Sept. 27, 1999
Storyline: The UNLV men?s soccer team rides a three-match winning streak into its first road games in a month ... Friday?s match at Vanderbilt will be the first in hostile territory for the Rebels since a Sept. 1 loss to San Diego ... UNLV?s last winning streak this long was at the end of September 1998, when they won four straight to end the month, but followed that streak with a 1-9 mark to end the year ... the Rebels have suddenly found their offense with 11 goals over their winning streak.
About Vanderbilt (4-3-0): The Commodores enter the week at 4-3-0, but they are a perfect 4-0 when playing at Vanderbilt Soccer Field ... they are coming off a pair of losses at the Nike/Wake Forest Invitational, falling to UNC Charlotte 2-1 and Wake Forest 3-0 ... Junior Mark Pizzulo leads the team in scoring and has netted the game-winner in three of Vandy?s four victories ... head coach Randy Johnson is in his 28th year at his alma mater and owns a career mark of 234-214-42 (.520) ... Friday?s match will mark the first meeting between Vanderbilt and UNLV.
About Western Kentucky (8-1-0): Western Kentucky will enjoy a full week of rest before hosting the Rebels on Sunday ... the Hilltoppers? 8-1 record matches the best start in school history ... they notched a 4-2 win over Georgia State last Sunday ... goalkeeper Ryan Lossie has three shutouts on the season ... head coach David Holmes is in his 16th year at WKU with a record of 149-142-20 (.511) ... Sunday?s match will be the first meeting between these two schools since UNLV?s 2-1 overtime win at the Craig Robertson Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. in 1993.
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 175-130-34 (.566) at UNLV and a career record of 260-155-40 (.615) 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: UNLV 1, Air Force 0 - Sophomore goalie Bojo Ackah (Agoura, CA/Cascade College), in just his third start of the season, turned away 12 Falcon shots and made five saves to post UNLV?s first shutout of the year. With the win, Ackah imporved his record in complete matches this season to 2-1-0. Andrew Hooker (Victoria, BC, Canada/Mt. Douglas Senior Secondary) scored the match?s only goal on a header from B.J. McNicol (Centerville, UT/Viewmont) in the 57th minute, his first of the year. The win was the first for UNLV away from Johann Field this season
UNLV 6, Centenary 3 - The Rebels overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first eight minutes of the match to defeat Centenary, 6-3, and win the UNM Invitational. Hooker scored the go-ahead goal to start the second half and freshman Reggie Bolden (Jacksonville, AR/Mills) netted the match-winner.
Tournament Champs: After four attempts this season, the Rebels finally brought home a tournament championship by winning the UNM Invitational this weekend. 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, Calif. last year and keeps alive a string of five years in which UNLV has gone unbeaten through at least one in-season tourney.
Counter Attack: Just one week after an offensive pouring of four goals, UNLV scores six in Sunday?s match against Centenary. It marked the first time the Rebels have scored as many goals since a 7-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara in the 1993 season. Six different players found the goal for UNLV, including four freshmen.
Hooker Unleashed: Sophomore midfielder Andrew Hooker (Victoria, BC, Canada) broke out of a scoring slump this weekend by scoring two goals in the UNLV?s two victories. His first of the tournament and of the season may have been the most crucial as it propelled UNLV to a 1-0 win over Air Force. Hooker headed in a free kick from B.J. McNicol (Centerville, UT/Viewmont). He also scored the Rebels? go-ahead goal in Sunday?s match against Centenary, and was named the tournament?s Best Offensive Player. Defending the Post: Sophomore goalkeeper Bojo Ackah (Agoura, CA/Cascade College) was solid in his third career start Friday night, shutting down the Air Force offense. Ackah tallied the Rebels? first shutout this season and the first since Ryan Bledose (Las Vegas, NV/Eldorado) blanked UC Santa Barbara on Sept. 27, 1998. Ackah turned away 12 Falcon shots, made five saves in the effort, and has a 2-1 record in three complete games in the net.
Ranked Opponents: The schedule has not been a particularly easy one for UNLV this season. Three of the Rebels? nine opponents have made an appearance in one of the three Top 25 polls while MPSF rivals UCLA and Cal State Fullerton, ranked No. 4 and No. 6 respectively, are slated for a Las Vegas visit in mid-October. One other opponent -- UMBC -- has not made an official appearance in the Top 25, but also received votes in this week?s NSCAA poll. 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. In that game, the Scarlet Knights held a 1-0 lead for 87 minutes, but UNLV scored twice in the final three minutes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Close Calls: Talk about a number of close calls. In the Rebels? season opener at San Diego on Sept. 1, the Toreros held a 2-1 edge until the 89th minute, when they took advantage of a pressed forward UNLV squad and scored a third goal. Since that match, seven of the eight games UNLV has played have been decided by one goal. Two of those opponents, Kentucky and UMBC, managed just 1-0 victories. UNLV went 4-7 last year in matches decided by a single score and are 4-3 in those contests this year.
A Family Affair: The 1999 UNLV men?s soccer team is one big happy family, literally. The roster features two sets of brothers. Victoria, BC, Canada products Andrew and Ben Hooker are in their second season at UNLV. Las Vegas native Kevin Lunkwitz comes off a redshirt year to join his brother Paul on the sidelines. And of course, Geoff Barto returns for his senior season under his father, coach Barry Barto. However, Geoff isn?t the only Barto to don the scarlet and gray this year. He has two sisters who also compete for UNLV varsity athletic teams. Katie, 20, is on the Rebel track and cross country teams while Jaime, 18, is a freshman on the Rebels? women?s soccer squad.
Up Next: The Rebels will enjoy a well-deserved break following this weekend?s road trip. After open dates on the weekend of Oct. 8-10, UNLV will face two of its toughest opponents of the year, MPSF foes UCLA and Cal State Fullerton.
