Oct. 31, 2006
LAS VEGAS - The young Rebel men's soccer team returns home for their last two games of the season this weekend, as Denver comes to town Friday night at 7 p.m. before ending the season Sunday for Senior Day against Air Force at 1 p.m. UNLV is coming off another heartbreaker last Sunday, falling to Sacramento State 2-1 in overtime.
For the Rebels, offense lately has come from two sophomores, Ben Haugland and Lamar Neagle. Neagle is tied for the team lead in goals and assists, totaling nine points on the season, while Haugland has scored the Rebels' last three goals. Fellow sophomore Nicholas Paterson is tied for the team lead with nine points, and has dished out a team-high five assists on the year. Freshman Marcos Balladares has two scores on the season, while Martin Kenny and Hakim Zermouni each have a pair of strikes. Freshman keeper Calvin Bailey has played well of late, making three saves against Sacramento State in the tough loss. The Rebels have fought hard this year, with eight of their losses coming by one goal.
Denver (11-3-2, 7-0-1) comes to Las Vegas as the current leaders of the MPSF. The team is also ranked fifth in the Far West region, and is receiving votes in the NSCAA/Adidas national poll. The Pioneers bring a six-game win streak into the Silver State, as they have outscored their opponents 15-1 over that span. Denver's offense is led by senior Ben Mendozza, who ranks fifth in the league in scoring. Helping him out offensively is Joey Mathot and Collin Audley, each of whom have scored two game-winners on the season. Goalkeeper Matt Bredehoft has played the most minutes between the pipes for Denver, posting a 0.71 goals against average, which is good for second in the MPSF. The Pioneers pride themselves on a solid backline, as they have allowed the fewest shots in the conference, and have allowed a conference-low of 11 goals.
Air Force (4-11-1, 3-5) had their two-game winning streak snapped last weekend in a 1-0 loss to Denver. Up front the Falcons are paced by freshman Josh Rhynard and junior Andy Nigro. Rhynard has enjoyed his first collegiate season, scoring four goals and assisting on another, while Nigro has scored twice and holds a team-best three helpers. The Air Force defense is playing better lately, allowing just three goals over their last four games. Brian Guyette has played the majority of minutes in goal for the Falcons, making 59 saves which is second in the MPSF.
Once again this season, live stats for all home UNLV games will be available on GameTracker on the UNLV athletics website, which can be accessed at www.unlvrebels.com.
