Oct. 28, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
UNLV weekly soccer notes
The UNLV men's soccer team is hoping to bounce back from a difficult road trip when it returns to action this weekend, but it only gets harder from here on out as the Rebels will play their final three games against the top three teams in the conference. It all begins with this weekend's matchups against current co-leaders and undefeated in league play San Jose State and Sacramento State. UNLV will play the SJSU Spartans on the road on Friday night in a 7 pm matchup, and the end the weekend by hosting the Hornets in a Senior Day contest at 1 pm at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
In their last action, UNLV held a two-goal lead before settling for a 2-2 overtime tie at Denver, then saw Air Force score in the final five minutes to escape with a 2-1 win, with both games coming on the road in Colorado.
The Rebels are 17-12-3 all time with the San Jose State as they split last years' contests, winning one and losing one. UNLV is 4-11-0 all time against Sacramento State, with last year's series also being a split.
Scouting The Rebels...
The biggest impact this year has come from freshman forward Nick Marshall, who is currently tied for second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation as well as tied 47th in the nation with seven goals, while his 17 points also ranks him tied for first in the league and 54th in the NCAA.
He's not the only freshman that ranks high in the league, as freshman midfielder Zach Kupfer is tied for seventh in the league in points (12) as well as tied for sixth in goals (five). Fellow classmate Roberto Farfan is also tied for seventh in the MPSF with three assists. Junior midfielder Stephen Sifuentes also ranks in the top 10 in the conference as he is tied for third in points earned (16) and tied for second with Marshall for goals (seven). His seven goals also rank him 47th in the nation while his 12 points rank him 71st.
Junior Roland Swanson currently has a 1.48 GAA and is tied for second in the conference with four shutouts.
Scouting the San Jose State Spartans...
San Jose State (9-6-1, 4-0-0) is undefeated in MPSF action and is currently tied for first in the conference with Sacramento State. The Spartans are led offensively by Justin Castro who has scored five goals and dished out two assists, and Nick Cukar has five goals and one assist for 11 points. Seven other Spartan players have scored goals this year as well. In the net is Jonathan Lester who has a 0.75 GAA and has allowed 11 goals in 2009.
Scouting the Sacramento State Hornets...
Sacramento State ( 8-5-1, 4-0-0) is undefeated in MPSF action and is currently tied for first in the conference with San Jose State. The Hornets are led offensively by Max Alvarez who has scored eight goals and dished out one assist and Ernesto Carranza who has six goals and four assists. Eight other Hornet players have scored a goal. Sacramento State has used three different goalkeepers this season, though Bryan Oliver has started the last four matches. Oliver has allowed four goals and is boasting a 0.80 GAA.
