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Bearcats Travel to Windy City to Take on DePaul

Bearcats Travel to Windy City to Take on DePaulBearcats Travel to Windy City to Take on DePaul

Oct. 27, 2010

Game Notes | |

The Game:

  • With two regular season matches remaining, the University of Cincinnati men's soccer team looks to shore up a bye in the first round of the BIG EAST Championships when it travels to DePaul on Oct. 27.
  • The Bearcats, tied for second place in the BIG EAST Red Division with Villanova on 14 points, will take on the Blue Demons at 4 p.m. ET at Wish Field.
  • The top two finishers in each division earn a first-round bye in the BIG EAST Championship, which gets underway on Nov. 3 at campus sites.

Series History:

  • The Bearcats are 14-9-3 against the Blue Demons all-time, but have dropped each of the last three matches against their longtime rivals.
  • UC is 6-4-2 at DPU in a series that goes back to 1982 and spans three conferences.

Story Lines:

  • Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his 10th season at Cincinnati and 20th as a head coach. Dayes holds a 85-77-27 mark at UC and a 181-162-46 overall record.
  • Dayes is the second winningest coach in UC history, behind only Bob Muro, who posted a 114-111-13 mark in 12 seasons on the Bearcats sideline.
  • The Bearcats' 4-1-2 mark in BIG EAST play is the best start for UC since its 4-1-2 start in the 2005 campaign.
  • UC entered the week ranked 14th in the nation in goals-against average. The Bearcats have allowed just 10 goals through the first 15 matches of the season and hold a 0.62 GAA.
  • The Bearcats had their shutout streak of three matches and 383 minutes snapped at Michigan on Oct. 6. UC had not conceded a goal since the 13th minute against No. 1/1 Akron on Sept. 19.
  • Senior goalkeeper Matt Williams was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 25.
  • Williams is 15th in the nation in goals-against average (0.62) and 18th in save percentage (.846).
  • Williams posted his 16th career shutout against Xavier on Sept. 29, moving into sole possession of second place on UC's all-time shutout list. He now has 19 shutouts and trails only Jay Schneider (24) in the school record books.
  • Freshman defender Alex Hadley was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Oct. 4 after scoring the game-winning goal against Rutgers and contributing to a pair of shutouts during the previous week.
  • Williams was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Oct. 4 after posting a pair of shutouts and making six saves in a 1-0-1 week for the Bearcats.
  • Junior midfielder Matt Bahner was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Sept. 6 after scoring both of UC's goals that week, including the game-winner against Dayton on Sept. 1.
  • Bahner has scored six of the Bearcats' 13 goals this season, more than doubling his career goal output (four entering 2010). He also has a team-high three assists this season for 15 points.
  • Senior forward Nick Weightman scored his first goal of the season when he tallied the game-winner against Georgetown on Sept. 25. He also carded the game-winner at No. 22 St. John's on Oct. 9 and added a penalty kick goal in a 1-1 draw against No. 19/19 USF on Oct. 20.
  • Senior midfielder Mark Konitsch has been a constant threat on the flanks for the Bearcats and leads the team with three assists, including the helper on Weightman's game-winner against Georgetown.
  • Senior target forward Tristan Watson scored his first goal in 26 matches, heading in a Sam Klosterman cross against Rutgers on Oct. 2.
  • Senior forward Branden Stelmak, the team's leading scorer the last two seasons, got his first goal of 2010 at No. 22 St. John's on Oct. 9.
  • Sophomore Shamar Shelton tallied his first goal in a UC uniform, leveling the match against Seton Hall at 1-1 on Oct. 16.
  • Sophomore midfielder/defender Zach Patterson carded his first career assist against No. 2/5 Louisville on Oct. 13. He chased down a clearance attempt by the Cardinals defense and send a pass back into the box where it met the head of leading scorer Matt Bahner for his fifth goal.
  • True freshman midfielder Michael Millay earned his first assist on the game-winning goal against Seton Hall on Oct. 16.
  • The Bearcats roster features players from near and far. Ohio products hold 12 roster spots with eight hailing from the Greater Cincinnati/Dayton area. Seven Bearcats hail from outside the United States, including four from Canada, two from Jamaica, and one from Scotland.

BIG EAST Honors:

  • Matt Bahner was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor roll on Sept. 6 after scoring a pair of goals in a 1-0-1 week for the Bearcats.
  • Bahner earned a second BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll mention on Sept. 27 after tallying a goal and an assist in UC's 2-0 win against Georgetown in its BIG EAST opener.
  • Bahner again earned an honor roll nod on Oct. 18 after contributing to all three of Cincinnati's goals during a 1-1-0 week.
  • Freshman defender Alex Hadley was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Oct. 4. Hadley scored the game-winner against Rutgers with a right-footed blast from the corner of the 18-yard box following a failed clearance. It was his first career goal.
  • Senior goalkeeper Matt Williams earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll mention on Oct. 4 after posting a pair of shutouts in a 1-0-1 week, lowering his goals-against average to 0.31 and extending his shutout streak to three matches and 367 minutes.
  • Williams was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 25 following an 0-0-2 week for the Bearcats against No. 19/19 USF and at Villanova. Williams allowed just one goal in 220 minutes, making 14 saves with his eighth shutout of the season.

Rough Road:

  • The 2010 schedule features matches against four Top 25 teams, including No. 1/1 Akron.
  • UC lost, 3-1, against No. 2/5 Louisville in Gettler Stadium on Oct. 13 and drew 1-1 in double overtime vs. No. 19/19 USF on Oct. 20.
  • The Bearcats fell, 1-0, at Akron on Sept. 19 and won at No. 22/nr St. John's on Oct. 9.

Rank and File:

  • Hylton Dayes has has success against ranked opponents since coming to UC in 2001, especially at home.
  • The Bearcats are 9-7-1 against ranked opponents at home since 2001, including knocking off No. 1 UConn, 2-0, in 2006.

Last Time Out:

  • UC played Villanova to a 0-0 draw on Oct. 23 at the Villanova Soccer Complex.
  • The Bearcats (6-4-5, 4-1-2 BIG EAST), locked in a second-place tie with Villanova (8-5-3, 4-1-2) entering the match, outshot the Wildcats, 16-12, and created the best chances of the day.
  • Near the end of the first half, the Bearcats appeared to take a 1-0 lead on an Alex Hadley header, but the goal was disallowed when UC was whistled for a foul off the ball.
  • The teams took a 0-0 tie into the lockerroom.
  • With about 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Tristan Watson hit the crossbar from inside the six-yard box on a bouncing ball that was mishandled by Villanova goalkeeper Chris Bresnehan.
  • UC goalkeeper Matt Williams made five saves and recorded his eighth shutout of the season, lowering his goals-against average to 0.62 on the season.

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