Tickets2004 Season In Review
Bearcats finish 5-3-1 in conference play
Contact: Jeremy Martin
12/8/2004
Senior Wiremu Patrick led the Bearcats with eight goals and 20 points in 2004 |
The University of Cincinnati men?s soccer team played one of the toughest schedules in the nation in 2004, fielding a young team that started only three seniors. That sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the Bearcats fought back from a slew of heartbreaking early-season defeats to finish the season with a 7-10-2 overall record and a third place finish in Conference USA.
Heavy Losses
After losing seven starters and nine letterwinners from a 2003 NCAA Tournament squad, the Bearcats knew they were in for an uphill climb. Gone was 2003 MLS draftee Josh Gardner, the team?s leading scorer. The next two top scorers, Tim Brown and Justin Lewis, were gone as well. The greatest goalkeeper in school history, John Adams, was lost to graduation. A solid core of returners along the frontline, along with a group of hard-working newcomers would help to keep UC?s visions of back-to-back regular season conference titles intact.
Senior forwards Wiremu Patrick and Jeremiah Gallegos combined with junior transfer Jeff Hughes to create one of the most formidable attacking units in the league. Senior John Liersemann controlled the midfield, while another pair of newcomers made themselves known along the backline. Junior Ewan Blair, a transfer from 2003 national runner-up St. John?s, and freshman Amir Ikner helped the Bearcats to the second-lowest goals against average in the conference. Sophomore Mike Vessells continued the Bearcats string of extraordinary goalkeeping, earning all-conference accolades.
The Bearcats' New Home
On Sept. 16, UC played its first match in the newly renovated Gettler Stadium. The stadium, part of the Richard E. Lindner Varsity Village, features an official size soccer field with FieldTurf Pro playing surface, an eight-lane, 400 meter track, permanent grandstands with seating for 1,400 patrons, concession stands and restrooms, a pressbox, scoreboard with message center, and lights.
Missed Opportunities
After a season-opening loss against IUPUI, UC played in the competitive Nike Soccer Classic in St. Louis, Mo. In game one, the Bearcats squared off against Virginia, a team that would finish the season as the ACC Tournament Champion and advance to the round of eight in the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats fell, 1-0. Southern Methodist, a team ranked as high as No. 2 in some polls during the season, would then top UC, 3-2. After some home cooking got the Bearcats back on the right track with a 2-1 victory against 2003 NCAA participant Bradley, Cincinnati dropped its next two matches. UC was held scoreless by a stingy Oakland defense in a 1-0 road loss. The Bearcats then fell, 1-0, at cross-town rival Xavier, outshooting the Musketeers, 21-11. After the first six matches of the season, the Bearcats sat at 1-5-0. With Conference USA play looming, the Bearcats needed to right the ship in a hurry.
Starting a Run
The Bearcats were a different team once the Conference USA season began, finishing with a 5-3-1 record in conference play. Cincinnati defeated nationally-ranked conference opponents in back-to-back matches, dropping No. 9 USF from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 1-0 victory at Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats then traveled to Saint Louis, a site at which they hadn?t won in nine previous trips. Cincinnati came away with a 1-0 win against the Billikins, ranked No. 21 in the nation. Defense was the reason for the turnaround. The Bearcats allowed only seven goals in nine conference matches, shutting out four C-USA foes. Goalkeeper Mike Vessells was honored in back-to-back weeks as the conference?s defensive player of the week, posting shutouts in three straight matches and four of five over a two week span.
Conference USA and Beyond
Cincinnati finished third in the conference, earning the third seed in the conference tournament, held in Louisville. A heartbreaking 2-0 loss to Charlotte, a team the Bearcats had defeated, 3-0, in the regular season, ended a successful 2004 season for UC. Coupled with the success the program enjoyed in 2003, the 2004 version of UC soccer provided fair warning to all members of the Big East that the Bearcats will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Postseason Awards Roll In
Six UC players were named to All-Conference USA teams following the 2004 season. The Bearcats had three players selected to the second team, two on the third team and one all-freshman team honoree.
Seniors Wiremu Patrick and John Liersemann earned second team honors, along with junior Jeff Hughes. Patrick led the Bearcats in scoring with eight goals and 20 points. Liersemann led the team in assists with six, ranking fifth in Conference USA. Hughes was the Bearcats' second-leading scorer this season, netting seven goals and 16 points.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mike Vessells and junior defender Ewan Blair each earned third-team honors after leading the UC defense to a second-place C-USA ranking. Vessells was twice named C-USA defensive player of the week and ranks in the top four in four goalkeeping categories.
Freshman defender Amir Ikner was named to the all-freshman team. Ikner started the final 10 matches of the regular season, helping the Bearcats to a 5-3-2 record over that span, including a six-match unbeaten streak.
The six all-conference honorees matches the school-record total, set in 1999 and matched last season.
Junior midfielder Matt Hayden was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team. Hayden, a finance major, holds a 3.816 GPA. This is his second All-District selection, earning academic accolades in 2002. He was one of just two juniors selected to the team. Hayden started 18 of 19 matches in the midfield, scoring his lone goal against No. 24 SMU and adding an assist against Charlotte.
Patrick & Liersemann Make Their Mark
Seniors Wiremu Patrick and John Liersemann each made their respective marks on the UC career record books in 2004. Patrick appears on all three career scoring lists, ranking fifth in points (70), tied for fifth with 28 goals, and tied for seventh with 14 assists.
Liersemann, who recorded six assists in 2004, wrapped up his career with 16, good for fifth in school history.