The University of Portland men’s soccer team will face No. 1 New Mexico (16-1-1) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. (P.S.T.). The Pilots (12-7-2) advanced with a come-from-behind 5-3 victory at Washington last Friday. The Lobos are seeded 13th in the tournament and received a first-round bye. This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Tuesday’s game are $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for youth and students. Tickets can be purchased at the game or at the UNM Ticket Office. Tickets can also be purchased by calling (505) 925-LOBO or by visiting www.UNMTickets.com.

ABOUT PORTLAND: The Pilots (12-7-2, 6-5-1 WCC) survived and advanced with a thrilling 5-3 first round victory over Northwest rival Washington Friday night in Seattle. Trailing 2-0 through the first 27 minutes, Portland scored four unanswered goals and held on for the victory at Husky Soccer Field. Four Pilots tallied goals, as second team all-West Coast Conference striker Alejandro Salazar accounted for two goals and sophomore forward Christopher Sanders added two assists. Junior midfielders Heath Pearce, Miguel Guante and Sean Babcock were the other Pilot goal-scorers, with Babcock netting the game-winner. Pearce put Portland on the board first in the 38th minute with a rocket from 20-yards out and Guante equalized on a header off a cross from Sanders with less than two minutes remaining in the half. The Pilots carried their momentum to the second period, converting three of their six shots into goals. Sanders tallied his second assist of the contest, finding Salazar for a goal in the 58th minute. Not quite four minutes later, Portland extended its lead on a free kick from Babcock that sailed over the UW wall and into the net. After UW pulled within one in the 85th minute, Salazar sealed the win in the 89th minute with his second goal of the period. Sophomore keeper Luis Robles was stellar between the sticks for UP, recording 10 acrobatic saves, including three in the closing minutes to preserve the win.

Portland finished fourth in the WCC and earned one of the 25 at-large bids to the tournament after playing one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Eight of the Pilots’ 14 opponents in 2004 were among the 48-team field and seven opponents earned a national ranking in the final polls.

Eight players earned all-WCC honors, headlined by first-teamers Robles and Josh Brown. Defender Michael Gavin claimed WCC Freshman of the Year honors. Salazar, the 2003 WCC Player of the Year, leads Portland with 22 points (7g, 8a). Sanders is second with 15 total points (6g, 3a). Robles has played every minute this season in goal, posting a 1.15 goals-against average, with 99 saves and seven shutouts. Senior captain Paul Robinson is a three-year starter and anchors the Pilot backline along with Brown.

Director of soccer Bill Irwin returns eight starters and 12 letterwinners from Portland’s 2003 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Irwin is in his second season in a head coaching capacity and has a 22-16-3 overall record.

ABOUT NO. 1 NEW MEXICO: The Lobos are making their third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four seasons after finishing with a 16-1-1 record, including a 10-1-1 mark in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. UNM won its second MPSF regular season title in the last three years, earning the Federation’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. UNM is a perfect 8-0-0 on their home pitch, allowing just one goal at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Lobos are the only team in the country with only one loss, posting the best win-loss percentage (.917) in the nation. UNM had spent four weeks ranked No. 2 in the Soccer America Top-25, but took over the top spot in the final regular season poll for the first time in school history. The Lobos are led by MPSF Co-Players of the Year Jeff Rowland and Andrew Boyens. Rowland, a junior forward from Albuquerque, led the MPSF in scoring with 18 goals and five assists. Boyens is a sophomore defender from Dunedin, New Zealand, and led the Lobo backline to a school-record 11 shutouts and a league-leading 0.54 goals-against average. Boyens was also named the Federation’s Newcomer of the Year. UNM outscored opponents 46-10, as keeper Andrew Weber posts a 0.51 GAA and 55 saves. Lance Watson has seven goals and four assists, while Hans Bevers’ seven assists leads the Lobos.

TOURNAMENT TIDBITS: The NCAA men’s soccer tournament is made up of 48

teams with the top 16 teams earning seeds and a first round bye with host privileges in the second round. Portland is making its fourth straight NCAA Playoff appearance and 11th overall since the 1988 season. The Pilots are 12-8-3 all-time in the playoffs, posting a 5-4-2 road record in tournament action. The 2004 Men’s College Cup semifinals and finals will be held in Carson, Calif., at the Home Depot Center on December 10 and 12.

FAMILIAR WITH THE FIELD: Eight of Portland’s 14 opponents in 2004 were the 48-team tournament field as the Pilots compiled a 4-6-1 record against those teams. The Pilots beat College of Charleston, Washington, Akron and Santa Clara once. Both San Francisco and Loyola Marymount defeated Portland twice, while South Carolina and Santa Clara were the other two losses and California accounted for the tie.

PILOTS LITTER ALL-WCC TEAMS: Sophomore goalkeeper Luis Robles and junior defender Josh Brown were named all-West Coast Conference first team selections, highlighting eight Pilots earning conference awards for the 2004 season. Freshman defender Michael Gavin claimed WCC Freshman of the Year honors in addition to honorable mention and all-freshmen team awards. A trio of juniors - forward Alejandro Salazar and midfielders Miguel Guante and Heath Pearce - were second team selections, while senior defender Paul Robinson and redshirt freshman midfielder Matthew Dallman joined Gavin as honorable mention picks.

