TicketsNov. 7, 2007
PROVIDENCE, RI - The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team exacted a measure of revenge against Providence when the Bearcats topped the Friars, 2-0, in the first round of the 2007 BIG EAST Tournament on Wednesday (Nov. 7) afternoon at PC's Glay Field. The Bearcats (9-9-1) move on to play DePaul, while PC (9-7-2) is eliminated.
"It's a great win for us, being our first-ever win in the BIG EAST Tournament," said head coach Hylton Dayes. "It was a physical, hard-fought match and I am proud of our guys and the way they competed."
The win marked the first for the Bearcats (9-9-1) in the BIG EAST Tournament after being eliminated in each of the last two seasons by Providence. It also marked the first-ever win for UC over the Friars (1-2-1).
The match was eerily similar to the 2006 meeting, with the result being the exact opposite. Last season, playing at UC's Gettler Stadium, the Friars got an own goal off a corner kick in the 31st minute. This season, the Bearcats scored first off the head of Patrick Baxter (Cincinnati, OH/Wyoming) in the 34th minute after a Mark Konitsch (Clarence, NY/Clarence Senior) cross. It was Baxter's fourth goal of the season - his third game winner - and the second collegiate assist for the freshman Konitsch.
Last season, Providence scored the clincher in the 81st minute as the Bearcats pushed forward looking for an equalizer. This year, Kenny Anaba (Westerville, OH/Worthington Christian) took a feed from Matt Telting (Loveland, OH/Milford) on the counter attack and put the match away with his 10th goal of the season in the 87th minute.
Miguel Rosales (Aurora, CO/Smoky Hill), the reigning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, continued his sparkling play, posting his fourth straight shutout and his seventh of the season. The freshman made three saves and lowered his goals against average to 0.80 for the year.
"The team really played well defensively," Dayes continued. "We did a good job defending their best player, Ryan Maduro, and didn't give him many good looks at goal."
The Bearcats, winners of four straight, move on to play at DePaul, the 2007 Red Division Champions, on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. CT.