Bearcats Host Towson, Gardner-Webb

September 12, 2012

Sept. 13, 2012

The Game:

The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will host a pair of non-conference foes on Sept. 14-16 in Gettler Stadium. UC will welcome Towson on Friday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women's program. On Sunday, the Bearcats play host to Gardner-Webb at 1 p.m.

Series History:

The Bearcats will take on Towson and Gardner-Webb for the first time in program history.

Story Lines:

Head coach Hylton Dayes is in his 12th season at Cincinnati and 23rd as a head coach. Dayes holds an 93-93-31 mark at UC and a 190-177-50 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.
For the second consecutive season, the Bearcats are dealing with a bevy of injuries to key players. Starters Leon Powell, Matt Bahner, Peter Jannelli, Emmanuel Appiah, Michael Millay, and Will Diebold have missed time due to injury in 2012.
In 2011, UC posted a 6-11-1 overall mark, including a 2-7-0 ledger in BIG EAST play. The Bearcats failed to advance to the BIG EAST Tournament for just the second time since joining the league in 2005.
Returning this season are 2011 BIG EAST All-Rookie honoree Cole DeNormandie and 2010 second-team All-BIG EAST midfielder Matt Bahner.
The Bearcats look to rebuild a defensive unit which needs to replace both center backs and graduated captain and four-year starter Sam Klosterman.
A revamped back line and new starting goalkeeper, sophomore Taylor Hafling, will look to improve upon the 1.6 goals per game allowed in 2011.
A group of young but experienced players will take the pitch in 2012, including sophomores forward DeNormandie (18 starts in 2011), defender Will Diebold (14 starts), midfielders Matt Remaley (12 starts), Emmanuel Appiah (12 starts), and Ashani Walker (seven starts).

The Glorious Return of...:

Matt Bahner, a 2010 second-team All-BIG EAST midfielder, returns to the squad for his fifth season after missing the entire 2011 campaign with a knee injury. Bahner led the Bearcats with seven goals and six assists in 2010 and has 12 career goals to his name.
Bahner scored his first goal of the season on Sept. 2 at No. 22 Xavier. Peter Jannelli, who last played with the Bearcats during the 2009 season, started in the midfield in the first two contests, assisting on the game-winning goal in the 1-0 victory against Drake on Aug. 24.

New Kids on the Block:

Five true freshmen and a first-year transfer saw time for the Bearcats in the opening weekend.
Three true freshmen have made starts this season: Richardo Israel (6 starts), Gabriel Robinson (5) and John Manga (4) while first year transfer David Murrow has started one match.
Freshmen forward Evan Talkers and defender Ben Keane have alse seen time for the Bearcats.

BIG EAST/National Honors:

Cole DeNormandie was named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie team following the 2011 campaign. He led the Bearcats with seven goals and 15 points.
Four UC freshmen were named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Top 100 Freshmen list last season. Cole DeNormandie was No. 14 on the list, while Will Diebold (No. 69), Matt Remaley (No. 85), and Emmanuel Appiah (No. 95) were also recognized.

Preseason Polling:

The Bearcats were picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Red Division by the league's coaches.
UC has topped its preseason expectations in all but two seasons since joining the BIG EAST in 2005.

Ranking the Foes:

The Bearcats have 13 wins over ranked opponents under Hylton Dayes (since 2001). UC is 13-31-6 against Top 25 foes since 2001, including a win against No. 1 Connecticut on Sept. 16, 2005, in Gettler Stadium.
The Bearcats are 0-2-0 against ranked teams this season, falling 3-0 to No. 12/9 Indiana on Aug. 26 and 2-1 at No. 22 Xavier on Sept. 2.

Last Time Out:

UC dropped a 2-0 decision at Evansville in the finale of the ProRehab Aces Classic on Sept. 9 at McCutchan Stadium.
Coming off a physical 110-minute draw against Bradley on Sept. 7, the Bearcats (1-4-1) faced a fresh Evansville (4-0-0) squad which had its Sept. 7 match cancelled due to weather.
Evansville struck first in the 18th minute when Nate Opperman finished a header off a Faik Hajderovic service along the left side.
The match went to half at 1-0 for the home side. The teams were even in the shots category at four apiece, but UE goalkeeper Eric Teppen saved both Bearcats shots on frame.
Evansville used the fresh legs to finish off the match in the second half with Hajderovic gathering in a long free kick from Teppen and scoring his first of the season for a 2-0 lead and the final margin.