Nov. 5, 2010
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
UNLV weekly soccer notes
The UNLV men's soccer team (6-9-2, 3-4-2 MPSF) closes out the regular season on Saturday with a Senior Day contest against New Mexico (7-4-5, 4-2-3 MPSF) at 1 pm at Peter Johann Memorial Field. The Rebels come into the game having already clinched a berth in next week's MPSF Tournament, held in Sacramento, after going 1-0-1 last week in a pair of league road contests. Their first-round opponent will not be known until Sunday, and its possible that UNLV could find themselves in a rematch with the Lobos.
The host Rebels will be looking to break a two-game home losing streak, after dropping games to Cal State Bakersfield and Seattle in October. UNLV actually has posted a better record on the road (2-2-1) then at home (1-2-1) in league play, mostly thanks to their upset win at division-leader Denver.
Saturday is the final home game for four seniors, leading scorer Stephen Sifuentes, midfielder Camilo Valencia, and defenders Jaime Calvo and Drew Gleason.
Players To Watch
The Rebels are paced by their two starting forwards, senior Stephen Sifuentes and sophomore Nick Marshall. Sifuentes is fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with 15 points off six goals and three assists, while Marshall is tied for seventh with four goals and two assists. Jonny Espinoza is third on the team with eight points (three goals, two assists), while Richard Abrego has seven (two goals, three assists).
UNLV is playing two goalies this year. Junior Simon Cook has played the majority of the season, and has a 1.23 GAA with 54 saves. Freshman Ryan Harding meanwhile has appeared in four games, and has a 2.67 GAA with 11 saves.
Scouting New Mexico
The Lobos come into Saturday's game riding a six-game shutout streak. However, New Mexco's offense has also disappeared as of late, leading to the last three games ending in 0-0 overtime draws, following three straight victories. In the first meeting between the two this year, UNM claimed a 2-1 overtime victory over UNLV.
Josh Caffey is the team's leading scorer with seven points off three goals and an assist. Lance Rozeboom (2 goals, 2 assists) and Michael Reed (1 goal, 4 assists) follow with six points each. In goal is Justin Holmes, who is holding a 0.71 GAA with 46 saves.
