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Contact: Kevin Zeise

Sept. 22, 2003

CLEVELAND - After opening the home portion of the 2003 season with a 5-4 overtime win over UIC on Saturday, the Cleveland State men's soccer team continues its homestand with a pair of matches this week. The Vikings will face Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. before taking on Horizon League foe UW-Milwaukee on Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.

About the Vikings
Cleveland State (5-3, 2-0 Horizon) remains alone in first place in the Horizon League after defeating UIC, 5-4 in overtime, at Krenzler Field on Saturday.
Cincinnati 1, CSU 0 - A 35-yard free kick was the only score of the game, as Cleveland State fell at Cincinnati, 1-0. The Vikings were shut out for the first time during the 2003 campaign.
CSU 5, UIC 4 (OT) - David Stewart (Ingleside, Texas) scored the gamewinner with five seconds left in the first overtime as the Vikings reamained unbeaten in Horizon League play. Stephen Ademolu (Windsor, Ontario, Canada/Herman) scored his second hat trick of the season and assisted on the other two goals to lead the Vikings to victory.

About Pittsburgh
Pitt is 2-5 on the season, including a 1-2 mark in the Big East. The Panthers dropped a 2-1 decision at No. 23 Seton Hall on Sunday. Pittsburgh also lost on Sept. 10 to CSU victim Robert Morris, 3-2. Billy Brush leads the Panthers with four points on a pair of goals.

About UW-Milwaukee
UW-Milwaukee has a 5-3 mark on the season after wins against Missouri-Kansas City and Vermont over the weekend. The Panthers, picked to win the Horizon League in the league's preseason poll, are led by Bobby Lish's 12 points on five goals and two assists. Friday's match with CSU will be UW-Milwaukee's first road game of the season after playing two home games and six neutral-site matches.

Series Notes
The Vikings are 2-5-2 all-time against Pittsburgh, with the series dating back to 1969. Pitt has won the last five meetings, including a 3-0 decision last year in Pittsburgh. In the last meeting in Cleveland in 2001, the Vikings took Pitt to overtime, but fell by a 2-1 margin. Against UW-Milwaukee, the Vikings trail in the all-time series, 12-17-2. The two teams met in the NCAA Tournament in 1979 and 1980, CSU's last NCAA appearances, with the Vikings winning both matches. UW-Milwaukee took the regular season meeting last year in Milwaukee, and won again when the two teams met in the Horizon League Championship game.

Hats Off Again
Just 17 days after scoring his first career hat trick, Stephen Ademolu was at it again in the home opener against UIC on Saturday, Sept. 20. Ademolu single-handedly kept the Vikings in the game, scoring a tying goal three times. Ademolu assisted on the game's first goal in the first half, then tied the game at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 with his three goals. Ademolu then assisted the gamewinner, drawing four UIC defenders to him before finding an open David Stewart with five seconds left in overtime. The eight points in the match tied the Krenzler Field record, set by Nick Stavrou on Oct. 5, 1990 (three goals, two assists) against New Mexico. Ademolu recorded his first career hat trick in the Sept. 3 win at Robert Morris. Prior to the Sept. 3 game, the last three-goal game was by Joachim Walker on Sept. 22, 2001 at St. Bonaventure.

Head Coach Pete Curtis
In his fourth season as head coach, Pete Curtis has accumulated a record of 21-42-1 at Cleveland State. He guided the Vikings to a 10-11 mark last season, including a berth in the Horizon League championship game, and was named the Horizon League co-Coach of the Year. Curtis has compiled a career record of 117-130-11 in his 14 seasons as head coach. Prior to coming to CSU, Curtis spent five years at the University of Charleston, compiling a record of 68-30-7. He also spent five years at Marietta College, guiding that school to a 28-58-3 mark during his tenure. He is assisted by John Harr, in his first season, and Andy Carl, in his sixth season.

50 Years of Soccer
The 2003 campaign marks the 50th season of soccer at Cleveland State University, a milestone that was marked during the Sept. 20 home opener against UIC. More than 50 former players and coaches were on hand for the festivities, which included an alumni game and recognition of alumni at halftime of the CSU-UIC match.

We're Going Streaking
The Vikings won four straight road games at Robert Morris, Loyola, Niagara and Xavier after starting the season 0-2. That streak is tied for the second-longest road win streak in school history, tying the 1981 campaign that saw the Vikings record wins at Bowling Green, UW-Milwaukee, Marquette and Ohio State. The record for consecutive wins away from home is six, set during both the 1977 and 1979 seasons.

The Drought Is Over
Stephen Ademolu's three-goal output against Robert Morris on Sept. 3 earned him Horizon League Player of the Week Honors for the week ending Sept. 7. That marks the first time a CSU soccer player has received the award since Colin Knott claimed it on Sept. 8, 1997.

Lappin The Competition
Spencer Lappin (Pepper Pike, Ohio/Orange) has emerged as the complimentary offensive threat to go along with Stephen Ademolu in the Viking attack. Lappin is second on the team in scoring with 13 points on five goals and three assists. His three assists tie him with Ademolu for the team lead. The 13 points far exceed his offensive output of a year ago, when he scored just two goals in 16 appearances off the bench, tallying once against Detroit on Oct. 2 and again against Akron on Oct. 20.

Tournament Honors
Spencer Lappin and Stephen Ademolu were each named to the all-tournament team at the Duquesne Classic. Lappin scored a pair of goals in the tournament, while Ademolu collected an assist in the tournament's final match against Duquesne.

Up Next
The Vikings will return to the road for a Horizon League matchup with Detroit on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 4 p.m. Cleveland State then returns to Krenzler Field for a league clash with Wright State on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m.