Aug. 29, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Briefly
After a tumultuous 2007 season, LMU makes its long-awaited return to the field with a renewed sense of purpose in 2008. The Lions will be tested straight out of the gates, facing six ranked opponents in their first six games. The season kicks off this weekend with the LMU Fall Classic at Sullivan Field, featuring LMU, San Diego, New Mexico, and Saint Louis. LMU will face New Mexico in the second game on Friday before taking on Saint Louis on Sunday. All four tournament games will be available on Gametracker with both of LMU's contests broadcast live via internet radio.

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. 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 will be available to download soon at www.LMULions.com. This is the only source of copies of the guide.

Home Opener is Team LMU Day
Friday's season opener against New Mexico will be the first of four "Team LMU" days around the Westchester campus for men's soccer. "Team LMU" was created to generate awareness and excitement for LMU sporting events on game days. Staff and students are encouraged to wear LMU gear on designated "Team LMU" days and to attend the games. Friday's "Team LMU" game is sponsored by LMU Connect and will feature a free halftime barbecue for students presented by Campus Ministries.

About the LMU Fall Classic
Now in its fifth season, the LMU Fall Classic returns to the schedule after a four-year hiatus. First held in 2000, the tournament has showcased some of the top teams in the nation, having included at least one ranked team in four of the five years. LMU has had great success in its home tournament, having gone 5-2-1 all-time at the LMU Fall Classic, including victories over three ranked foes.

About New Mexico (RV NSCAA, #10 Top Drawer, #24 Soccertimes, #19 College Soccer News)
New Mexico opens the 2008 season ranked in three of the four major collegiate soccer polls. The Lobos are listed as high as tenth by Top Drawer Soccer after finishing the 2007 campaign with a 12-5-2 record. UNM won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with a 7-1-2 mark, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Head Coach Jeremy Fishbein is in his seventh season in Albuquerque, where he has compiled a record of 87-25-13. He has a 16-year coaching record of 183-85-23. The Lobos return 14 letterwinners and eight starters.
This will be the fifth meeting between the Lions and Lobos, the first at Sullivan Field. UNM won the first three match-ups on neutral turf but LMU got its first victory in the series by knocking off the then-#17 ranked Lobos 1-0 in Albuquerque last season.

About Saint Louis (#19 NSCAA, #12 TD, #11 SoccerTimes, #8 College Soccer News)
Saint Louis finds itself ranked in all the major polls, attaining its highest placing at #8 by College Soccer News. The Billikens are coming off a 2007 season that saw them go 12-2-5 overall and 8-1-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, good enough for the regular season title. SLU advanced to its 44th NCAA Tournament appearance but was eliminated on penalty by another of LMU's opponents in 2008, Illinois-Chicago.
Dan Donigan enters his eighth year at Saint Louis, where he has a record of 91-30-18. The Billikens return nine starters and 17 letterwinners.
LMU and Saint Louis met for the first time last season when the Lions traveled to the Midwest. The teams held each other scoreless for 88 minutes before the Billikens grabbed the game-winner with 1:20 remaining.

About San Diego
San Diego makes the short trip up the coast to the LMU Fall Classic having been picked to finish second in the 2008 West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Toreros were 11-8-1 in 2007 and 8-3-1 in conference play.
Now in his 30th season at San Diego, Head Coach Seamus McFadden is closing in on 300 career victories with a record of 294-210-12.
LMU and USD will play their traditional home-and-home series at the end of October. The Lions host the Toreros at Sullivan Field on October 23, then turn around and play at USD on October 26.

Top-Ranked Opponents Await Lions in 2008
There will be no shortage of quality games for LMU in 2008 as the Lions have scheduled nine opponents who appeared in the 2007 postseason and have eight games against teams that were featured in the preseason rankings. The Lions will have to start strong as each of their first six games is against a ranked team. The good news is that of the eight games against the top-25, six will be at Sullivan Field.

LMU in Home Openers
Under Paul Krumpe, LMU is 4-5-1 in season openers and 4-6-0 in home openers.

LMU against Ranked Opponents
LMU is 22-29-4 all-time against ranked foes but has done well recently, defeating at least two top-25 squads each season since 2001. In that time frame, the Lions are 20-20-1 against the top opponents, with 15 of those victories coming at home. Last season, the Lions were a bit of an anomaly, with all three of their victories coming against top-25 opponents as they defeated #17 New Mexico, #7 Harvard, and #23 Gonzaga, with the latter two coming at home.

Introducing the New Sullivan Field
LMU's home field could be its own version of Extreme Home Makeover. Over the summer, Sullivan Field received brand new sod that should hold up better to the rigors of practices, games, and rain. Fans will also notice that the playing surface has shifted. The field was moved about 30 yards to the south to make room for a brand-new facility adjacent to Gersten Pavilion that will hold four locker rooms, a weight facility, two conference rooms, and offices. The facility is set to be completed in May 2009. In the meantime, fans can enjoy the expanded seating area at Sullivan Field, where new bleachers have been installed at midfield.

New Season, New Faces
With the sting of 2007 fresh in their minds, the Lions are looking to the future to avoid a similar downturn in the upcoming seasons. Coach Krumpe and his staff have signed 12 new players who will join the squad in 2008, with an eye towards the offensive. Strikers Phil Da Silva (USL Super Y League National Team), Arthur Jozkowicz (CIF-SS First Team Division IV), and Tyler Krumpe (CIF-SS Division II Offensive Player of the Year) will join the mix up front.
Midfielders Fernando Barba (CIF-SS First Team Division IV), Alex Greenman (two-time First Team All-Centennial League), Kyle Johanson (2007 NSCAA High School All-America), Logan McDaniel (CIF-SS First Team), Juan Guadarrama (Santa Ana, CA), and Scott Leon Guerrero (Tamuning, Guam) will add depth and creativity to the Lions. The defense will also be represented with a pair of 2008 CIF-SS Defensive Players of the Year in Adam Jackson (Division II) and Roger Downes (Division I). Goalie Max Young completes the 2008 recruiting class.