Aug. 15, 2011

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV was picked to finish fifth in the 2011 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's soccer preseason poll released on Monday, while CSU Bakersfield was the favorite to win the 2011 title.

CSUB, who won the MPSF Pacific Division title in 2010 and reached the MPSF Tournament championship game, received five of eight first place votes and 46 total, five more then Denver and New Mexico, both of whom were tied for second at 41. Sacramento State, 2010 MPSF Tournament champions, was fourth with 30, while UNLV followed in fifth (22), San Jose State was sixth (19), Air Force seventh (13), and Seattle rounded out the poll in eighth with 12.

This is the second year the league has been split into the Mountain and Pacific Divisions. The top two teams in each division will advance to the six-team postseason conference tournament, while the next two with the highest point totals will close out the tournament field. In 2010, the Rebels finished fourth in the Mountain Division but would claim the sixth and final spot in the tournament thanks to their 3-5-2 league mark.

Though UNLV graduated its leading scorer in Stephen Sifuentes, a third-team all-region selection, the Rebels bring back eight starters and six of their top seven scorers from the 2010 squad. That includes junior forward Nick Marshall, a first-team All-MPSF pick in 2010, while midfielder Jonny Espinoza and defender Mike Mota were second team and honorable mention selections, respectively.

UNLV will open the regular season on the road with a contest at Cal Poly on Aug. 27.

2011 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll

Place   Team (1st place votes)  Votes1.  CSU Bakersfield (5)           462.  New Mexico (2)      41    Denver  (1)     414.  Sacramento State        305.  UNLV            226.  San Jose State      197.  Air Force           138.  Seattle         12