Oct. 27, 2005
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Briefly
Sitting in third place in the WCC, the Lions are looking to move up in the conference standings with a pair of games against Gonzaga and Portland this weekend at Sullivan Field. LMU earned a split when facing the teams in the Northwest, and is looking for a home sweep. LMU and Gonzaga face off on Friday at 1:00pm, and the Lions will take on Portland on Sunday at 2:00pm.
Looking Back
After a disappointing 2-0 non-conference loss to Northwestern, the Lions rebounded with a strong 2-1 win over Saint Mary's. LMU controlled the ball, taking a 1-0 lead early in the first half off of a blast from Jimmy Burling. Trini Gomez made it a 2-0 game, bouncing a free kick off the far post and into the goal. The Gaels made it a 2-1 game with less than three minutes remaining, but the Lion defense held tight to preserve the victory.
About Gonzaga
The Bulldogs are 3-6-4 on the season, and 1-3-2 in WCC action. Last weekend they picked up their first conference win with a 1-0 victory over Portland. George Josten has scored almost half of the team's 15 goals this year, with seven goals and three assists. Luke Miller has two goals and three assists this season. Vito Higgens has played every minute of the season in goal, and has a 1.37 GAA. He has recorded two shutouts this season. The Lions won the first meeting between the schools in Spokane. Bobby Burling and Junior Ybarra scored goals for LMU in the 2-1 win.
About Portland
The Pilots come into the weekend after a pair of games with Gonzaga last weekend. After dropping the first game 1-0, they rebounded with a 2-2 tie. Portland has a 4-7-2 record overall, and is in 6th place in the WCC with a 2-4-1 record. The Pilots took the first game against LMU with a 1-0 win. Alex Elliott leads the team in scoring with three goals, and Brayton Knapp and Michael Gavin each have two goals and an assist. Luis Robles has a 1.06 GAA with three shutouts. Portland will face San Diego on Friday night before heading to Sullivan Field on Sunday.
One, Two Punch
The Lions have a strong offensive duo of Bobby Burling and Trini Gomez. Each player has scored five goals this season to lead the team in goals. Burling has assisted on four goals, and Gomez has assisted on another three goals. With five scores, they have already reached the total of last year's leading goals scorers - Armando Melendez, Diego Barrera and Nick Blanco.
Burling Scores Monthly Honor
Bobby Burling was named the LMU Student-Athlete of the Month for his play in September. Bobby Burling was instrumental in helping the Lions open the season with a 3-2-2 record. He led the team with four goals and two assists in September, including two game-winning goals. Burling was directly responsible for both goals in LMU's 2-1 win over #10 UC Santa Barbara, assisting on the game-tying goal and scoring the game-winner. Burling had a phenomenal performance against North Florida, recording two goals and an assist. He also scored LMU's first goal in the 2-1 win over Gonzaga to open WCC action. The 6-5 junior from Monument, Colorado, leads the team in goals, points and shots, and has recorded a shot in every game. An incredible 73.9% of his shots have been on goal.
Looking Ahead
The Lions face their toughest road trip of the season next weekend, facing San Francisco and Santa Clara up north. LMU will take on the Dons on Friday night, and face Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon.
Time change
LMU's final game of the season against San Diego has been moved to 2:00pm on Saturday, November 12th at Sullivan Field. It had originally been scheduled for 1:00pm.
Sundays Are Special At Sullivan
The Lions have faced a top 10 team on a Sunday at Sullivan three times this season and pulled out victories in two of the games. After dropping their season opener to then-#7 UCLA, the Lions rebounded with a huge 2-1 win over then-#10 UC Santa Barbara. Two weeks later, LMU took a 3-1 victory over then-#5 Santa Clara. Last Sunday, the Lions pulled out a 2-1 win over Saint Mary's to improve to 3-1 on Sundays at Sullivan. In the 2004 season, the Lions were a perfect 5-0 on Sundays at Sullivan.
Climbing the Charts
Several current players started the season in the top 10 of several LMU career statistical categories. Armando Melendez and Junior Ybarra both started the season on the top 10 for career assists, but have gone up the charts as the season has progressed. Melendez and Ybarra are tied for 6th place with Bobby Burling. Melendez also added to his career point total and his 33 career points puts him tied for 8th place all-time. Bobby Burling has rocketed up the charts with his recent play, and is now in at least 8th place in all three lists.
Barrera Earns Weekly Honors
Sophomore Diego Barrera was honored as the WCC Player of the Week for his efforts in LMU's 2-1 win over then-#10 UC Santa Barbara. The midfielder was also named to Soccer America's Team of the Week. It is the second year that Barrera earned each honor.
Record Setting Victory
The Lions shattered three school records en route to their 8-0 victory over North Florida on Sept. 5. With eight goals, the Lions broke the previous team record of six goals in a game. The record was set twice, both games against Occidental in 1990 and 1997. LMU's 11 assists also shatters the previous record of six assists (vs. Santa Clara, 10/17/04 and vs. San Diego State, 10/8/95). The Lions' 27 points on the day bested their previous record of 17 points set against Occidental in 1997 (6 goals, 5 assists).
All-Tournament Team
Bobby Burling and Diego Barrera were named to the UC Irvine College Classic All-Tournament team following the weekend. Burling scored two goals and added an assist, while Barrera set up two goals to record two assists. Rob Flores and Matthew Mejia were named to the All-Tournament team at SMU's Mi Cocina Classic. It is the first All-Tournament honor for either player.
Player Diary
Throughout the season, captains Armando Melendez and Rob Flores will be writing a diary on the LMU website. Their journal will give fans an inside peak into the LMU men's soccer team. Be sure to check the LMU website at www.LMULions.com for their latest entry.
Gametracker
Follow the Lions all season with GameTracker for Men's Soccer. During any LMU home game, you can get the up-to-the-minute score, as well as updated game stats and a play by play. For more information, go to www.LMULions.com.
Sullivan Field Upgrades
Fans to Sullivan Field will notice a few changes to the atmosphere this season. Brand new banners on the back on the bleachers welcome fans to the "Home of the Lions." In addition, a new scoreboard has been installed. This season, the Lions play nine of their 20 games at Sullivan Field.
