Rebels’ season comes to end in MPSF tourney

November 16, 2009 by Sean Jaramillo 

Rebels upset one but lose to top seed in final game

UNLV’s men’s soccer team came close to pulling off two upsets in as many days, but that dream was cast asunder with a 1-0 loss to eventual champion Sacramento State in extra time.

The Rebels held the top-seeded Hornets scoreless for 101 minutes, but Fernando Cabadas drove into the box and slipped the golden goal past goalkeeper Roland Swanson to win.

UNLV had multiple chances to grab the lead but were unable to capitalize on any of their eight shots on goal.

Offensively, UNLV held a 16-10 edge in the shot department and an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.

The Rebels started the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament with a victory over San Jose State in an offensive affair, winning 4-2.

The Spartans ended their season with a 9-10-1 record, two of those losses coming at the hands of UNLV.

UNLV blew the game open early on, as they scored three goals in the first 30 minutes of the game.

Stephen Sifuentes got the Rebels going in the seventh minute by stealing a pass inside the box and firing it into the net from seven feet away.

Nicholas DeLeon blasted a one-timer from 35 feet out in the 25th minute and Nick Marshall maneuvered through the Spartan defense to score the third goal in the 30th minute.

The final Rebel goal came from Roberto Farfan, who sent a shot into the net from the top of the box in the 70th minute.

With the Rebels leading 4-0, SJSU tried to mount a comeback. The Spartans managed two goals in 10 minutes, but time ran out on them.

UNLV’s season ended with an 8-7-4 record and earned their first winning season since 2002.

Marshall led the Rebels offensively the whole season, scoring eight goals and a team-high 19 points.

Sifuentes also managed eight goals and added 18 points of his own. Freshman Zach Kupfer was third in both in goals (5) and points (13).

Swanson played every minute of the season for the Rebels at goalkeeper. He managed six shutouts in what was his senior season.

UNLV can return Swanson and all the offensive leaders next season if they do not go into the MLS SuperDraft.