Oct. 17, 2007
KICKOFF:
The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will look to rebound from a disappointing, last-minute loss at Syracuse when it takes on Louisville on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at Cardinal Park. The Bearcats are 5-6-1 overall and 3-2-1 in league play and face a crucial match against a Cardinals team that holds an identical 3-2-1 mark in BIG EAST action.
BEARCAT BITES:
UC, in defense of its 2006 BIG EAST Red Division Championship, holds a 3-2-1 BIG EAST mark and sits in a fourth-place tie in the Red Division with 10 points.
The Bearcats are tied with Louisville at 10 points and face St. John's, USF and Villanova in its next three matches, all teams ahead of the Bearcats in the Red Division.
The Bearcats are 5-0-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 14-1.
UC senior Kenny Anaba earned a spot on the BIG EAST Honor Roll after scoring the game winner against No. 25 DePaul on Oct. 6.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his seventh season at UC, holding a 61-50-19 record with the Bearcats and a 157-135-38 mark as a head coach.
UC was picked to finish fourth in the Red Division in the BIG EAST preseason coaches poll.
Senior defender Amir Ikner was named to the preseason all-BIG EAST team after earning all-BIG EAST second team and NSCAA/adidas all-Great Lakes honors in 2006.
UC's eight-member recruiting class was ranked No. 26 by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
LAST TIME OUT:
UC dropped a 1-0 decision at Syracuse on Oct. 13 at the SU Soccer Complex. SU's Tom Perevegyencev scored in the 89th minute, snapping UC's two-match winning streak.
Cincinnati held a slight 13-12 edge in shots, but Syracuse had the only shot that mattered. Perevegyencev beat a pair of Bearcat defenders and fired a shot past UC goalkeeper Miguel Rosales for his fourth goal of the season.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS:
Louisville, ranked for the first time in school history, is currently No. 25 in the Soccer America poll.
The Cardinals have put together a 2-0-1 record against some of college soccer's elite in the last two weeks. UL defeated No. 12 USF on Oct. 6, topped No. 13 Indiana - whom they had never beaten in 15 meetings - and played to a 0-0 draw at St. John's.
Marco Terminesi is UL's leading scorer, posting six goals and two assists for 14 points.
Goalkeeper David Simolike holds a 0.73 goals against average and has posted five shutouts in 12 matches this season.
Head coach Ken Lolla is 12-14-4 in his second season with the Cardinals.
CINCINNATI-LOUISVILLE SERIES HISTORY:
UC is 21-9-2 against Louisville all-time and has won the last three meetings by a combined 12-3 score.
CINCINNATI STATE CONNECTION:
Patrick Baxter and Scott Stockum, both former Cincinnati State standouts, have made the transition to Division I soccer look easy. Baxter, a senior, was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on the CollegeSoccerNews.com National Team of the Week on Sept. 24 after scoring three goals and adding an assist in UC's weekend sweep of Georgetown and Seton Hall. Stockum, a junior, is third on the team with six points, posting two goals and three assists in 10 matches this season. The pair followed an all-time Bearcat great from Cincinnati State, Omar Cummings, who earned a pair of unanimous all-BIG EAST first-team honors and the first first-team all-America award in UC men's soccer history in 2006.
FRESH FACE IN GOAL:
Freshman goalkeeper Miguel Rosales has started all but the first match of the season in goal for the Bearcats, posting his first career shutout against Xavier on Sept. 13. A two-time Colorado Player of the Year as a prep star at Smoky Hill High School, Rosales has posted 44 saves and a 0.80 goals against average. He was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 24 and has allowed just six goals in his last nine matches, leading the Bearcats to a 5-3-1 mark over that span.
FROM THE RANKS:
UC is 1-1-1 this season against ranked teams. UC defeated No. 25 DePaul, 1-0, on Oct. 6 and played No. 2 Notre Dame to a 1-1 draw in South Bend on Sept. 28. The Bearcats dropped a 1-0 decision at No. 24 New Mexico on Sept. 9.
ANABA AT IT AGAIN:
Senior forward Kenny Anaba scored a pair of goals in UC's season opener on Aug. 31. He added two more against Xavier on Sept. 13. The team's leading goal-scorer each of the last two seasons, Anaba is ascending the career records list at UC. With his seven goals this season, Anaba is eighth in school history with 23 tallies. He is also eighth with 58 career points (23 G, 12 A).
A HELPING HAND:
Lionel Jackson has posted a career-best six assists through the first 12 matches of the 2007 campaign. The Bearcats' primary weapon on corner kicks and set pieces, the junior left back leads the squad in helpers and ranks third in the BIG EAST.
CENTERS OF ATTENTION:
UC's pair of center backs, senior Amir Ikner and junior Brad Simpson, form one of the top defensive duos in the BIG EAST. Ikner, a preseason all-BIG EAST selection, has scored one goal and added a pair of assists while Simpson is fifth on the team with five points (1G, 3A). Simpson scored the goal in UC's 1-1 draw at No. 2 Notre Dame. The pair have helped the Bearcats to a 0.78 goals against average and two shutouts in conference play.
NEXT UP:
The Bearcats return home to take on St. John's on Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. It is "Pack the House" Night at Gettler Stadium as the Bearcats attempt to break the attendance record (1,289) set earlier this season against Georgetown.