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Bearcats Open BIG EAST Play Against Pitt, West Virginia

Bearcats Open BIG EAST Play Against Pitt, West VirginiaBearcats Open BIG EAST Play Against Pitt, West Virginia

Sept. 18, 2009

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STORY LINES

  • The University of Cincinnati opens BIG EAST play with a conference weekend on Sept. 18-20 at Gettler Stadium. UC will take on Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 18, at 5 p.m. The Bearcats then welcome West Virginia on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m.
  • UC finished second at the inagural adidas Bearcat Classic after dropping a 3-0 decision against No. 1/1 Akron on Sunday, Sept. 13.
  • The Bearcats boasted tournament Most Valuable Defender Luke Henke. Henke was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow defender Kit North and midfielder Judson McKinney.
  • Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his ninth season at Cincinnati and 19th season as a head coach overall. Dayes is 172-149-41 overall and 76-64-21 at UC. With the win against Dayton, Dayes moved past Jim McDowell into sole possession of second place in coaching wins in program history. Bob Muro is the program's winningest head coach at 114-111-13.
  • After a 5-2 victory over No. 18 Dayton on Sept. 1, UC defeated Canisius 5-0. It marked the first time the Bearcats have scored five or more goals in back-to-back matches since the 1983 season. UC defeated Virginia Tech, 10-2, before falling at Bellarmine by a 7-6 count.
  • A 3-0 win over Western Illinois pushed the Bearcats' record to 4-0-0 for the first time since 1989, when the Bearcats finished with a school-record 14 wins (14-4-1).
  • UC has scored 15 goals in the first five matches of the season after tallying just 13 scores in 19 matches in 2008. UC's 3.0 goals per game is No. 5 in the nation.
  • Junior forward Branden Stelmak took home two awards last week, being named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll on Monday, Sept. 7, and being named to the Collegesoccernews.com National Team of the Week. Stelmak has scored three goals through three matches and is tied for the team lead with seven points (3 G, 1 A). Redshirt freshman defender Kit North was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 7. North, who scored his first career goal in his first career appearance, has helped lead the defense to consecutive shutouts.
  • Miguel Rosales (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill) posted a pair of shutouts over the weekend, making three saves in wins against Canisius and Wright State. He moved ahead of teammate Matt Williams (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) and into a tie for eighth in school annals with his 10th career shutout.
  • The Bearcats return 10 starters from last year's squad, including leading scorer Branden Stelmak (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) and goalkeeper Matt Williams, who posted nine shutouts a season ago.
  • The Bearcats have experience in goal as Williams - the 2008 starter - and Miguel Rosales (Aurora, Colo./Smoky Hill), who started all but one match in 2007, return this season.
  • Williams posted his second career assist from his goalkeeper position against Dayton. He cleared a Dayton crossing pass out of his own end and onto the foot of Nick Weightman (Lanark, Scotland/Webber International), who scored his second career goal on the breakaway.
  • UC is looking for its fifth consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Tournament. The Bearcats have qualified for the conference tourney in each of the first four years of affiliation with the powerful soccer league. UC won the school's first BIG EAST regular season title in 2006.

WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

  • Junior Nick Weightman (Lanark, Scotland/Webber International) tallied a goal and three assists in UC's season-opening 5-2 win at Dayton on Sept. 1. The Scotland native surpassed his 2008 production in one game (2008: 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 points).
  • Weightman became the first Bearcat to record three assists in a match since current MLS star Omar Cummings posted three helpers against Louisville on Sept. 26, 2006.
  • LAST TIME OUT
  • UC fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 3-0 loss to No. 1/1 Akron in the final match of the inaugural adidas Bearcat Classic.
  • The Zips got on the board in the 18th minute when a failed clearance by the Bearcats caromed off a defender and past goalkeeper Matt Williams for an own goal and a 1-0 lead for Akron. A pair of late goals provided the final margin.
  • Akron finished the adidas Bearcat Classic as the tournament champions, while the Bearcats were second, followed by Western Illinois, and High Point.
  • The Bearcats boasted tournament Most Valuable Defender Luke Henke. Henke was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow defender Kit North and midfielder Judson McKinney.

UP NEXT

  • UC wraps up BIG EAST interdivisional play with matches at Marquette and Notre Dame. UC will take on Marquette on Friday, Sept. 25, in Milwaukee. The Bearcats then travel to South Bend for a nationally-televised (CBS College Sports) contest against Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 27.