TicketsBearcats Drop Preseason Opener
Dayton tops UC, 1-0, in exhibition action
Contact: Shawn Sell
8/21/2004
Mike Vessells had four first half saves in Saturday's exhibition match at Dayton. |
DAYTON, Ohio---Mpoki Tenende?s penalty kick goal in the 59th minute proved to be the only score as Dayton defeated Cincinnati, 1-0 in men?s preseason soccer action on Saturday night at UD?s Baujan Field.
Tenende beat UC keeper John-Michael Boggs with 58:59 gone in the contest, after a UD teammate was fouled in the box. The Flyer junior fired a shot into the upper left of the goal, beating Boggs for the only score of the contest.
The match was evenly contested throughout, as each team recorded 10 shots. UC head coach Hylton Dayes used the exhibition match-up as an opportunity to test many of his newcomers, as a total of 18 Bearcats saw action in the match.
?Its always good to play outside competition,? said Dayes. ?I thought our guys competed well especially after we got down a goal. But I think we still have a lot of work to do to get ready for our season opener. I was pleased that we got to play a lot of guys, especially the young guys.?
Dayton had plenty of good scoring opportunities in the first 45 minutes of play, but UC sophomore goalie Mike Vessells came up big, registering four first half saves. The Flyers nearly dented the scoreboard in the fourth minute of play, when a UD shot beat Vessells. Luckily for the Bearcats, St. John?s transfer Ewan Blair was able to clear the ball off the goal line to save a Flyer goal. From there, Vessells came up with a handful of huge saves, many of the diving, spectacular variety in the first half.
The Bearcats got their first good look at a scoring opportunity with just under 10 minutes in the books on a shot by senior midfielder Jeremiah Gallegos. Gallegos, who appears to be fully recovered from a knee injury that slowed him much of last season, gathered in a cross from sophomore Mike Dwyer and fired a shot that was saved by UD keeper Steve Ladislaw.
UC had another nice chance to score just before the half when a shot by senior John Liersemann from the left of the box bounced off the cross bar. Just after the break, Gallegos nearly put the Bearcats on the board when he fired a shot from 25 yards out that Ladislaw gathered in.
Just under four minutes after Tenende?s goal, the Bearcats chance for a comeback slowed when they were forced to play a man down after sophomore Kwame Sarkodie was red carded following a collision with Dayton goalie Matt Troop.
As was the case with the shots, the balance of the statistics proved even. UC was whistled for 16 fouls, while Dayton picked up 13. Corner kicks saw the Bearcats with a slim 4-3 edge.
The Bearcats will be back in action, wrapping up the preseason against Wright St. at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (Aug. 25). The match-up, originally scheduled to be played at UC?s renovated Gettler Stadium, has been moved to Xavier University?s Soccer Complex. UC will then christen the new facility in the season-opener against IUPUI on Wednesday, Sept. 1.