TicketsOct. 5, 2006
BEARCATS LOOK FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT AGAINST PRESEASON BIG EAST FAVORITE USF:
The No. 15 University of Cincinnati men's soccer team, winner of six straight, returns home for a date with preseason BIG EAST Red Division favorite USF on Saturday, Oct. 7. The Bearcats (8-3-1/5-2-0) lead the Red Division by four points over both USF and . The match, which kicks off at 7 p.m. in Gettler Stadium, is part of the Bearcats Sports Festival and Soccer Alumni Weekend. Fans attending the UC-Akron football game can get tickets to the soccer match for just $1 per person by presenting their football ticket stub at the gate.
BEARCAT BITES:
The Bearcats are 8-3-1 overall and lead the BIG EAST Red Division with a 5-2-0 mark. UC is riding a school-record six-match winning streak after defeating No. 17 St. John's, 2-1, on Saturday night in .
UC has outscored its opponents, 16-4, during its six-match winning streak and has outshot its foes, 117-60.
After scoring just five goals in its first six matches, UC has more than tripled that total (16) in its last six.
Omar Cummings has recorded a point in six of his last seven matches after scoring the game-tying goal and assisting on the game-winner against . Cummings currently leads the nation with nine assists and is third in the BIG EAST with 19 points (5 goals, 9 assists).
Kenny Anaba scored the game-winner, his third of the season, against . He has scored five goals and added four assists for 14 points this season.
Goalkeeper Mike Vessells posted his fourth shutout of the season against and moved into third on UC's all-time list with his 12th career clean sheet. He has lowered his goals against average to 1.12 on the season by posting a 0.51 GAA over the last six matches.
Brad Simpson was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the Soccer America National Team of the Week after helping UC to a 2-0 week with wins against (3-0) and (2-1). He assisted on the game-winner against . Cummings and Vessells each earned spots on the BIG EAST Honor Roll. Cummings was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
13 different Bearcats have recorded points for UC this season.
UC was picked to finish third in the Red Division in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll.
Cummings was 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 nationally by College Soccer News.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his sixth season at the helm of the Bearcats, holding a 53-40-17 mark. He will be looking for his 150th career victory against USF.
NOTING THE 'S WIN:
The Bearcats evened the series record against , 1-1-0
UC handed the Red Storm their second loss at Belson Stadium this season, the first time in the history of the program that has lost more than once on its home turf.
St. John's lost for just the 12th (108-12-21) time at home since Dave Masur took over as head coach in 1991 and just the fifth time (30-5-9) since Belson Stadium was constructed in 2002.
SCOUTING THE BULLS:
The USF Bulls snapped a two-match losing streak and earned their first home win of the season with a 1-0 overtime victory against Florida Atlantic on Wednesday night. USF is 6-4-2 overall and 3-2-2 in league play, four points behind in the Red Division.
The Bulls are lead by 2005 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Jordan Seabrook and Hermann Trophy cadidate Rodrigo . Seabrook has scored four goals and added a pair of assists for 10 points, while has also netted four goals with one assist for nine points. Goalkeeper Dane Brenner holds a 0.80 goals against average and has posted five shutouts this season.
Head coach George Kiefer is in his fifth season at USF, holding a 46-30-9 record during his tenure. Kiefer led the Bulls to a BIG EAST Red Division Championship in the squad's first year in the league in 2005. He is just 1-3-1 against .
UC-USF SERIES HISTORY:
Former Conference foes, the Bearcats and Bulls are familiar enemies. The two teams have met on 13 occasions, with USF holding a slim 6-5-2 series lead. The Bulls topped UC, 2-1 in double overtime, last season, snapping a four-match series unbeaten string for the Bearcats. In 2004, UC downed then-No. 13 USF, 1-0, sending the Bulls to their first loss of the season.
BEARCATS IN THE POLLS:
The Bearcats earned a spot in a pair of national polls this week after running their winning streak to six with a 2-1 victory at No. 17 St. John's. UC is currently ranked No. 15 in the Soccer America poll and is No. 25 according to College Soccer News. The Bearcats are receiving votes in the Soccer Times poll and are ranked sixth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Great Lakes Region.
CUMMINGS AND GOINGS:
Omar Cummings has done nothing to hurt his preseason hype. The Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and College Soccer News All-American leads the nation with nine assists and has recorded a point in six of his last seven matches. After posting a goal and four assists in helping UC to a pair of conference wins, Cimmings was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll and earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. In just over a season and a half, Cummings has already made his mark in the UC record books. He is tied for fifth in school history with 16 career assists and is just outside the top 10 with 40 career points in 31 matches.
VESSELLS MOVES UP THE CHART:
Senior goalkeeper Mike Vessells continues his ascent up the career shutouts list at UC. With four clean sheets this season, Vessells now has 12 career shutouts, which is good for third on the career list. He has lowered his goals against average to 1.12 by posting a 0.51 GAA over the last six matches. Taking away the 6-0 loss against No. 2 SMU earlier this season, Vessells' goals against average would be 0.68, which would lead the BIG EAST by over 0.10.
ANABA HEATING UP AGAIN:
It was about this time last season that Kenny Anaba began to score almost at will. As a sophomore in 2005, Anaba scored nine goals, including a stretch in which he tallied a marker in four straight and eight of 10 matches. This season, the junior forward started slow, but has again picked up the pace. He has scored in four of his last five and has recorded a point in five of six. In his last six matches, Anaba has posted four goals and added four assists for 12 points.
HELPING ONE ANOTHER OUT:
The Bearcats currently lead the BIG EAST in assists with 26 helpers. Omar Cummings leads the team and the nation with nine, while Kenny Anaba has recorded four and Lionel Jackson three. Nine different Bearcats have assisted on goals this season and seven have recorded more than one assist.
GETTLER STADIUM DOMINANCE:
The Bearcats are 6-0-0 when playing in the friendly confines of Gettler Stadium this season. UC has outscored its opponents, 16-3, in those six contests.
UP NEXT:
UC hits the road for a mid-week non-conference matchup at on Oct. 11. UC's final non-conference match of the season will kick off at 4 p.m. at the OU Soccer Field.