Oct. 1, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
UNLV men's soccer weekly notes
Coming off a 3-0 loss at top-10 UCLA this past Sunday, a game that was scoreless at the half, the UNLV men's soccer team will look to rebound with its second straight game in the state of California, as the Rebels will meet UC Riverside on Saturday in a 5 pm contest.
UNLV's record of 4-2-2 is one of the best starts this decade for the program. The Rebels' strong start had earned them a spot in the regional rankings for the first time this season at 10th, though the loss to UCLA dropped them out. This is the eighth meeting all-time between UNLV and UCR. The Rebels lost the last game between the two, 2-1 in Riverside in 2006 in the second-ever game for head coach Mario Sanchez as the Rebels' head coach.
Scouting The Rebels...
The biggest impact this year has come from freshman forward Nick Marshall, who is currently first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and 21st in the nation with six goals, while his 16 points also ranks him first in the league and 21st in the NCAA.
He's not the only freshman that ranks high in the league, as freshman midfielder Zach Kupfer is tied fourth in the league in points (nine) and tied third in goals (four). Fellow classmate Roberto Farfan is also tied for third in the MPSF with three assists. Junior midfielder Stephen Sifuentes also ranks in the top 10 in the conference in points with six (two goals, two assists).
Junior Roland Swanson has been strong in goal, as he is second in the conference with a 1.27 GAA while his three shutouts is tied for the MPSF lead.
Scouting the UC Riverside Highlanders...
The Highlanders are 1-7 on the season, with their lone win coming at home over San Jose State by a 2-1 score on Sept. 13. Since then the team has experienced big struggles on offense, as UCR has scored just one goal in the last four games while being outscored 10-1.
Six players have all scored one goal this year for the Highlanders, while Normado Mariscal and Tyler Wilson each have an assist as well for three points. In goal is Cody Suppe with a 1.99 GAA with 30 saves.
