchos are currently 0-6 and have suffered major injuries to their starting lineup, including one of their post potent offensive weapons, Sean Herrity, who is out with a torn ACL.

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 (252) 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 ... Ryan Bledsoe and Russell Miller have split time in the Rebels first six games and the rotation will likely continue throughout the season.

Possible Starters:Pos.   Name          GP  GS  Sh SOG   G   A PtsD   #5 Michael Griego 6   6  10   6   2   1   5D  #16 Todd Roberts   6   6   5   3   1   0   2 D   #4 TJon Akins    6   6   2   0   0   1   1 MF #13 Geoff Barto    6   6   4   2   0   2   2  MF  #2 Jay Hamilton   6   3   0   0   0   0   0 MF  #3 Kiko Medina    6   6  14   8   2   2   6 MF #17 Andrew Hooker  6   6   9   5   0   0   0 F   #8 Jason Melendez 6   6  16   6   2   2   6  F  #23 B.J. McNicol   6   6   4   2   0   0   0 F  #11 Tyler Turchi   6   6  10   6   3   1   7 
Goalkeepers    GP  GS   Min  SV  GA  SO    GAA   Ryan Bledsoe    4   3   307  12   3   1   .879Russell Miller  3   3   243   8   3   1  1.111

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 22 ... 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   7   0   0  1.000New Mexico     0   0   0   .000   5   1   0   .833Fresno St.     0   0   0   .000   4   1   0   .800UNLV           0   0   0   .000   4   2   0   .667SMU            0   0   0   .000   3   2   0   .600Tulsa          0   0   0   .000   3   2   0   .600San Diego St.  0   0   0   .000   3   2   1   .583TCU            0   0   0   .000   3   2   1   .583Air Force      0   0   0   .000   1   4   0   .200