TicketsOct. 18, 2008
CINCINNATI - Branden Stelmak (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) scored his second straight game-winning goal to send the University of Cincinnati men's soccer team to a 1-0 win against BIG EAST foe Rutgers on Saturday night (Oct. 18) at Gettler Stadium.
After a physical first half that saw 29 total calls fouled, Stelmak gave UC the win just over 10 minutes into the second half.
The sophomore's strike in the 56th minute came off a counter attack on a feed into the box from Paul Hoste (Clinton Township, Mich./De LaSalle). Stelmak settled the pass, turned and fired to the far post, bending his shot past Rutgers goalkeeper Amir Haghshenas. Mark Konitsch (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence Senior) was credited with a secondary assist on the play for his pass into Hoste.
"With a young team it takes a little while for everything to click, to get in sync," said head coach Hylton Dayes. "We played with confidence tonight. We played well defensively, Branden Stelmak scored a great goal for us, and we did what we needed to do to close it out."
The Bearcats defense locked down on Rutgers forwards Dilly Duka, the third-leading scorer in the BIG EAST, and Gaetano Panuccio, holding the pair to a combined four shots, two on goal.
Goalkeeper Matt Williams (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) made four saves to post his seventh shutout of the season. UC's backline of Brad Simpson (Novi, Mich./Novi), Francesco Furio (Barrington, Ill./Barrington), Chris Mitchell (Pickering, Ontario/SUNY Plattsburg), and Luke Henke (Wauwatosa, Wis./Milwaukee Lutheran) stayed organized throughout the match, and afforded Rutgers very few scoring chances.
UC outshot the Scarlet Knights, 11-9, and earned six corners to Rutgers' five.
Stelmak has scored four goals this season to lead UC, including three game-winners. He won the match for UC earlier this week against Alabama A&M. UC has won its last two at home after starting the season 0-4-1 in Gettler Stadium.
The Bearcats will travel to Michigan State for a mid-week non-conference match up on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. in East Lansing.