TicketsOct. 25, 2005
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FOR STARTERS:
The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will try to wrap up at least a first-round home match in theBIG EAST Tournament when it plays host to former Conference USA foe DePaul on Oct. 26. In the final home match for the Bearcats, UC will honor its three seniors prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff. The match will be webcast live by UCVision beginning at approximately 6:45 p.m.
BEARCAT BITES:
Sophomore Kenny Anaba has scored a goal in seven of the last nine matches.
UC scored three goals or more for the second time this season against Villanova.
UC's 1-0 loss against No. 3 St. John's on Oct. 8 snapped its school record-tying seven match unbeaten streak.
Omar Cummings scored twice against Villanova and added an assist, earning a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll for the week ending on Oct. 23.
UC sits in third place in the competitive BIG EAST Red Division with 17 points, four 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.
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP OUTLOOK:
With a win against DePaul, the Bearcats will lock up at least a third seed in the Red Division, meaning they will at least host a first-round match in the BIG EAST Championship at Gettler Stadium. BIG EAST first round action will beheld on campus sites on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3. UC is still in the running for a first-round bye, which goes to the top two seeds in the division. The Bearcats would have to win out and get some help to knock South Florida and/or from the top two spots.
SOCCER VIDEO LIVE ON WEB:
UCVision will produce a live webcast of the men's soccer match on Oct. 26 vs. DePaul. Prior to the match, UCVision will broadcast the Senior Day ceremonies beginning approximately 15 minutes prior to kickoff. UCVision is a subscription service available at www.uc.edu/ucvision.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS:
(9-5-2, 5-2-2) won its second straight match, topping Villanova, 3-1, on Oct. 22 at Gettler Stadium. Omar Cummings scored twice for UC, including his third game-winner of the season. Kenny Anaba posted a goal for the seventh time in his last nine matches and also assisted on both of Cummings' goals. Mike Vessells made three saves to record his eighth win of the year.
UC has scored 25 goals this season, allowing just 18. The Bearcats are outshooting opponents, 244-180, and have posted double-digit shots in all but two matches this season, surpassing the 20-shot mark five times.
sports 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. Anaba (8G, 3A) and Cummings (7G, 5A) lead the squad with 19 points apiece. Sam Miller (3G, 1A) and Mike Dwyer (2G, 3A) have each supplied seven points. Goalkeeper Mike Vessells has registered 54 saves, three shutouts, and a 1.16 goals against average this season.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his fifth season with the Bearcats. He is 44-35-16 during his tenure at UC and holds a 1-1-2 record against DePaul.
SCOUTING THE BLUE DEMONS:
DePaul (3-9-2, 1-6-1) enters the match with just one win in its last 10 matches (1-8-1). The Blue Demons dropped a 1-0 decision at on Oct. 22 to run its losing streak to four. Picked to finish last in the BIG EAST Red Division, DePaul sits in eighth place, four points behind .
DePaul has been outscored, 24-14, this season and outshot, 192-138. The Blue Demons are led by Adam Hermsen, who has scored four goals and added an assist for nine points. Jeff DeGroot (3G), Anthony Minniti (3G) and Luke Rojo (2G, 2A) have each posted six points for the Blue Demons. Goalkeeper Brian Visser has played in all but 90 minutes this year, holding a 1.51 goals against average and posting three shutouts.
Former Xavier goalkeeper Craig Blazer holds a 25-56-9 record in his fifth season as DePaul's head coach. He is 1-1-2 against during his tenure.
UC-DE PAUL SERIES HISTORY:
Former Conference and Great Midwest Conference rivals, and DePaul have met 20 times on the soccer field. The Bearcats hold an 11-6-3 record against DPU, but have won just once in the last four seasons. In 2004, UC played DePaul to a 1-1 tie at Wish Field in .
DYNAMIC DUO:
Forwards Kenny Anaba and Omar Cummings have become one of the most lethal pairs of scorers in the BIG EAST this season, combining for 38 points. Only Seton Hall's Sacha Kljestan and Eliseo Giusfredi, who have combined for 49 points, top the Bearcat duo. The two-headed scoring attack of Anaba and Cummings has yielded 15 of UC's 25 goals and accounted for 118 of the Bearcats' 244 shots. Anaba currently ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in goals (8), while Cummings is sixth (7). The pair of strikers are tied for fifth in the conference in points (19).
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 eight times thus far, including game-winners against Xavier (Sept. 28) and Bowling Green (Oct. 19). Anaba, who scored 40 goals as a senior in high school, has scored in seven of his last nine matches.
OH MY, OMAR!:
Junior Omar Cummings earned BIG EAST Honor Roll recognition after scoring two goals and handing out two assists during the week ending on Oct. 23, leading the Bearcats to two wins. Cummings earned conference 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 is fifth in the BIG EAST with 19 points (7G, 5A). Cummings leads the BIG EAST with 64 shots.
SPREADING THE WEALTH:
Though Kenny Anaba and Omar Cummings are the primary scorers, has spread the points around this season. Through 16 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 nine 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.
FIRE AT WILL:
UC has put pressure on opposing defenses and goalkeepers, as the Bearcats have attempted 223 shots, third in the BIG EAST. By contrast, UC has limited opponents to just 168 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.
NEW FACES MAKING AN IMPACT:
Eight first or second-year Bearcats have scored points for UC this season. Sophomore Kenny Anaba (8G, 3A) and junior transfer Omar Cummings (7G, 5A) lead the Bearcats and rank fifth in the BIG EAST with 19 points. 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.
IRON IKNER:
Sophomore defender Amir Ikner has started all 16 matches for the Bearcats in 2005 and has yet to leave the field. He is the only Bearcat to play in each of the 1,483 minutes of action this season. After starting the final 11 matches of his freshman campaign, Ikner has played in 2,361 of a possible 2,516 minutes over the last 27 matches. The Bearcats are 14-9-4 and have given up just 27 goals in that span. A Conference USA All-Freshman honoree in 2004, Ikner has one goal and two assists this season for four points.
SAM I AM:
Junior midfielder Sam Miller has been a steady force for the Bearcats in the midfield all season. He has started in 15 of 16 matches, coming off the bench in the season-opener against , and has seen over 1,400 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.
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.
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.
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 .
MUCH MORELLI:
Fifth-year senior Tony Morelli has played in all 16 matches this season for the Bearcats. The former walk-on scored the first two goals of his career in the BIG EAST opener against on Sept. 7. His second tally was an overtime game-winner. Prior to this season, Morelli had played in 14 contests, making four starts. He had managed four shots in the first three years of his career. He has surpassed that total with 13 attempts in 2005.
UP NEXT:
UC will hit the road for its final regular season match against former Conference rival and current BIG EAST Red Division leader on Oct. 29. The Bearcats and Bulls will kick off from USF Soccer Stadium at 7:30 p.m.