SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State men's soccer team begins the Ali Kazemaini era this weekend with matches at Krenzler Field against two familiar foes. The Vikings will take on Robert Morris on Friday (Aug. 25) at 7:00 p.m. and then face Canisius on Sunday (Aug. 27) at 5:30 p.m.

PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last season, including sophomore forward Nenad Stojkovic, whol led the team with 11 points in his first collegiate season. The Vikings have been strong on defense in the preseason, holding their two exhibition opponents to just one goal. Sophomore Kasey Gray has emerged as the top netminder in the pre-season, but he will likely be challenged for time by freshman Dan Duric. The defense will add depth and experience when senior Mark Zambra, who started 13 times in 2005, and sophomore K.C. Bockmiller play more minutes after fully recover from quad injuries that have limited them during the pre-season. Kazemaini has been pleased with the play of freshmen midfielders Josh Williams and Marco DiFranco, senior Anthony Segreti and junior Vincent Rosati. Along with Stojkovic, senior David Stewart and speedy freshman Andrew Gutting will be counted on as scoring threats from the forward spot.

VIKINGS FINISH 2-0 IN EXHIBITION PLAY: Cleveland State hosted two exhibition matches in the last week to prepare for the start of the regular season. Here is a quick look at each of those contests:

EXHIBITION 1: CSU 1, GANNON 0 (Aug. 19, Krenzler Field): Senior Anthony Segreti scored the match's only goal at the 20:57 mark as the Vikings shut out Gannon on a rain-soaked Saturday morning. Sophomore Casey Gray and freshman Dan Duric each played 45 minutes in goal, combining to make eight saves and post the shutout.

EXHIBITION 2: CSU 2, NOTRE DAME (OH) 1 (Aug. 22, Krenzler Field): Freshman Andrew Gutting found the back of the net twice as the Vikings defeated the Falcons on Tuesday morning. The Vikings posted 12 shots as a team, including eight on goal. CSU's defense was impressive, holding Notre Dame College, a national qualifier in NAIA, to just five shots for the match.

KAZEMAINI ON THE VIKINGS: "We are excited to finally start the 2006 season. I feel we've had a good preseason, and it should show in our results. We will have a good test early, and our schedule is tough all the way through. This week against Robert Morris and Canisius should be a good measuring stick and will help us realize what we have to do to improve as a team. I was pleased with our team's efforts in our exhibition matches. We defended well and showed that we can dictate the pace of a match. We are a young team, but we will be very competitive."

HISTORY ON CSU'S SIDE: The Vikings have had past success against both of this weekend's opponents, posting an 8-5 all-time record against Robert Morris and Canisius. CSU has won six of 10 against Robert Morris and two of three against Canisius. The Vikings are 5-2 against the two schools at Krenzler Field, including a perfect 2-0 versus Canisius.

CSU NEEDS THE CLOSE ONES: Seven of the Vikings' 18 matches were decided by one goal or less last season, with CSU going 0-6-1 in those contests. In Horizon League play, the Vikings lost five times by one goal. The Vikings were 0-2-1 in three double overtime matches in 2005, with both of those losses coming to Horizon League foes.

NENAD VS. THE HORIZON LEAGUE: Sophomore Nenad Stojkovic, CSU's leading scorer in 2005, tied for 10th in the league in goals with five. He is the Vikings' only returning player to appear in the league's top 10 in any statistical category last year.

SCORING A GRAY AREA FOR OPPONENTS: Sophomore Kasey Gray held CSU's two exhibition opponents scoreless in 90 minutes of netminding. Last season, Gray posted a save percentage of .900 with nine saves in the two matches he played.

14 OHIO NATIVES ON THE SQUAD: Ali Kazemaini stresses the importance of winning the recruiting battles in his own backyard. The Vikings boast 14 Ohio natives, including nine newcomers on the roster. 12 of the 14 hail from northeast Ohio.

THE RETURN OF `TEX': Affectionately referred to by his teamates as 'Tex,' senior David Stewart returns to the CSU line-up after redshirting the 2005 campaign. In 2004, Stewart scored nine points and posted a team-high three assists in 17 matches.

THE SCHEDULE: The Vikings' schedule features match-ups against two NCAA qualifiers, Robert Morris and UW-Milwaukee. CSU will play seven home matches, including its league opener on Sept. 9 at home against UW-Green Bay. Detroit, last season's Horizon League regular season champion, comes to Krenzler for the season finale on Oct. 18. The schedule also includes road matches against three Big East teams, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Rutgers.

UP NEXT: CSU travels to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Aug. 30 for a 7:00 p.m. match-up. The Vikings return to Cleveland to host Western Michigan at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 3.