UP RECORDS 22ND STRAIGHT .500 OR BETTER SEASON: At 12-7-2, Portland guarantees itself the 22nd consecutive year with a record at or above .500. The streak began with a 9-8-2 record in 1983 under head coach Mike Davis. Clive Charles took over for Davis in 1986 and continued the winning tradition through 2002 when Bill Irwin took the reigns. Since Portland began fielding a men’s soccer team in 1977 under head coach Dennis O’Meara, the Pilots have had just two seasons with sub-.500 records: 1978 at 11-12-2 and 1982 at 8-9-3.

ROBLES NABS WEEKLY HONORS: Sophomore goalie Luis Robles was named the WCC Player of the Week and also garnered national team of the week honors from College Soccer News and Soccer America after an impressive performance for the week ending Nov. 7. He became the first Pilot this season to earn national team of the week honors. The Sierra Vista, Ariz. native helped Portland to a 0-0 draw against No. 6 California, then led the Pilots to a 2-1 victory over No. 15 Santa Clara. Robles made seven saves, including three in the overtime periods, as Portland came away with a much-needed draw against the powerful Golden Bears. Then, after being spotted a 2-0 lead at halftime, Robles and the Pilot defense buckled down and held on for the win against Santa Clara. Robles faced 12 second-half shots by the Broncos, making six saves in the final 45 minutes.

SALAZAR DISTRIBUTING: Alejandro Salazar has taken on more of a playmaker’s role this season, evident by his team-leading eight assists. Salazar, the 2003 WCC Player of the Year, scored 10 goals last year to lead the league and had eight goals as a freshman, but he has moved into an attacking midfield position this year and has responded. The Portland native leads the team in both goals (7) and assists (8) for 22 total points.

DALLMAN DOING HIS PART: Redshirt freshman midfielder Matthew Dallman has scored five goals to go along with three assists this season. The Hood River, Ore. native has started the last 13 contests for the Pilots after providing a big early season spark off the bench. Dallman’s five goals are third-best on the Portland roster and he tallied his third assist of the year in UP’s first round victory over Washington.

FORMER DEFENDERS PROVIDE SCORING PUNCH: It took junior midfielder Heath Pearce 13 games to record his first goal of the season, but he now has four goals and five assists after making the transition from a two-year starting defender to attacking midfielder. Fellow junior Miguel Guante also started two years as an outside back and has matched Pearce’s production in the midfield with 13 points on four goals and five assists.

SALAZAR, PEARCE REACH MILESTONES: Juniors Alejandro Salazar and Heath Pearce have both reached statistical milestones. Salazar moved over the 60-point plateau for his career. His two goals against Washington give him 61 total points, tops on the Pilots active roster and 16th on UP’s career charts. Pearce’s assist against Saint Mary’s in the regular season finale was the 10th of his career. Both Pearce and Salazar also lead all current Pilots with 11 career assists.

ROBLES CLIMBING KEEPER CHARTS: Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Luis Robles has recorded seven clean sheets this season to crack Portland’s top 10 list for career shutouts. Robles’ 12 shutouts are tied for fifth most all-time, while his 1.16 goals-against average is seventh-best on the career charts. Pilot great Kasey Keller (1988-91) tops both lists with 43 shutouts and a 0.64 GAA.

SUCCESS AT HOME AND VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: Portland has had much success at Merlo Field and against ranked opposition this season, a main factor in receiving an at-large bid. The Pilots finished the year 6-3-0 on their home pitch and are 5-3-1 against ranked teams. A 2-1 win over No. 10 Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at Merlo Field was one of the biggest Pilot wins this year. In addition to the UW regular season victory, the Pilots defeated then-24th ranked UAB on the opening weekend as host of the Nike Portland Invitational and No. 30 Akron on Sept. 24 in Seattle. More recently, UP dealt No. 15 Santa Clara a 2-1 loss at Buck Shaw Stadium and tied No. 6 California, 0-0 before knocking off the 15th-ranked Huskies on the road in the first round.

MERLO GETS LIT: The Clive Charles Soccer Complex at the University of Portland officially celebrated the first major renovation with the construction of six lighting structures, permitting night games to be played at Harry A. Merlo Field for the 2004 season and beyond. Merlo Field, considered one of the finest collegiate soccer facilities in the nation, has hosted a combined 13 night events between the men’s and women’s soccer teams this fall.

STIFF COMPETITION: In addition to playing eight teams who earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Pilots played seven squads who are ranked in at least one of the final regular season national polls. Portland faced California (#6, Soccer America), San Francisco (#14, College Soccer News), Washington (#15, Soccer America), College of Charleston (#16, NSCAA), Santa Clara (#17, Soccer Times), South Carolina (#22, Soccer America) and UAB (#23, NSCAA) during the 2004 season.

NOT IN OUR HOUSE: With a 6-3-0 record on the Merlo Field pitch in 2004, Portland made it 27-of-28 years with a winning home record. The only time the Pilots finished under .500 at home was in 1998, when they finished 3-4-1, yet still finished with a quality 10-5-3 overall mark. The team’s all-time Merlo Field record is 96-27-7.

COMING UP NEXT: The winner of Tuesday’s match between Portland and New Mexico will move on and play the winner of fourth-seeded Virginia (17-4-0) and unseeded American (15-5-2) in an NCAA third round matchup. The game will be played on either November 27 or 28, at a time and location to be determined.