TicketsOct. 19, 2007
KICKOFF:
The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will look to get back on the winning track and stay unbeaten at home when it welcomes perennial power and defending BIG EAST Tournament champions St. John's to Gettler Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 20. The Bearcats have dropped their last two contests, both on the road, both by 1-0 scores and both in the final minutes. UC is 5-0 this season at Gettler Stadium.
BEARCAT BITES:
UC, in defense of its 2006 BIG EAST Red Division Championship, holds a 3-3-1 BIG EAST mark and sits in fifth place in the Red Division with 10 points.
The Bearcats trail St. John's by one point in the division race and face USF (13 points) and Villanova (12 points) in its next two matches, both teams ahead of the Bearcats in the Red Division.
The Bearcats are 5-0-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 14-1.
Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his seventh season at UC, holding a 61-51-19 record with the Bearcats and a 157-136-38 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 its second straight BIG EAST road match, 1-0, at No. 25 Louisville, after Othaniel Yanez scored his first goal of the season in the 85th minute. On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Bearcats dropped a 1-0 decision at Syracuse after allowing an 89th-minute goal. As the clock was winding down in the second stanza, Yanez corralled a pass in the UC box and his shot deflected off a Bearcat defender, over the head of Miguel Rosales for the deciding goal.
SCOUTING THE RED STORM:
St. John's, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champions, enter the match with a 6-4-4 overall mark and a 3-1-2 ledger in league play, one point ahead of the Bearcats.
The Red Storm are unbeaten in their last five matches, posting a 2-0-3 mark.
Ryan Soroka, the 2006 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, and Michael Luk lead the squad with seven points each (2 G, 3 A).
Nelson Becerra and Jeff Stepan are the leading goal scorers with three apiece.
Goalkeeper Jason Landers, the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, missed the first six matches of the season due to injury, but has started each of the last eight, posting five shutouts and leading the Red Storm to a 4-1-3 record.
Head coach Dave Masur is 249-75-49 in his 17th season at St. John's.
CINCINNATI-ST. JOHN'S SERIES HISTORY:
The Bearcats and Red Storm have squared off twice and split the series, each winning on the other's home field. In 2005, St. John's was ranked No. 3 in the nation and came into Gettler Stadium, picking up a 1-0 win that was helped by a UC red card in the 15th minute, leaving the Bearcats a man down for 85 minutes. In 2006, UC earned a 2-1 win at St. John's, where the Red Storm were 108-11-21 since 1991 and 30-5-9 since the construction of Belson Stadium in 2002.
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 47 saves and a 0.81 goals against average. He was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 24 and has allowed just seven goals in his last 10 matches, leading the Bearcats to a 5-4-1 mark over that span.
FROM THE RANKS:
UC is 1-2-1 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 and fell, 1-0, at No. 25 Louisville on Oct. 17.
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 0.81 goals against average and two shutouts in conference play.
NEXT UP:
UC travels to USF for a key BIG EAST Red Division matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.