Oct. 8, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
UNLV Men's Soccer Notes
Coming off a 1-0 win at UC Riverside this past Saturday, the UNLV men's soccer team will look to close out its' non-conference schedule with another victory as it hosts Houston Baptist on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1pm. Next weekend the Rebels will open up MPSF play at home with a match up Friday, Oct. 16 against Cal State Bakersfield and on Sunday, Oct. 18 against conference newcomer Seattle University.
UNLV's record of 5-2-2 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 and although the loss to UCLA knocked them out, they are receiving votes again this week. This is the first meeting between the Rebels and the Huskies of Houston-Baptist.
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 33rd in the nation with six goals, while his 16 points also ranks him second in the league and 26th in the NCAA.
He's not the only freshman that ranks high in the league, as freshman midfielder Zach Kupfer is tied fifth in the league in points (nine) and tied fourth in goals (four). Fellow classmate Roberto Farfan is also tied for fourth in the MPSF with three assists. Junior midfielder Stephen Sifuentes also ranks in the top 10 in the conference as he is tied for sixth with goals (three) and seventh with points (eight).
Junior Roland Swanson has been strong in goal, as he is fourth in the conference with a 1.14 GAA as well as leads the conference with four shutouts.
Scouting the Houston Baptist Huskies...
The Houston Baptist Huskies (4-7) are coming off of a 1-3 loss to Centenary on Oct. 7. The Huskies are led offensively by Duke Ogega who has scored two goals and dished out one assist, and Francisco Diaz who has one goals and one assist. The Huskies have used two different goalkeepers this season, but Michael Bouchahine has started the last several games. Bouchahine has allowed nine goals while boasting a 1.40 GAA.
