TicketsOct. 28, 2005
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FOR STARTERS:
The of men's soccer team will close out the regular season with a trip to for a date with former Conference foe on Oct. 29. The Bearcats will be looking to secure a first-round bye in next week's BIG EAST Tournament. Kickoff between UC and USF is set for 7:30 p.m.
BEARCAT BITES:
Sophomore Kenny Anaba has scored a goal in eight of the last 10 matches.
UC has scored five goals in its last two matches after scoring just three in the four matches prior.
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 is tied for second place with in the competitive BIG EAST Red Division with 20 points. Former Conference foe has locked up the division title with 24 points.
Twelve different Bearcats have notched at least one point this season.
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP OUTLOOK:
With UC's win against DePaul on Oct. 26, the Bearcats secured at least a first-round home match in the BIG EAST Championship. A win against South Florida, coupled with a loss or tie against would give the Bearcats a first-round bye, which goes to the top two seeds in each division. A UC tie against USF, combined with a loss would also give the Bearcats the bye.
ABOUT THE BEARCATS:
(10-5-2, 5-2-2) earned its third straight win, topping DePaul, 2-1, in double overtime on Oct. 26. Kenny Anaba scored his ninth goal of the season in the 106th minute, giving UC its 10th win of 2005 and guaranteeing the Bearcats at least a first-round home match in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament. Anaba has now scored in eight of his last 10 matches. Mike Dwyer scored his third goal of the season, giving UC a 1-0 lead just before halftime.
UC has scored 27 goals this season, allowing just 19. The Bearcats are outshooting opponents, 262-187, 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 (9G, 3A) leads the squad with 21 points. Omar Cummings (7G, 6A) leads the team with six assists and is just behind Anaba with 20 points. Dwyer (3G, 3A) has posted nine points while Sam Miller (3G, 1A) has supplied seven points. Goalkeeper Mike Vessells has registered 58 saves, three shutouts, and a 1.14 goals against average this season.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his fifth season with the Bearcats. He is 45-35-16 during his tenure at UC and holds a 3-1-1 record against .
SCOUTING THE BULLS:
(10-5-0, 8-2-0) wrapped up the BIG EAST Red Division championship in its first season in the league. The Bulls have won four of their last five matches, including a 1-0 victory against then-No. 3 's on Oct. 15.
The Bulls are the second-highest scoring team in the BIG EAST, having tallied 31 goals in 15 matches this season. USF has outshot its opponents, 250-173, and has scored five goals via penalty kick.
BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Candidate Jordan Seabrook leads the USF offense. The freshman has scored 11 goals and added five assists for 27 points. He leads the BIG EAST in goals and stands second in scoring. Rodrigo is second in the conference with nine assists. Goalkeeper Dane Brenner has played every minute in goal for the Bulls this season, holding a 1.38 goals against average and posting three shutouts.
Head coach George Keifer holds a 38-25-5 overall record in his fourth season with USF. Keifer is 0-3-1 against the Bearcats.
UC-USF SERIES HISTORY:
Former Conference rivals, and have met 12 times, with the series deadlocked at 5-5-2. Last season, the Bearcats scored a 1-0 victory against then-No. 13 USF, handing the Bulls their first loss of 2004. The two teams first met in the 1995 regular season with UC earning a 2-1 win in . The squads have twice squared off in postseason conference action, splitting the matches. UC won, 3-2 in overtime, in 2002, while USF grabbed a 3-0 victory in the C-USA Tournament in 1995.
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 41 points. Only Seton Hall's Sacha Kljestan and Eliseo Giusfredi, who have combined for 52 points, top the Bearcat duo. The two-headed scoring attack of Anaba and Cummings has yielded 16 of UC's 27 goals and accounted for 128 of the Bearcats' 262 shots. Anaba currently ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in goals (9), while Cummings is sixth (7). Anaba is fifth in the conference with 21 points, while Cummings is sixth (20).
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 nine times thus far, including game-winners against Xavier (Sept. 28) Bowling Green (Oct. 19), and DePaul (Oct. 26). Anaba, who scored 40 goals as a senior in high school, has scored in eight of his last 10 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 sixth in the BIG EAST with 20 points (7G, 6A). Cummings leads the BIG EAST with 70 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 10 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 17 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 three assists and Ewan Blair has also added a helper, giving UC defenders eight 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 with 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 262 shots, second in the BIG EAST. By contrast, UC has limited opponents to just 187 shots, including 78 on goal. The Bearcats have posted double-digit shots in all but two matches this season, including five 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 (9G, 3A) leads the Bearcats and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST with 21 points. Junior transfer Omar Cummings (7G, 6A) is just behind Ababa with 20 points. Sophomores Amir Ikner (1G, 2A), Noah Davidson (1G, 1A), and Kevin Schrand (3A), have combined for two goals and six 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 17 matches for the Bearcats in 2005 and has yet to leave the field. He is the only Bearcat to play in each of the 1,588 minutes of action this season. After starting the final 11 matches of his freshman campaign, Ikner has played in 2,466 of a possible 2,621 minutes over the last 28 matches. The Bearcats are 15-9-4 and have given up just 28 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 16 of 17 matches, coming off the bench in the season-opener against , and has seen over 1,500 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.
MIGHTY MIKE:
Junior Mike Dwyer scored his first goal in 13 matches in UC's 2-1 double overtime win against DePaul on Oct. 26. The midfielder had not scored since a 4-3 overtime win against on Sept. 7. Dwyer (3G, 3A) is third on the team with nine points.
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 17 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. The midfielder tallied his first career assist on Senior Night (Oct. 26) against DePaul. 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 awaits the conclusion of the BIG EAST regular season and will at least host a first-round match in the BIG EAST Tournament, which begins on Nov. 2. The opponent is yet to be determined.