Nov. 9, 2010
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) -
UNLV MPSF Tournament Notes
UNLV will have the chance to avenge its most disappointing loss of the season, as the sixth-seeded Rebels will open play in this week's 2010 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Soccer Tournament by taking on third-seeded New Mexico on Thursday morning at 11 am in the quarterfinal round. Sacramento State is this year's host, with the three-day tournament being held at Hornet Soccer Field.
It will be a rematch of a contest played just five days before, as on its Senior Day, UNLV (6-10-2) jumped out to a 2-0 first half lead, before seeing the Lobos rally with three goals in the second half for a 3-2 win. That was the second one-goal win of the season by UNM (8-4-5) over the Rebels, and UNLV would love nothing more then to avenge those losses and advance to the semifinals for the second straight year.
In the 2009 tournament, the fifth-seeded Rebels easily took down fourth-seed San Jose State 4-2 before losing a tight battle against top-seed Sacramento State 1-0 in double-overtime. This year, if UNLV won its opener against New Mexico, it would face second-seed Cal State Bakersfield in the semifinal round on Friday. The Roadrunners won the regular season meeting between the two, 2-1 in Las Vegas on Oct. 22.
Players To Watch
The Rebels are paced by their two starting forwards, senior Stephen Sifuentes and sophomore Nick Marshall. Sifuentes is tied for fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with 15 points off six goals and three assists, while Marshall is tied for sixth with five goals and two assists. Jonny Espinoza also ranks in the league, as he is tied for 10th with four goals and two 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 have shutout six of their last seven opponents, with the one team to score being the Rebels in this past Saturday's contest. The game also saw New Mexico break a three-game scoreless drought in a big fashion, with three second half goals to earn the victory. That was the second one-goal win over UNLV this season, following a 2-1 overtime win in Albuquerque on Oct. 1.
Michael Reed is the team's leading scorer with eight points off two goals and four assists. Josh Caffey is next with a team-high three goals and an assist, while two more players have six points each. In goal is Justin Holmes, who is holding a 0.79 GAA with 50 saves.
