Men's Soccer Hosts St. Bonaventure In Home Opener Athletics

Posted: Aug 31, 2009

Aug. 31, 2009

Match 1
St. Bonaventure (6-6-4) at Cleveland State (9-8-3)
Date: Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009
Time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Krenzler Field (1,680), Cleveland, Ohio
Series: CSU leads, 8-2-1
Last Meeting: CSU 0, St. Bonaventure 0 (2OT) (9/19/08)

Match 2
Cleveland State vs. Santa Clara (UC Irvine College Classic)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009
Time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Anteater Stadium (2,500), Irvine, California
Series: Santa Clara leads, 0-2-0
Last Meeting: Santa Clara 4, CSU 0 (9/26/92)

Match 3
Cleveland State at UC Irvine (UC Irvine College Classic)
Date: Monday, Sept. 7, 2009
Time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Anteater Stadium (2,500), Irvine, California
Series: UC Irvine leads, 0-1-0
Last Meeting: UC Irvine 2, CSU 1 (9/1/08)

SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State men's soccer team is set to begin their 55th season. They will square off against St. Bonaventure in the 2009 home opener at Krenzler Field on Tuesday (Sept. 1) at 4:00 p.m. This match was originally scheduled for 7:00 p.m., but due to lighting issues at Krenzler Field, the match was moved to an afternoon start. CSU will travel west next weekend to participate in the UC Irvine College Classic, facing Santa Clara on Saturday (Sept. 5) at 5:00 p.m. ET. and UC Irvine on Monday (Sept. 7) at 5:00 p.m. ET. The Vikings return ten starters and 20 letterwinners from the 2008 squad that went 9-8-3.

REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings were in action last week against Bowling Green in an exhibition match. Here is a synopsis of the contest:

Exhibition 1: Bowling Green 0, CSU 0 (Aug. 26, Krenzler Field) After battling through 90 minutes of play, the Vikings and the Falcons couldn't convert any shots, ending the match in a 0-0 tie with no overtime played. CSU had four scoring opportunities, including Josh Williams hitting the right post, Slavisa Ubiparipovic hitting the cross bar on a free kick, Admir Suljevic skimming the left post on a free kick and Aaron Adkins sending a header right into the goalie's hands.

THE KAZEMAINI FILE: Head coach Ali Kazemaini enters his fourth year with the Vikings posting a 18-30-8 record. After just four years as head coach, Kazemaini has turned a winless CSU team into a Horizon League Championship contender. He led the 2008 squad to the title game for the first time since 2002.

2009 SEASON PREVIEW: With 12 seniors returning, including six in the projected starting lineup, the men's soccer team will bring experience and depth to the field this season. All-league first team honoree senior Slavisa Ubiparipovic, returns up front after leading the team in goals (5), assists (4) and points (14) last season. He is joined by freshmen Aaron Adkins and Admir Suljevic who both earned high school All-America honors following their senior campaigns, giving the Vikings a loaded front row. Experience is the key to the midfield this season, as all three starters return: Marco DiFranco, Kevin Malone and Josh Williams. Together they had six goals and seven assists last season. The entire defense returns for 2009, after posting six shutouts last season. Leading the charge will be seniors Eric Tattersall, Mitch Boyer and Anthony Baraldi and junior Audric Kilroy. They played in a combined 61 matches last season, allowing only 29 goals. Although Nick Harpel is only a junior, he certainly has experience after playing every second in goal last season, recording 104 saves and six shutouts. Backing up Harpel in the net this season will be freshman Brad Stuver.

EYES ON SULJEVIC: 2008 High School All-American Admir Suljevic was listed on the College Soccer News "Top 100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On In 2009." The list is compiled of freshmen soccer players from coast-to-coast who are likely to make an impact on their collegiate team. A Wickliffe, Ohio native, Suljevic played his prep career at Wickliffe High School, where he recorded 36 goals and 11 assists for 83 points during his senior campaign, earning him Ohio Division III Player of the Year honors.

LOCAL FLAVOR: Kazemaini has found talent in the local area with 18 players in the current roster from the Greater Cleveland area, nine of which are projected to be in the starting lineup. The 2009 roster represents 14 local high schools, six of which reached the state tournament while a CSU player was on the roster, with three schools being crowned state champions; St. Ignatius (2008-Justin Cree, 2005 & 2004-Audric Kilroy), Walsh Jesuit (2006-Justin Mancine) and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (2004-John Wargo).

FRESHMAN FEELING: 2008 Adidas All-American Aaron Adkins is already comfortable on the collegiate field following a solid preseason. Overall he had one goal, three shots on goal and six shots through the two exhibition matches. Adkins' first 2009 goal came against Capital when he scored on a breakaway play with passes from Ubiparipovic and Kevin Malone. He also had a close call during the Bowling Green match when he had a header right into the goalie's hands.

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS: Four 2008 All-Horizon League honorees return for the Vikings this season, including Slavisa Ubiparipovic (first team), Mitch Boyer (second team), Justin Mancine and Stephen Byer (all-newcomer team). They combined for 13 goals, six assists, 32 points and 46 shots on goal. Ubiparipovic (goals t7th-5, assists t5th-4) and Boyer (goals t7th-5) also represent CSU in the 2008 Horizon League individual statistic leaders along with goalkeepr Nick Harpel (saves 1st-104, save percentage 5th-.782). The Vikings also had a strong showing on the 2008 Horizon League All-Tournament team with, Mitch Boyer, Josh Williams and Marco DiFranco earning the honors.

NEXT UP: The Vikings will stay on the road and face IUPUI on Friday (Sept. 11) at 7:00 p.m.