Oct. 28, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
This Week
Friday, October 31
LMU vs. Saint Mary's (3-7-3, 2-2-2 WCC)
Sullivan Field - 3:00 p.m.
Gametracker and live audio available at www.LMULions.com
Briefly
LMU has a light but crucial week ahead as it has just one match on the schedule, hosting Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. on Friday. The Lions are mired in a three-game losing streak, their longest of the season, and find themselves in the middle of a tightly-packed West Coast Conference leaderboard. LMU is tied for fifth but just one point behind Saint Mary's and just two points out of third place.
Listen To And Follow The Lions Live On The Web
Loyola Marymount University, in conjunction with Stretch Internet, is proud to present FREE live audio broadcasts over the World Wide Web on www.LMULions.com. Join commentators Jesse Kass and Ricky Randle for all the Lion home games in 2008. Just click on the "Listen" or "Archive" link next to the game of your choice. All broadcasts will be archived within 72 hours of their original airing and will include both the pre-game and post-game shows.
All home games and select away games will be available live on Gametracker through the LMU website. Check www.LMULions.com for all Gametracker live stats information.
Media Guide
The 2008 LMU men's soccer media guide is now available to download at www.LMULions.com. This is the only source of copies of the guide.
Coming to a Game?
If you are planning to attend a game at LMU this season, then be sure to reserve your tickets today by ordering online at www.LMULions.com or calling the LMU Ticket Office at (310) 338-LION. The Loyola Marymount University campus is located in Westchester at 1 LMU Drive, approximately four miles north of the Los Angeles International Airport. Visitors must use the main entrance off of Lincoln Blvd. on LMU Drive. Parking for Sullivan Field will be in General Parking Lot A.
About Saint Mary's (3-7-3, 2-2-2 WCC)
Saint Mary's saw its four-match unbeaten run halted on Sunday with a 3-0 loss at Portland. Earlier in the weekend, the Gaels had tied Gonzaga 1-1, battling back from a goal down with Yousef Samy equalizing.
Adam Cooper is in his third season as head coach in Moraga, putting together a record of 14-26-11. Last year, the Gaels went 7-9-2 overall, finishing fifth in the WCC at 3-7-2. They return 14 letterwinners and eight starters.
Saint Mary's has won three in a row in the series after its 2-1 victory in Moraga on October 5. In that match, junior Brad Stisser gave LMU the lead in the 16th minute but Mark Araujo's goal pulled SMC level before the break and Emmanuel Sarabia won it with 58 seconds left. The Gaels hold a 16-9-2 edge while each of the last 13 meetings have been decided by a single goal.
Last Week Recap: Lions Swept by San Diego
LMU entered last weekend's home-and-home against San Diego with a real chance to move up the WCC standings and catch the league-leading Toreros. Instead, USD swept the season series for the second straight season to open up a gap atop the standings. On Thursday at Sullivan Field, LMU was unlucky to hit the woodwork three times but to no avail as the Toreros caught a break to open the scoring in the 70th minute. They would add an insurance goal four minutes from time.
LMU still had a chance to salvage a tie at Torero Stadium on Sunday but a 12th-minute USD goal took the wind out of their sails. Two second half goals from San Diego sent the Lions to their third straight defeat.
Talking RPI
The NCAA released its latest RPI rankings on October 13 and, due to their success in a difficult non-conference schedule, the Lions find themselves listed at 76th. They are the second-highest ranked WCC team, following San Diego (62).
Overtime Madness
Well, we've been previewing this piece all season and now it has come to be: LMU's 2-2 draw at Santa Clara was the team's fifth tie of the season, surpassing the school record of four set in 2005. Additionally, it was the seventh overtime game of 2008, matching the school record for most games that went into overtime, set in 2000 and tied in 2003.
To put this fact into perspective, figure that if the same players were on the field for both overtime periods, they would have played the equivalent of one more game (100 minutes) this year.
WCC Standings Update
Now that the second half of the WCC schedule is underway, a quick check of the conference standings shows that there is everything still to play for. The bad news is that, as a whole, the WCC is down from previous years and is unlikely to get more than two teams into the NCAA Tournament. The good news is that LMU is smack in the thick of the race for second. Sitting 11 points behind league-leaders San Diego with five games remaining, the Lions can mathematically catch the Toreros should they go undefeated and USD stumble. However, seven points separate the other six teams. San Francisco (13 points) is second, with Portland (9 points) third and Saint Mary's (8 points) fourth. LMU and Gonzaga are tied for fifth on seven points while Santa Clara is seventh on six points. The Lions still have Saint Mary's, Portland, Gonzaga, Santa Clara, and San Francisco on their schedule, meaning that a good finish and a little help could push them up to second and a shot at the postseason.
