Ben Ashwill finished with a game-high two goals and Andrew Webber tallied his fifth shutout of the season to lead New Mexico to a 3-0 win over the Sacramento State men’s soccer team, Sunday afternoon at the UNM Soccer Complex. Despite the loss, the Hornet earned their third-consecutive MPSF Tournament bid due to losses by Air Force and Denver over the weekend.The Hornets, who currently sit fourth in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, finish the 2003 season with a 5-10-1 overall record and a 2-3-1 mark in the MPSF. The Lobos improved their record to 6-8-3, 3-2.
Lance Watson scored the contest’s first goal in the 31st minute on an assist by Jeff Rowland. Ashwill added two more goals in the 36th and 59th minute, respectively, to put the game out of reach.
Webber notched his 16th career shutout after collecting five saves. Senior goalkeeper Jeff Gibson also tallied five saves to lead the Hornets.
Sacramento State will await the final weekend of MPSF play to determine what seed they will receive in the postseason. Six of the seven teams reach the MPSF tournament, on Nov. 13-16 at Hornet Soccer Field, with the top two teams receiving a first-round bye.
San Jose State captured the No. 1 seed with a 5-1 record (15 points). UNLV (3-3, nine points) and Sacramento State (2-3-1, seven points) also completed their conference schedule. New Mexico, currently tied for second with UNLV, can secure the No. 2 seed with a win against San Diego State this weekend. The Aztecs (who are fifth with a record of 1-1-2) will also play against Air Force (1-3) this weekend. Denver, who sit in the sixth spot with a 1-3-1 record, faces Air Force on Sunday, Nov. 9.
The MPSF standings (as of Nov. 2) are as follows:
1. San Jose State 5-1 (15)^
T2. New Mexico 3-2 (9)*^
UNLV 3-3 (9)^
4. Sacramento State 2-3-1 (7)^
5. San Diego State 1-1-2 (5)*
6. Denver 1-3-1 (4)*
7. Air Force 1-3 (3)*
* - denotes teams with conference games remaining
^- denotes teams that have qualified for the MPSF Tournament
