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DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will make the short trek up I-75 Monday for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Wright State at Alumni Field.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (1-0-0) kicked off the 2017 regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (0-1-0) on Friday night at Gettler Stadium. Sophomore David Sanz (Santander, Spain/IE La Marina), scored the Bearcats' first goal of the year on a free kick in the 28th minute. UC added to its lead minutes later when freshman Darryn Commissiong (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary Cathloic) tallied his first collegiate goal in the 33rd minute. With the Runnin' Bulldogs searching for the match-tying goal late, junior Malik Suleman (Kumasi, Ghana/Cincinnati State) recorded his first goal as a Bearcat in the 90th minute against an extended GWU defense.
// SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE
The Raiders (0-0-1) tied Fort Wayne Friday evening, 0-0, in the season opener for both teams. WSU recorded seven shots on goal while turning away five Mastadon attempts. The Raiders were picked to finish third in the Horizon League after winning the conference's regular season title in 2016 while also advancing to the league championship finals for the third-straight year, posting an 11-6-3 overall and 7-1-1 Horizon record. Head coach Bryan Davis returns as the league's reigning coach of the year while all-conference second team players Jackson Dietrich and AJ Patterson, as well freshman team member Austin Kinney, are also back.
// WRIGHT STATE SERIES
UC is 12-11-3 all-time versus Wright State. The Raiders topped the Bearcats 2-1 in double overtime last season in UC's home opener. The Red & Black's lone goal came when freshman Aerin West (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) fought for position off of a free kick and cleaned up the save with a poke into the back of the net for his first career goal.
// BACK IN THE DAY(ES)
A 1988 graduate of Wright State, Cincinnati head coach Hylton Dayes compiled a 32-37-8 record in four years as head coach of his alma mater's men's team, highlighted by an 11-7-3 mark and the program's first-ever appearance in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament final in 1998. Dayes began his coaching career at Wright State, serving as the men's assistant in 1986 and the head women's coach from 1987-1994. During his tenure, the Raiders amassed a 64-48-11 overall record.
// SOLID START
Following Friday's 3-0 season-opening home win over Gardner-Webb, Cincinnati is 23-17-5 all-time in season openers. More recently, the Bearcats are 11-3-3 in 17 season openers under head coach Hylton Dayes and are unbeaten in eight of the last nine lid-lifters.
// YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Bearcats' youth movement continues in 2017 with eight newcomers, on top of 13 newcomers from 2016. Returning underclassmen for this season accounted for 54 percent of the Bearcats scoring last year, led by a team-high five goals by current redshirt sophomore midfielder Ryan Melink (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland). In total, UC brings back five underclassmen who started nine or more matches last season including three -- Patrick Nielsen (Copenhagen, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium), Sanz, and West -- who each started every game in 2016.
// NIELSEN HONORED
Nielsen was named the American Athletic Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year as well as was a unanimous selection to the all-conference team. The native Dane is looking to build off of a stellar freshman season in which he was both AAC Second Team and All-Rookie Team selections, in addition to earning All-Ohio Second Team recognition, after tallying two assists while helping anchor the back line of the defense which recorded seven shutouts. As a team, the Bearcats were picked to finish seventh in the league.
// CONTINUING MOMENTUM
UC will look to continue the momentum from their best season in nearly a decade in 2016 in which it compiled a 9-7-1 overall record including a program-high fourth place finish in the American Athletic Conference. The American sent two teams to the 2016 NCAA Tournament including USF, whose only conference loss came on Oct. 1 against the Bearcats. UC had 13 newcomers on the team this past season including 11 true freshmen.
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Cincinnati men's soccer team will make the short trek up I-75 Monday for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Wright State at Alumni Field.
// LAST TIME OUT
UC (1-0-0) kicked off the 2017 regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (0-1-0) on Friday night at Gettler Stadium. Sophomore David Sanz (Santander, Spain/IE La Marina), scored the Bearcats' first goal of the year on a free kick in the 28th minute. UC added to its lead minutes later when freshman Darryn Commissiong (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary Cathloic) tallied his first collegiate goal in the 33rd minute. With the Runnin' Bulldogs searching for the match-tying goal late, junior Malik Suleman (Kumasi, Ghana/Cincinnati State) recorded his first goal as a Bearcat in the 90th minute against an extended GWU defense.
// SCOUTING WRIGHT STATE
The Raiders (0-0-1) tied Fort Wayne Friday evening, 0-0, in the season opener for both teams. WSU recorded seven shots on goal while turning away five Mastadon attempts. The Raiders were picked to finish third in the Horizon League after winning the conference's regular season title in 2016 while also advancing to the league championship finals for the third-straight year, posting an 11-6-3 overall and 7-1-1 Horizon record. Head coach Bryan Davis returns as the league's reigning coach of the year while all-conference second team players Jackson Dietrich and AJ Patterson, as well freshman team member Austin Kinney, are also back.
// WRIGHT STATE SERIES
UC is 12-11-3 all-time versus Wright State. The Raiders topped the Bearcats 2-1 in double overtime last season in UC's home opener. The Red & Black's lone goal came when freshman Aerin West (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview) fought for position off of a free kick and cleaned up the save with a poke into the back of the net for his first career goal.
// BACK IN THE DAY(ES)
A 1988 graduate of Wright State, Cincinnati head coach Hylton Dayes compiled a 32-37-8 record in four years as head coach of his alma mater's men's team, highlighted by an 11-7-3 mark and the program's first-ever appearance in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament final in 1998. Dayes began his coaching career at Wright State, serving as the men's assistant in 1986 and the head women's coach from 1987-1994. During his tenure, the Raiders amassed a 64-48-11 overall record.
// SOLID START
Following Friday's 3-0 season-opening home win over Gardner-Webb, Cincinnati is 23-17-5 all-time in season openers. More recently, the Bearcats are 11-3-3 in 17 season openers under head coach Hylton Dayes and are unbeaten in eight of the last nine lid-lifters.
// YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Bearcats' youth movement continues in 2017 with eight newcomers, on top of 13 newcomers from 2016. Returning underclassmen for this season accounted for 54 percent of the Bearcats scoring last year, led by a team-high five goals by current redshirt sophomore midfielder Ryan Melink (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland). In total, UC brings back five underclassmen who started nine or more matches last season including three -- Patrick Nielsen (Copenhagen, Denmark/Rungsted Gymnasium), Sanz, and West -- who each started every game in 2016.
// NIELSEN HONORED
Nielsen was named the American Athletic Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year as well as was a unanimous selection to the all-conference team. The native Dane is looking to build off of a stellar freshman season in which he was both AAC Second Team and All-Rookie Team selections, in addition to earning All-Ohio Second Team recognition, after tallying two assists while helping anchor the back line of the defense which recorded seven shutouts. As a team, the Bearcats were picked to finish seventh in the league.
// CONTINUING MOMENTUM
UC will look to continue the momentum from their best season in nearly a decade in 2016 in which it compiled a 9-7-1 overall record including a program-high fourth place finish in the American Athletic Conference. The American sent two teams to the 2016 NCAA Tournament including USF, whose only conference loss came on Oct. 1 against the Bearcats. UC had 13 newcomers on the team this past season including 11 true freshmen.