Wanted: A Road Victory
If LMU is to make some noise nationally and challenge for the WCC title, it must post wins away from Sullivan Field. This year, LMU is 4-2-3 at home but winless in six road games. In fact, LMU has not produced a victory in its last 17 away games and has lost its 10 of its last 11 WCC road contests, with one tie. With two of the last four games away from home, the time is now to snap those winless streaks.
Sampson Stays Strong
Junior goalkeeper Patrick Sampson had a September to remember as he garnered the WCC Player of the Month award to go along with two Player of the Week nods and his first two career shutouts. Despite facing four ranked opponents in his first four games, Sampson went 1-1-2 in the month, shutting out ranked foes Cal Poly and UIC.
Currently, Sampson is second in the WCC in total saves (51) and saves per game (4.25) and third in goals-against-average (0.93) and shutouts (3). He is also ranked among the national leaders, coming in at 51st in save percentage (0.81), 60th in GAA, and 66th in saves per game.
With his WCC Player of the Week honor on Sept. 7, Sampson was the first LMU goalkeeper in 12 years to be so honored, joining Chris Walter (Oct. 8, 1996), and the first Lion overall to be the WCC POW since David Niemeyer in 2006. Just two weeks later, he was again named the WCC Player of the Week, for Sept. 21. In doing so, he became the first WCC player twice honored this season and the first LMU player to be honored twice in the same year since Arturo Torres did it three times in 2000.
Stisser Rises to the Top
The last two seasons, Brad Stisser has led the Lions in shot attempts. This year, he is once again leading the team, but this time in scoring as the senior has netted two goals with three assists for seven points.LMU's active career goals leader but with only one assist to his name entering this season, Stisser has shown his unselfish side this year with his team-leading three assists. But don't think that he hasn't still be firing shots at opposing goals. He is second on the team this year in shot attempts with 36 and his 115 career attempts is good enough for fourth all-time.
A-Tar on the Attack
It took them eight games but the Lions finally had someone score their second goal of the year as freshman Artur Jozkowicz emerged as the team's leading scorer with his header against Cal State Bakersfield. He then added to his tally with his game-winning goal against Portland. Of his three goals this season, all three have given the Lions the lead and they are 2-0-1 when Jozkowicz scores.
Baca on the Board
Sophomore Rafael Baca continues to be LMU's offensive leader, heading the team with 49 shot attempts, tops in the conference. Of course, this means nothing if he does not find the back of the net, which he has done a career-high three times. Baca netted the game-winning goal vs. #24 Cal Poly, opened the scoring in the home victory over Gonzaga, and put LMU ahead for the second time at Santa Clara. Like with Jozkowicz, Baca's teammates have fed off his scoring, with the Lions going 2-0-1 in games in which he is on the scoresheet. In two years at LMU, Baca has five goals, five assists, and 15 points.
Johnson Honored
LMU junior defender Wilkie Johnson was recognized for his outstanding contributions on both offense and defense as he earned his first career West Coast Conference Player of the Week honor for October 7-13. The Lions won both their games on the weekend, thanks to Johnson's defense against Portland and his game-winning goal against Gonzaga.
Senior Leadership
It goes without saying that seniors can make or break a team's season. Good senior leadership can lift a team facing adversity while poor leadership can derail hopes. Last year, the Lions had four seniors and got a combined three assists out of them en route to a 3-16-1 record. That has changed this year as Brad Stisser, Jawaan Delaney, and Stephen Carlson have been a steadying force for a young squad. We've already talked about Stisser's contributions. Carlson has started every game and has an assist to go along with playing the third-most minutes of any outfield player. Delaney has battled injuries but has provided a spark with one assist in eight games. Delaney, along with fourth-year player Andrew Kristof, have both featured in the starting lineup but primarily give the team a boost off the bench.
Offensive Onslaught
Mired in a scoring drought, LMU went on the offensive, topping 19 shots for five straight games, including a season-high 26 attempts vs. Cal State Bakersfield. The Lions opened the season having been outshot in five of the first six games but held the offensive advantage in the next five, in which they went 3-1-1. LMU's four matches of 20+ shots in 2008 is more than the last two seasons combined (3).
