TicketsOct. 27, 2010
CHICAGO - Mark Konitsch (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence Senior) scored his first goal of the season, but a late goal by DePaul produced a 1-1, double overtime draw for the University of Cincinnati men's soccer team on Wednesday (Oct. 27) afternoon at Wish Field.
Cincinnati, which entered the match in a tie for second in the BIG EAST Red Division with Villanova, earned a point on the road and now sits on 15.
"We had our chances to put the game away and we just weren't able to do it," said head coach Hylton Dayes. "It was good to see Mark get a goal. He has been close several times this year and we're happy that he was able to put one in the net."
Konitsch got the Bearcats (6-4-6, 4-1-3 BIG EAST) off to a quick start with his first goal of 2010 in the seventh minute on a nice build up from the UC offense. Branden Stelmak (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Brecksville-Broadview Heights) played the ball in to leading scorer Matt Bahner (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West), who got behind the defense and sent a cross through the box, where it was tapped in by Konitsch. It was the senior's sixth career goal and first since Oct. 10, 2009, against Villanova.
UC defended well for the remainder of the half, allowing just three DePaul (3-9-5, 0-5-3) shots, only one on goal, and took a 1-0 lead into the break.
The Bearcats settled in defensively in the second half and repelled an aggresive DePaul side on the first five shots of the stanza. The sixth shot would be costly. Cincinnati was on the verge of its fifth conference victory of the season when a shot from 35 yards out was saved by Matt Williams (Portland, Maine/Cheverus). The ball bounced toward the endline, where Ray De Leon slid a shot back across the face of the goal. Williams fell on the ball and hopped to his feet to distribute, but the linesman determined that the ball had gone in and the match was knotted at 1-1 with just over a minute to play in regulation.
The teams went scoreless in the overtime periods and the match ended in UC's third straight draw.
Williams, the reigning BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, made four saves and has allowed one or fewer goals in all but two matches this season.
The Bearcats will wrap up the 2010 regular season on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. against Syracuse in Gettler Stadium. UC will honor seniors Konitsch, Chris Mitchell (Pickering, Ontario/SUNY-Plattsburgh), Stelmak, Tristan Watson (Brampton, Ontario/Graceland), Nick Weightman (Lanark, Scotland/St. Aiden's), and Williams in a pregame ceremony.