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Vikings Open Regular Season at St. Bonaventure

Vikings Open Regular Season at St. Bonaventure
Posted: Aug 31, 2010

Aug. 31, 2010

Contact: Dan Carr

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Match 1
Cleveland State (7-8-5 in 2009) at St. Bonaventure (10-9-0 in 2009)
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010
Time: 5:00 p.m. EDT
Site: McGraw-Jennings Field (1,000) - Olean, N.Y.
Series: Cleveland State leads 9-2-1
Last Meeting: @CSU 3, St. Bonaventure 0 (9/1/09)

Match 2
Niagara (7-9-2 in 2009) at Cleveland State
Date: Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010
Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Krenzler Field (2,000) - Cleveland, Ohio
Series: Cleveland State leads 5-2-3
Last Meeting: CSU 2, @Niagara 1 (9/20/09)

SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State men's soccer team will kick off the 2010 season with a pair of matches this week. The Vikings will open the year by travelling to Olean, N.Y. for a 5:00 p.m. match against St. Bonaventure They will then return home to take on Niagara on Sunday (Sept. 5) for a 3:00 p.m. contest. Both games are rematches of last season, with the Vikings beating both squads in 2009. CSU defeated St. Bonaventure, 3-0, in its home opener and later topped Niagara, 2-1, on the road.

REVIEWING LAST WEEK: Cleveland State went on the road for two exhibition matches. Below are brief recaps of the contests:

Exhibition Match 1: OSU 3, CSU 1 (Aug. 24, Columbus, Ohio)
Aaron Adkins scored off an assist by Admir Suljevic to put Cleveland State up 1-0, but Viking mistakes led to three OSU goals. Brad Stuver made seven saves in the contest.

Exhibition Match 2: Cincinnati 3, CSU 0 (Aug. 27, Cincinnati, Ohio)
Cleveland State played well for most of the first 72 minutes, but the Bearcats eventually wore the team down and handed the visiting Vikings a 3-0 loss. Justin Mancine tallied five shots on goal in the contest, while Brad Stuver recorded five saves.

2010 SEASON PREVIEW: Coach Ali Kazemaini believes the Vikings have the roster to compete for a Horizon League championship in 2010. Six starters return, highlighted by sophomore forwards Aaron Adkins (4 goals, 2 assists, 10 points) and Admir Suljevic (3-6-12), both of whom were named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer teams in 2009. Backing them up will be an established Viking defense that includes seniors Audric Kilroy and Jeff Baker and junior John Wargo. This trio led a Viking defense that recorded eight shutouts last year and guided Cleveland State to a second straight undefeated home record. In their last 14 games at Krenzler Field, the Vikings have gone 11-0-3. Capping the defense is sophomore goalkeeper Brad Stuver, who became the starter late last season, and finished with 58 saves, good for fifth in the Horizon League. The midfield will be populated by some new faces. Wargo is projected to move to the middle. Joining him will be junior college transfer Manual Conde, who was named conference player of the year at Lakeland Community College, and freshman Cameron Eisses, who led his high school team in scoring four years in a row. Other notable newcomers include forward Caleb Eastham, who was named conference player of the year after scoring 18 goals and six assists his senior year; a pair of talented defenders, National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American Aldo Maiorano - a former teammate of Conde's at Lakeland - and Zach Ellis-Hayden, a high school all-region honoree; and midfielder Tommy Fitzgerald, who was the offensive MVP of a Hudson High squad that finished 2009 as the district runner-up.

LET THE STREAMING BEGIN: Sunday's contest against Niagara will be video streamed live by the CSU athletic department on the Horizon League Network. A total of 26 men's and women's soccer and volleyball events will be streamed online this fall for free, including every home women's soccer contest except the Sept. 24 meeting with Green Bay and the Oct. 15 Wright State game. Sunday's match will be the first ever home men's soccer game to be streamed live. Veteran Cleveland broadcaster Matt Loede will provide the play-by-play.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Krenzler Field has been very good to the Vikings the past two years, as Cleveland State has not lost a match there since 2007. The Vikings are currently riding a 11-0-4 home streak. In this span, the Vikings have outscored their opponents 28-12 and have recorded eight shutouts. Cleveland plays nine games at Krenzler this season, including four against conference opponents.

MEET THE LAKERS: Three members of this year's squad will be continuing their collegiate careers after stints at nearby Lakeland Community College. National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American Aldo Maiorano, conference Midfielder of the Year Manuel Conde and Dario Duvnjak each played for the Lakers. Maiorano finished his career by being named the NSCAA All-North Region first team. Conde had 11 assists and was named the team's scholar-athlete of the year in his final season as a Laker. Duvnjak was named all-conference second team in 2008.

AMONG THE CONFERENCE BEST: TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked sophomores Admir Suljevic and Aaron Adkins among the 20 best Horizon League players for the 2010 season. Suljevic (3 goals, 6 assists, 12 points in 2009) was 13th on the list, while Adkins (4-2-10) ranked 18th. Both were selected last season to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team.

CAPTAINS: Jeff Baker and Audric Kilroy have been selected by head coach Ali Kazemaini to serve as team captains this season.

NEXT UP: Cleveland State will travel to DeKalb, Ill. for a pair of games as part of the NIU Adidas/Magnuson Inn Invitational. The Vikings will take on Northwestern at 12:30 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 10). On Sunday (Sept. 12), Cleveland State will face off against host Northern Illinois in a 2:30 p.m. contest.