TicketsSept. 19, 2006
UC FACES STATE IN MIDDLE OF FIVE-MATCH HOMESTAND:
The of men's soccer team will take on non-conference foe on Wednesday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. in Gettler Stadium. The Bearcats are coming off a pair of BIG EAST wins over the weekend and look to keep that momentum going against their in-state opponent. CSU comes to after a 2-1 win at on Sunday. The Vikings are 3-4-1 in their first season under Ali Kazemaini, who took over a program that won a total of 11 matches over the last three seasons.
BEARCAT BITES:
The Bearcats are 4-3-1 overall and evened their BIG EAST record at 2-2-0 with a pair of conference wins last weekend. On Friday, UC routed , 3-1, and the Bearcats came back with a 2-1 win against No. 12 Notre Dame on Sunday.
Kenny Anaba earned BIG EAST and national honors after scoring a goal and notching three assists over the weekend. Anaba, a third team All-BIG EAST selection in 2005, knocked in the game-tying goal against No. 12 Notre Dame on Sunday and assisted on Noah Davidson's game winner. On Friday, he posted a pair of assists, including setting up Omar Cummings for his game-winner against .
Cummings had a hand in every goal against , tallying a pair of scores, including the game-winner, and adding an assist on the final goal.
Freshman Marcus Hairston scored his first career goal against , giving UC a 3-0 lead.
After scoring just five goals through the first six matches of the season, UC matched that total over the weekend with three against and a pair against Notre Dame.
UC was picked to finish third in the Red Division in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll.
Cummings has been named the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year as well as preseason All-BIG EAST and College Soccer News Preseason All-American.
The UC 2006 recruiting class was ranked No. 38 by College Soccer News.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bearcats holding a 49-40-17 mark.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS:
is 3-4-1 this season after a road win at on Sunday, Sept. 17. The Vikings are looking to turn around a 0-17-1 season in 2005.
Andrew Gutting and David Stewart are CSU's most capable scoring options. Gutting leads the squad and the Horizon League with six assists, while Stewart has tallied three goals on the season. Goalkeeper Kasey Gray has given up just six goals in his five starts this season, making 24 saves and posting a shutout.
First-year head coach Ali Kazemaini, a former standout at in the early 1980's, returns to his alma mater after 14 seasons at in . He played for the hometown Cleveland Force of the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984-88, earning league Rookie of the Year honors in 1984, and had stints with four other teams in the league.
SERIES HISTORY:
In a series that dates back to 1974, holds a 6-3-0 edge. The Vikings dominated the early years of the rivalry, taking the first five matches by a combined 21-4 score. UC has won three of the last four meetings, however. CSU owns a 3-2-0 mark against UC in .
DAYES vs. KAZEMAINI:
This is not the first head-to-head matchup for the two head coaches. While Hylton Dayes was a four-time All-American defender at , Ali Kazemaini was etching his name in the record books. The two met on the Krezler Field pitch on Sept. 21, 1982. Dayes spent time marking Kazemaini, but Ali had the last laugh as his goal at the 22:58 mark led CSU to a 1-0 win against Dayes' Raiders.
THE RETURN OF THE MIKE:
Senior midfielder Mike Dwyer returned to the lineup on Friday against and instantly made an impact. Dwyer, who missed the previous four matches recovering from off-season hernia surgery, started at the wide midfield position and recorded his first assist of the season on the first goal of the match.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME:
Freshman midfielder Marcus Hairston scored his first career goal against on Friday, helping UC to a 3-1 win. Hairston has been a productive rookie for the Bearcats this season, improving with each match played. As one of the first subs off the UC bench, he affords the coaching staff the luxury of a speedy, crafty wing player that can put pressure on opposing defenses.
UP NEXT:
The Bearcats continue a five-match homestand with a BIG EAST matchup against on Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m.