Oct. 18, 2006

Final Stats

Contact: Josh Rattray

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State got one goal in each half and played aggressive defense in a 2-0 Senior Night blanking of Detroit on Wednesday (Oct. 18) night at Krenzler Field. With the win, CSU improves to 5-9-2 and 2-4 in Horizon League play, while Detroit falls to 6-8-2 and 2-5.

The Vikings, in perhaps their most well-rounded outing of the year, got on the board at the 41:29 mark when freshman Josh Williams fired a header off a Marco DiFranco free kick.

The Vikings controlled play throughout the second half with smothering defense and quick ball movement. CSU came up empty on multiple scoring chances before freshman George Kephart corralled a loose ball near midfield and split two defenders on his way to a breakaway goal at the 49:48 mark, giving the Vikings a 2-0 lead.

"We put some passes together and really possessed well," head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "George had a guy open on the side but he made a big play, taking it through two defenders."

The win does a great deal for CSU in the Horizon League standings in the final week of the regular season. The Vikings are now in the driver's seat for at least the seventh seed in next week's Horizon League Championship.

"We just need to improve our play and keep working on what we can do," Kazemaini said. "If we do that, than we should be able to get the result we want."

Sophomore Kasey Gray played all 90 minutes in goal and stopped three Titan shots for his second shutout of the year. Kephart led the Vikings with four shots and freshman Andrew Gutting added two.

Detroit's Jason Massoglia had a game-high seven shots.

Seniors David Stewart, Mark Zambra and Anthony Segreti were honored before the match, the home finale for CSU.

The Vikings conclude the regular season on Friday (Oct. 20) at Wright State. Sunday's result will go a long way in determining whom and where CSU will play its opening round tournament match. Kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m.