Sept. 16, 2009
LAS VEGAS -
UNLV men's soccer notes
The UNLV men's soccer team (3-1-1) come into this weekend's UNLV Rebel Classic riding a three-game unbeaten streak, and in fact have lost just one game all year, which came in the final minutes of the contest. UNLV will look to continue their strong play but will face a tough challenge in two teams that are tougher then their record shows, Illinois-Chicago and Florida Gulf Coast. UIC was ranked in all the preseason polls and have tied two top-20 teams this year, while the FGCU Eagles have suffered three one-goal losses. The Rebels will first take on UIC on Friday night at 7 pm, while the game against FGCU will come on Sunday with a 1 pm start, with both games at Peter Johann Memorial Field.
This is the first home action for UNLV since scoring nine goals over the two games in the UNLV Nike Invitational. Friday night's contest will be the first-ever between UIC and UNLV, while the Rebels lost to FGCU in the only meeting between the schools back in 2007.
Scouting The Rebels...
The biggest impact this year has come from freshman forward Nick Marshall, who is currently tied for first in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with 10 points off four goals and two assists. Freshman midfielder Zach Kupher and junior midfielder Stephen Sifuentes are both tied for fifth in the league with five points (two goals, 1 assist), while senior forward Will Ziegahn is ninth with four points (two goals).
Junior Roland Swanson has been strong in goal, as he is second in the conference with a 0.92 GAA while his three shutouts is a MPSF-high.
Scouting the Illinois-Chicago Flames...
The Flames started out the season in the preseason rankings after reaching the third round of the NCAA Tournament last year, but have struggled in 2009, mostly due to their offense. UIC is 0-2-2 on the year, and has only scored two goals all season. However, the competition has been tough, as the team has posted a 0-0 overtime tie with No. 20 Michigan State and a 1-1 tie with No. 13 Louisville.
The two scores for the Flames this year have come from Josh Beard and Charlie Trout, while Robert Younger has posted one assist. In goal is Jovan Bubonja, who holds a 1.35 GAA with 14 saves and one shutout.
Scouting the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles...
Florida Gulf Coast is 1-3-1 on the season thus far, with the four non-ties all having been decided by just one goal, including a 1-0 loss to 11th-ranked South Florida. The one win so far this season came at Florida International in the season opener.
The Eagles have scored four goals in 2009, with three coming in the last two games. Cristian Raudales leads the team with two scores, while Deion Jones and Westin Vallentine each have one goal each for FGCU. In goal is Matthew Smith, who has posted a 1.11 GAA with 21 saves and one shutout.
