Aug. 26, 2008
Contact: Greg Murphy
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State will begin its 54th season of intercollegiate soccer play when the Vikings travel west for two matches in the UC Irvine Tournament. CSU opens play on Saturday (Aug. 30) when the Vikings face Seattle at 2:00 p.m. PDT. On Monday (Sept. 1), the Vikings conclude the tournament with a 2:00 p.m. DT match against UC Irvine.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings played their lone exhibition match of the preseason at Bowling Green on Sunday. Here is a synopsis of that contest:
Exhibition 1: CSU 0, Bowling Green 0 (Aug. 24, Bowling Green, Ohio)
Cleveland State played to a scoreless draw at Bowling Green in its lone exhibition match of the preseason. The Vikings outshot BG, 17-13, including 8-4 on goal as sophomore Nick Harpel posted four saves for the Vikings to earn the shutout.
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: Third-year head coach Ali Kazemaini has a young, talented roster with nine starters returning from last season's 3-12-3 team. With eight freshmen and three transfers added to the mix, Kazemaini has the depth at every position to improve upon last season. Junior defender Mitch Boyer returns to lead the backline after earning second team All-Horizon League honors for leading the team in assists (4) and points (6). He will be joined in the back by junior Josh Williams, who will transition from forward, as well as freshman Justin Mancine and junior Eric Tattersall. Sophomore Nick Harpel is back as the starting goalkeeper. He ranked fourth in the league in save percentage (.767) and fifth in saves (69), while recording four shutouts. The midfield is extremely deep and Kazemaini can call on any number of players, led by Anthony Rucci, the lone senior on the roster. The key will be up front where the Vikings will need to improve upon their 12 goals scored last season. Junior Slava Ubiparipovic, a Xavier transfer, was brought in to supply the offensive attack up front. Freshman Alfred Majer and junior Jeff Baker will also see action as forwards.
THE HEAD COACH: Former Viking All-American Ali Kazemaini is in his third season as the head coach at Cleveland State. He was hired in December of 2005 and immediately charged with returning the program to prominence. In his two years at the helm, Kazemaini claims a 9-22-5 mark, as his Vikings were the most improved team in Division I in 2006. Kazemaini boasts a career record of 185-98-18 as a head coach, which includes a 14-year stint as the head coach at John Carroll. He is a three-time OAC Coach of the Year and two time region coach of the year, leading JCU to seven conference championships and four tournament titles.
THE LONE SENIOR: Anthony Rucci has the distinction of being the lone senior on this year's 24 person roster. Rucci, who will most likely anchor the midfield, has scored one goal in his career. The roster does not lack experience, as junior Nenad Stojkovic is in his fourth year with the program after redshirting last season. There are also 11 other juniors on the roster. OH, BOY!!: Junior Mitch Boyer headlines the list of nine returning starters after the defender earned second team All-Horizon League honors last season. He led a defensive unit that allowed just 1.50 goals per game, while also taking on a large offensive role and leading the team with four assists and six points.
ONLY THE LONELY: Sophomore goalkeeper Nick Harpel is usually the loneliest player on the field as he spends a majority of the game back in the goalbox. However, this year has been even lonlier for Harpel as he is currently the only goalkeeper on the roster. Harpel made 13 starts last season as the team's primary netminder and finished fourth in the Horizon League in save percentage (.767) and fifth in saves (66).
ON THE DEFENSE: Junior Josh Williams is making the move from forward to defense this season after totaling five points on one goal and three assists last season. The transition should be an easy one for Williams who spent his summer playing defender for the Cleveland Internationals alongside CSU teammate Mitch Boyer.
WELCOME BACK, NENAD: Junior forward Nenad Stojkovic should give the Viking offense a life this season after missing the entire 2007 season with a knee injury. The potent offensive attacker has 21 career points on eight goals and five assists, the highest total in each category for any current CSU player.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN (AND AGAIN): Of CSU's 17 regular season home matches this year, the Vikings will only play six of them at home. To make matters worse, CSU plays just one of its first nine matches at home to open the season, that coming against Niagara on Sept. 12. The best chance to see the Vikings play at home is early October when they play four matches at Krenzler Field in an eight-day stretch (Oct. 3-11).
ONE GOAL IN MIND: One of the biggest goals for the Vikings this year is, ironically, scoring more goals. CSU managed just 12 goals in 18 games last season, the third lowest total in program history. The 1961 squad holds the record for fewest goals in a season with seven, but played just nine contests. The 1999 team scored eight times in 18 games.
WHAT'S IN A NAME: Junior Slava Ubiparipovic begins his first season with the Vikings after transferring from Xavier where he was a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team two years ago. The Mentor, Ohio native tied for third on the Musketeer squad with eight points last season.
A LOCAL FLAVOR: The CSU soccer roster has an Ohio feel to it as 21 of the 24 players call the state home, including 15 from the Greater Cleveland area.
NEXT UP: The Vikings remain on the road for a pair of matches at the Missouri State Tournament next weekend. CSU will play Missouri State on Friday (Sept. 5) at 7:30 p.m. CST before playing Drake at Missouri State the following day at 5:00 p.m. CST.
