Oct. 6, 2008

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DENVER (4-5-0 overall, 2-0-0 MPSF) junior Collin Audley found senior defender Colin Jones in the 51st-minute, all the Pioneers would need to edge four-time defending MPSF Champion New Mexico, 1-0, Friday in Denver. Sunday, sophomore goalkeeper Joe Willis collected seven saves and earned another shutout with a 1-0 win over UNLV. Senior Kyle Christensen scored a 36th-minute game-winner. The Pioneers head to Air Force Saturday (Oct. 11). The visiting team won both meetings last year.

SACRAMENTO STATE (6-2-2 overall, 1-0-0 MPSF) edged San Jose State Sunday in the MPSF opener for both teams. Junior Zach Tuss scored the game-winning header in the 77th-minute, his first career goal. The goal also marked his first shot this year, and just the seventh in his career. Junior goalkeeper Ryan Kenny picked up his first shutout this year while stopping six shots. The Hornets visit UNLV and New Mexico this weekend (Oct. 10& 12). Sac split with UNLV last year.

NEW MEXICO (4-4-2 overall, 1-1-0 MPSF) split its first two MPSF contests this past weekend, edged at Denver 1-0, before scoring a season-high four goals at Air Force in a 4-0 victory. The Lobos scored two goals in each half Sunday, the first coming less than four minutes after opening kick-off. Four different players scored once. San Jose State and Sacramento State visit Albuquerque this weekend (Oct. 10 & 12). The Lobos are a combined 8-0-2 against the Spartans and Hornets in the last 10 meetings dating back to 2005.

AIR FORCE (3-7-0 overall, 1-1-0 MPSF) junior Steve Noller became the first Falcon since 1996 to score a goal in four straight games when he tallied in the 57th-minute in a 1-0 MPSF-opening night win over UNLV. Goalkeeper Jim Gullo earned his second career shutout. Air Force dropped a 4-0 decision at home Sunday to New Mexico, as Gullo added seven saves. Denver visits the Academy on Saturday (Oct. 11).

SAN JOSE STATE (4-2-3 overall, 0-1-0 MPSF) dropped a 1-0 MPSF opener at Sacramento State Sunday. Goalkeeper Lewis Sweeney tallied nine saves on 10 shots on goal faced.The Spartans travel to New Mexico and UNLV this weekend (Oct. 10 & 12), falling twice to the Lobos and winning twice against the Rebels in 2007.

UNLV (5-4-1 overall, 0-2-0 MPSF) was blanked twice during MPSF opening weekend, 1-0 at Air Force and Denver. Senior goalkeeper Hawk Mummey picked up five saves against the Pioneers. The Rebels return home to face Sacramento State Friday (Oct. 10) and San Jose State Sunday (Oct. 12) as conference action resumes.

WILLIS NAMED MPSF BRINE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Woodland, Calif. - Denver sophomore goalkeeper Joe Willis (St. Louis, MO/Chaminade HS) totaled nine saves as he faced 28 shots throughout the weekend, while the Pioneers won both their MPSF games by a count of 1-0 over New Mexico and UNLV. Willis picked up seven saves in Sunday's win over the Rebels, and completed a pair of shutouts (career fourth and fifth) to begin conference play.