Nov. 12, 2003
LAS VEGAS -
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Eleven days after UNLV ended the regular season at Air Force in a 2-0 win, the two teams will rematch each other as they square off in the first round of the 2003 MPSF Men's Soccer Tournament on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. This is also the second straight year that UNLV was the third seed in the tournament and opened up against a sixth-seeded Air Force team. In the 2002 tournament in Albuquerque, N.M., UNLV would advance to the second round winning a penalty kick shootout over the Falcons 4-3. The Rebels then lost in the semifinals to San Jose State, also in a shootout after the game was tied at 3-3 after two overtimes.
UNLV, 6-11 overall and 3-3 in the MPSF, has been led this season by Co-Conference Player of the Year Alex Hernandez. The senior midfielder has been the Rebels' offense in 2003, as he leads the team and is third in the conference in goals with 11 and points with 26. He's also posted a team-high four game-winners for the season, including in the Rebels' last two wins over Air Force and Denver. Junior midfielder Victor "Boomer" Arbelaez is next on the team with four goals and four assists for 12 points, while senior forward Leandro Iocco is third with four goals and three assists for 11 points.
In goal, sophomore goalie Peter Clitheroe has improved during his sophomore season and first year as the starting keeper. He has a 2.10 GAA while playing in 13 games, has 53 saves, and in the last six games has posted three shutouts.
Air Force brings a 9-8-1 record into the tournament, but have won just two of its last six matches. One of the wins was a 3-2 win at home over Denver in its season finale on Nov. 3, which put them into the MPSF tournament ahead of the Pioneers. The Falcons' other conference win came over New Mexico on Oct. 24. Air Force and UNLV are the only teams in the conference to beat New Mexico, as the Lobos bounced back from an 0-2 start to win four straight and take second in the conference at 4-2.
Air Force has been led this season by Daniel Wasson, who led both the team and the conference in goals with 15 and points with 32. Marcus Sagastume scored seven goals and 12 assists for 26 points on the year for Air Force, while Colin Eames also posted seven goals and added eight assists for 22 points. In goal, Brian Dougal has seen the majority of time and is posting a 1.71 goals against average along with four shutouts for the year.
