Sept. 26, 2005
Contact: Brian Wolff
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Match 8
UW-Milwaukee (3-1-3, 0-0) at Cleveland State (0-6-1, 0-1)
Date: Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005
Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Krenzler Field (1,680) (Cleveland, Ohio)
Series: UWM Leads, 20-12-2
Last Mtg.: UWM 4, CSU 0 (11/6/04 at Milwaukee, Wisc)
Match 9
Butler (6-2-0, 0-0) at Cleveland State (0-6-1, 0-1)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 2, 2005
Time: 3:00 p.m. EDT
Site: Krenzler Field (1,680) (Cleveland, Ohio)
Promo: Krenzler Field Rededication
Series: Butler Leads, 13-1-0
Last Mtg.: Butler 2, CSU 0 (10/24/04 at Indianapolis, Ind.)
SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State men's soccer team will be home for four of its next five matches, including two this week against Horizon League opponents. The Vikings will host defending conference champion, UW-Milwaukee on Thursday night, Sept. 29 at 7:00 p.m. They will then play in the back-end of a doubleheader with the Cleveland State women's team on Sunday, Oct. 2 as part of a rededication ceremony to Krenzler Field. The men kick off at 3:00 p.m.
REVIEWING THE WEEK: The Vikings took part in only one match last week. Here is a recap of what happened:
Match 7 - Duquesne 3, Cleveland State 0 (Sept. 22, Pittsburgh, Pa.)
The Vikings let up three goals in a 15-minute period around half time to fall to the Dukes 3-0. The Vikings were outshot 25-5 and freshman netminder Anthony DeMarco notched a career-high 11 saves.
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: The Vikings are still struggling, but their first extended homestand of the year may be just what the team needs. With a roster that features 13 newcomers, CSU has had a hard time finding the net lately, scoring just one goal in its last three matches. The defense has been the achilles' heel of the team so far. The Vikings have been outshot 149-58, forcing freshman goalkeeper Anthony DeMarco to make 50 saves, 11 more than the next goalkeeper in the conference. The Vikings suffered a big blow when the team leader in shots, Ismail Ismail broke his left ankle in practice on Friday. The offensive production will have to pick up from newcomers Nenad Stojkovic, Steve Trapp, and Roshard Gilbert. All-Horizon League returnees Cormac Finn and Craig Coleman will also have contribute to a squad that ranks last in the Horizon league in points, shots and goals. CSU is coming off a stretch where it only played one match in 10 days, a time where they were supposed to get players healthy instead of losing them. One player that should see some time is defensmen Kim Kroken. Kroken has not played since Sept. 9, suffering from a strained hamstring.
KRENZLER REDEDICATION SET FOR SUNDAY: After undergoing nearly $3 million in renovations since last year, Krenzler Field will be officially rededicated during the home doubleheader next Sunday (Oct. 2). The dedication ceremony, which will be attended by Judge Alvin Krenzler and CSU president Dr. Michael Schwartz, includes a Sunday morning brunch for soccer alumni and other dignitaries and a pre-match ceremony before the women's contest against UW-Green Bay. The improvements to Krenzler Field, which has served as the home for Cleveland State soccer since 1985, include the addition of an all-purpose FieldTurf playing surface and a removable air-supported dome that will cover it during the winter months. The dome, a product of Yeadon Domes, will cover the entire length of Krenzler Field, approximately 94,000 square feet, with a 60-foot ceiling. It will be made of a heavy-duty vinyl coated flame-resistant polyester architectural fabric.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: The Panthers enter the week off a 1-1 tie against Gonzaga on Sunday, earning a third place finish in the Nike Gonzaga Classic. The Panthers (3-1-3) will be a tough task for the Vikings as they have made NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last four seasons. UW-Milwaukee is ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA/adidas Great Lakes rankings. The Panthers are second in the league in points (41) and goals (13) and lead the league in assists (15).
...AND THE BULLDOGS: The Bulldogs are coming off a 3-0 victory over Xavier on Friday bringing their record to 6-2. Butler began the year with a five-match win streak before dropping two of its last three. The Bulldogs return seven starters and two of the team's top three scorers. Butler also returns All-Horizon League first team members Scott Olsen and John Mariscalco.
Ismail Ismail DONE FOR THE YEAR: Junior college transfer Ismail Ismail will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his left ankle in practice on Friday. Before the injury, Ismail led the Vikings with 15 shots. Ismail played two seasons at Green River CC, leading the team in points (22) his second season.
NEW FACES ALL AROUND: The 2005 Vikings came into this season with 13 newcomers, many of whom play significant roles on the team. CSU started a season-high nine newcomers at Akron (Sept. 9), with the only returners being All-Horizon League second team members Craig Coleman and Cormac Finn. The newcomers have 50 starts between them which is 65% of the team's starts. The Vikings have the fewest amount of returning starters from last season in the Horizon League.
IT'S A TRAPP: Sophomore Steve Trapp scored the first two goals of his career on Sept. 11 in the home-opener against Marshall. Trapp has a team-high six points, adding an assist on Sept. 18 at UW-Green Bay. Trapp is the first Viking to tally two goals in a match since Spencer Lappin did it against Marshall on Sept. 19, 2004.
ITS A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL: The 2005 Vikings have members that hail from six different countries, including citizens from the United States, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand and Norway. In addition, two of the three CSU coaches are from the United Kingdom in head coach Pete Curtis and graduate assistant Steve Kehoe.
HEAD COACH Pete Curtis: Pete Curtis is in his sixth year at Cleveland State after five years at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Curtis is the eighth coach in the history of CSU men's soccer. Curtis was named Horizon League co-coach of the year in 2002 and last season put one player on the All-Horizon League first team and two players on the second team.
UP NEXT: The Vikings head to Western New York for a non-conference match with Niagara on Tuesday, Oct 4 at 3:00 p.m. They return home to face conference foe UIC on Sunday, Oct. 9. That will be the first game of a doubleheader with the Cleveland State women. Kick off is set for 11:00 a.m.
