TicketsOct. 29, 2011
Coach Dayes Postgame Interview
CINCINNATI - It was a pair of freshmen that combined to send the University of Cincinnati men's soccer team to a 1-0 win against No. 18/11 St. John's on Senior Night in Gettler Stadium.
Freshman Ashani Walker (Kingston, Jamaica/Jamaica College) scored his first career goal in the 23rd minute on an assist from classmate Cole DeNormandie (Lincoln, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) to help the Bearcats (6-11-1, 2-7-0 BIG EAST) snap a three-match losing skid.
Just moments earlier, it appeared that the Bearcats had gotten on the board thanks to the same tandem. DeNormandie shook free from his defender and fired a shot from about 25 yards out that rang off the crossbar. Walker was there for the header on the rebound, but his goal was waved off for an offsides violation.
The Bearcats held the Red Storm (10-6-2, 4-5-0) scoreless for the first 45 minutes and had the better of the ball for much of the half.
St. John's pushed forward in the second half looking for the equalizer and nearly found it three times with shots that found the post. Goalkeeper Joey Barnard (McKinney, Texas/McKinney), returning from injury that cost him four matches, was stellar between the pipes, making seven saves to record his second shutout of the campaign.
Barnard twice victimized St. John's leading scorer Jack Bennett, making a diving save to his right in the first half and coming off his line to make a sliding stop in a one on one situation in the second.
The Red Storm found the woodwork on three occasions in the second half. Walter Hines hit the right post in the 58th minute and Jimmy Mulligan and Pablo Battuto Punyed hit the left side in the 64th and 69th minutes, respectively.
Led by seniors D.J. Albert (Park City, Ill./College of Lake County) and Sam Klosterman (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West), who were honored prior to the match, the Bearcats won on senior day for the seventh time in 11 years under head coach Hylton Dayes.
Walker became the 11th different player and the fifth true freshman to score for Cincinnati this season. Newcomers accounted for 14 of UC's 22 goals in 2011.