TicketsOct. 18, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
FOR STARTERS:
The of men's soccer team will try to use a non-conference road trip to in-state rival on Oct. 19 to return to its winning ways. The Bearcats, losers of three straight, and Falcons will kick off from Cochrane Field at 3 p.m.
BEARCAT BITES:
Sophomore Kenny Anaba has scored a goal in five of the last seven matches.
UC's 1-0 loss against No. 3 St. John's on Oct. 8 snapped its school record-tying seven match unbeaten streak.
Against , UC was shutout for just the second time this season.
After scoring 19 goals in its first 11 matches, UC has tallied just two in its last three (0-3-0).
UC sits in third place in the competitive BIG EAST Red Division with 14 points, seven points behind former Conference rival South Florida and three points back of preseason favorite .
Twelve different Bearcats have notched at least one point this season.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS:
(7-5-2, 4-2-2) dropped its second straight conference match, 2-1, at on Oct. 15. Despite outshooting the , 17-9, UC fell for the third straight match. scored twice in the first 6:32, jumping out to an early lead. UC fought back to within a goal after Sam Miller converted a penalty kick in the 67th minute, cutting the lead to 2-1.
UC has scored 21 goals this season, allowing 17, and is outshooting its opponents, 206-166. The Bearcats are third in the BIG EAST in shots and sixth in goals.
The Bearcats sport a balanced offensive attack with 12 different players scoring points and eight scoring goals. Six different Bearcats have accounted for game-winning goals this season. Sophomore Kenny Anaba leads the squad with six goals, while he and Omar Cummings (5G, 3A) have each accounted for 13 points. Miller has tallied three goals and one assist for seven points. Goalkeeper Mike Vessells has registered 51 saves, three shutouts, and a 1.17 goals against average this season.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his fifth season with the Bearcats. He is 42-35-16 during his tenure at UC. Dayes holds a 1-1-1 record against , posting a 6-0 victory against the Falcons last season.
UC-BOWLING GREEN SERIES HISTORY:
The Bearcats and Falcons have met seven times on the soccer field, with holding a commanding 5-1-1 edge. UC won last year's meeting, 6-0, at Gettler Stadium, but was winless in its first six matches against the Falcons. The two squads met for the first time in 1991, with earning a 2-0 home win.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS:
The Bowling Green Falcons enter Wednesday's match with a 2-12-1 overall record and a 0-5-0 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Falcons are coming off a 3-0 loss against the nation's No. 1-ranked team, , on Oct. 16.
has been outscored, 38-14, this season, but has gotten exceptional play from forward Omari Aldridge. Aldridge leads the squad with seven goals and two assists, accounting for 16 points. He is the team's leading shot producer (42) and tops the Falcons with 25 shots on goal. Paul Shoemaker has started 11 of 15 contests in goal for BG, holding a 2.17 goals against average and making 58 saves.
Second-year head coach Fred Thompson holds a 2-31-1 record during his time at .
UNDEFEATED, UNPRECEDENTED:
The Bearcats' 4-0-2 start in BIG EAST action this season marked the first time in the history of the program that UC had been undefeated six matches into the conference slate.
ALL THINGS MUST COME TO AN END:
Several streaks came to an end in the Bearcats' 1-0 loss against No. 3 St. John's. UC's seven-match unbeaten streak, which tied a school record set in 1999 and matched in 2003, was snapped by the Red Storm. The Bearcats had gone seven matches since last being shutout, a 1-0 loss to on Sept. 11. had been 4-0-0 in its last four matches against nationally-ranked opponents and had not lost in six BIG EAST matches this season. Sophomore forward Kenny Anaba had scored in four straight matches before being kept off the scoreboard by .
WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, KENNY:
Coming into the season, the question surrounding the Bearcats after losing the top four scorers from the 2004 sqaud was: Who will score the goals? Sophomore Kenny Anaba has stepped up, scoring six times thus far, including the game-winner against Xavier. The two-headed scoring attack of Anaba and Omar Cummings has yielded 11 of UC's 20 goals and accounted for 98 of the Bearcats' 206 shots. Anaba, who scored 40 goals as a senior in high school, has scored in five of his last seven matches.
SPREADING THE WEALTH:
has spread the scoring around this season. Through 14 matches, 12 different Bearcats have tallied at least one point. Eight different players have scored goals, with five notching their first career markers for UC. The Bearcats have recorded seven wins, and six different players have accounted for game-winning goals.
OFFENSIVE DEFENSE:
The Bearcats have gotten some offensive help from their backline through the first 14 matches of the season. UC defender Amir Ikner scored the game-winner against No. 18 Notre Dame. He has also posted two assists, accounting for four points. Fellow defender Kevin Schrand has added two assists and Ewan Blair has also added a helper, giving UC defenders seven points on the year.
BRINGING OUT THE BEST:
UC has played its best this season against its top competition. On Sept. 16, the Bearcats dropped No. 1 UConn from the ranks of the unbeaten win a 2-0 win at home. Just a week later, UC topped No. 18 Notre Dame on the road to stay unbeaten in BIG EAST play. On Oct. 8, despite playing a man down for the final 85 minutes of the match, the Bearcats hung with No. 3 St. John's, ultimately falling, 1-0.
OH MY, OMAR!:
Junior Omar Cummings earned BIG EAST and national honors on Sept. 20 after scoring both UC goals in the Bearcats' 2-0 win against No. 1 UConn on Sept. 16. Cummings earned Soccer America Player of the Week honors as well as being named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. The transfer from nearby leads UC with 13 points. He is second on the squad with five goals. Cummings ranks second in the BIG EAST with 50 shots.
FIRE AWAY:
UC has put pressure on opposing defenses and goalkeepers, as the Bearcats have attempted 206 shots, third in the BIG EAST. By contrast, UC has limited opponents to just 166 shots, including 69 on goal. The Bearcats have posted double-digit shots in all but two matches this season, including four matches with 20 or more attempts. UC has outshot its opponent in all but five matches this season.
IRON IKNER:
Sophomore defender Amir Ikner has started all 14 matches for the Bearcats in 2005 and has yet to leave the field. He and goalkeeper Mike Vessells are the only Bearcats to play in every one of the 1,303 minutes of action this season. After starting the final 11 matches of his freshman campaign, Ikner has played in 2,181 of a possible 2,336 minutes over the last 25 matches. The Bearcats are 12-9-4 and have given up just 26 goals in that span.
NEW FACES MAKING AN IMPACT:
Eight first or second-year Bearcats have scored points for UC this season. Junior transfer Omar Cummings (5G, 3A) and sophomore Kenny Anaba (6G, 1A) lead the Bearcats with 13 points apiece. Sophomores Amir Ikner (1G, 2A), Noah Davidson (1G, 1A), and Kevin Schrand (2A), have combined for two goals and five assists while true freshmen Dominic Oppong (1G) and Landry Gray (2A) have posted two points each.
SAM I AM:
Junior midfielder Sam Miller has been a steady force for the Bearcats in the midfield all season. He has started in 13 of 14 matches, coming off the bench in the season-opener against , and has seen over 1,200 minutes of action. Miller is third on the squad with three goals and has added an assist for seven points. The 2003 Conference USA All-Freshman Team honoree scored the game-winner against on Sept. 23 and netted UC's lone goal against on Sept. 18.
SOCCER EARNS FIRST BIG EAST WIN:
The men's soccer team became the first of athletic program to win a BIG EAST Conference game with its 4-3 victory at on Sept. 7.
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats will return to Gettler Stadium for a two-match homestand. UC will play host to Villanova on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on UC Vision. UC Vision can be seen at www.uc.edu/ucvision.