TicketsOct. 30, 2010
Postgame interview with coach Dayes
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team defeated Syracuse, 4-0, on Senior Night, Saturday (Oct. 30) in Gettler Stadium.
UC honored six seniors prior to the match, and all six contributed as the Bearcats secured the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST Red Division for the upcoming BIG EAST Championship.
The scoring started early for the Bearcats (7-4-6, 5-1-3 BIG EAST) when Matt Bahner made a strong run on the ball down the right side before sending a perfect cross to the far post. Senior Mark Konitsch (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence Senior) buried the header in the 3rd minute to give UC a 1-0 lead.
Cincinnati kept the pressure on and got a second goal before the half when Konitsch connected with freshman midfielder Michael Millay (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) on a corner kick. Millay headed in his first career goal for a 2-0 lead in the 30th minute.
Coming out of the break, the Bearcats wasted little time adding to the lead as Bahner scored his team-leading seventh of the season on a blast from inside the 18-yard box on the right side. Konitsch combined with fellow senior Branden Stelmak (Broadview Heights, Ohio/Brecksville-Braodview Heights), who slid a perfectly-place through ball into the box for Bahner to finish. Bahner's seven goals are the most for a Bearcat since Kenny Anaba's 10 in 2007.
After missing a wide-open net on a Bahner cross minutes earlier, senior Tristan Watson (Brampton, Ontario/Lakeland C.C.) scored his second of the season in the 74th to push UC's lead to 4-0. Zach Patterson (Mason, Ohio/Mason) and Daniel Dwyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Houston Baptist) earned assists on the play.
Senior Matt Williams (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) made just one save in posting his ninth shutout of the season and lowering his goals against average to a school-record 0.60.
Seniors Chris Mitchell (Pickering, Ontario/SUNY-Plattsburgh) and Nick Weightman (Lanark, Scotland/St. Aidan's) started and contributed in their final regular-season home match as Bearcats.
Konitsch finished with a goal and two assists and now has a team-high five assists on the season. Bahner tallied a goal and an assist and leads the squad with seven goals, five assists, and 19 points.
UC's four goals were the most it had scored in 2010 and the most since a 5-0 win against Canisius on Sept. 4, 2009.
Cincinnati, unbeaten in its last five matches (2-0-3), will host a quarterfinal match on Sunday, Nov. 7, in Gettler Stadium. The opponent is yet to be determined. Stay tuned to GoBEARCATS.com for more information.