TicketsAug. 20, 2011
CLEVELAND - The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw against Cleveland State in its final exhibition contest on Saturday at Krenzler Soccer Field.
A pair of transfers hooked up to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead just before halftime. Junior Leon Powell (Kingston, Jamaica/Meridian C.C.) put home a full volley from 30 yards out after a pass from Wyatt Stephens (Ocala, Fla./Tulsa) in the 44th minute.
The Bearcats went to the locker room with a one-goal advantage, but Cleveland State leveled the contest 15 minutes into the second half. Mike Derezic found the ball at his feet after an Aaron Adkins shot hit the crossbar. Derezic put home the loose ball to knot things up at 1-1 in the 60th minute.
"I thought we had a solid performance overall," said head coach Hylton Dayes. "Cleveland State is an experienced team that really challenged us on both sides of the ball. I thought we responded well and showed improvement from our first exhibition."
As with the Bowling Green exhibition, Joey Barnard (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) and Taylor Hafling (Lousiville, Ky./New Mexico) split time in goal. Barnard made six saves and allowed the goal in 60 minutes of action. Hafling was unscored upon and did not make a save in his 30 minutes.
"Leon Powell scored a great goal and was very dangerous at times. Many of our young players gained valuable experience, which will serve us well in the BIG EAST. Sam Klosterman was solid in the back and organized well. Both goalkeepers played well and did not make many mistakes. We now look forward to a good week of training to prepare for our season opener at Western Michigan," Dayes added.
The Bearcats open the regular season on the road at Western Michigan on Saturday, August 27, at 4 p.m. The home opener is set for Friday, Sept. 9, against Central Arkansas.