Oct. 29, 2003

LAS VEGAS - The UNLV men's soccer team is entering the most important weekend of its season, as the Rebels are fighting to earn a spot in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament. Six out of seven teams will make the tournament, and the Rebels are one of four teams all tied at fourth place with three points. With two games this weekend on the road, UNLV can seal a spot in the tournament with victories in both, and still have a good chance if they split the games.

UNLV (4-11, 1-3MPSF) has been led by the play of senior midfielder Alex Hernandez with nine goals and four assists on the year. Victor 'Boomer' Arbelaez is next on the team in points with 10 on four goals and two assists, while Leandro Iocco is third with three goals and two assists for eight points. Peter Clitheroe has seen the majority of time in goal, and has 40 saves and a 2.57 goals against average. He posted his first shutout of the season against New Mexico in a 2-0 win on Oct. 18.

The competition this weekend won't be easy for the Rebels. UNLV begins the road trip on Thursday at Denver in a game moved back to 2 p.m. (PST). Denver is 7-7-2 on the year, and 1-2-2 in the conference. The Pioneers have just win in their last five games however, a 4-1 win over conference rival Sacramento State. Kyle Christensen is pacing the team this year with six goals and four assists for 16 points. Thomas Flynn (five goals, one assist) and Travis Hendricks (three goals, five assists) are next on the team with 11 points apiece for the season.

Air Force is currently 8-6-1, and 1-2 in the MPSF. The Falcons last played in a 2-1 win at home over New Mexico on Oct. 24, as their game scheduled for Oct. 26 at San Diego State has been indefinitely postponed due to the fires in Southern California. They are a strong scoring team with 38 goals on the year, 14 from Daniel Wasson (2 assists, 30 points). Marcus Sagastume has added six points and 11 assists for 23 points