Oct. 23, 2007
Contact: Stefan Scheibelhoffer
SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State (3-10-2, 0-5-1 HL) will attempt to capture its first conference win this season on Friday (Oct. 26) when the Vikings take on Detroit (4-8-5, 0-4-3 HL) at Krenzler Field at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings then travel to Durham, N.C. to take on 23rd-ranked Duke (7-5-0) on Sunday (Oct. 28) at 6:00 p.m.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings continued league play with a pair of losses. Here is a synopsis of what happened:
Match 14: Butler 2, CSU 1 (Oct. 19)-Cleveland, Ohio. Butler scored a goal in the 59th minute on a one-timer to down the Vikings 2-1. Tom Sadd scored his first goal of the season as he left footed a shot at the top of the box off a pass from Josh Williams.
Match 15: Wright State 2, CSU 1 (Oct. 21)-Fairborn, Ohio Wright State scored a goal in the 77th minute to put the Raiders up 2-1 to down the Vikings on Sunday (Oct. 21). Eric Tattersall scored his first goal of the season in the defeat.
PREVIEWING THE VIKINGS: The Vikings are bolstered by the return of nine starters and 14 lettermen off last year's squad that posted the nation's largest improvement in wins from one year to the next. Add to the mix 10 first year players and CSU easily has its deepest lineup in at least the last decade. The offense has struggled to find the net through the season, scoring just 12 times with no player having more than two markers. The midfield is currently made up of sophomores Josh Williams and Anthony Baraldi and junior Anthony Rucci. The defense was much improved in 2006, holding opponents to 31 goals in 18 matches (down from 65 in 2005). The improvement has continued this year as sophomores Mike Barton and Mitch Boyer, senior Tom Sadd and freshman Audric Kilroy have anchored the unit. Freshman Nick Harpel (3-5-2, 1.31 gaa, 51 saves) and sophomore Dan Duric (0-5, 2.00 gaa, 15 saves) have platooned between the pipes.
VIKINGS AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS: When the Vikings take on 23rd ranked Duke, it will mark the first time since September 10th, 2005 when CSU lost to Akron, 12-2, that CSU has faced a nationally-ranked opponent.
BOYER LEADS THE TEAM IN POINTS: Mitch Boyer continues to lead the team in points with six. The defender has made the most of his opportunities by dishing out four assists, which ranks him second in the league, while scoring a goal. Boyer is also third on the team in shots (17) and tied for third on the team in shots on goal (9).
SENIOR DAY: Viking seniors Tom Sadd and Roshard Gilbert will be honored in pre-match ceremonies on Friday (Oct. 26) before the Vikings take on Detroit.
Tom Sadd: Sadd came to CSU's campus in 2004 when he played in seven games and scored one goal. Sadd, who hails from Christchurch, New Zealand, has scored four career goals and has been part of the Viking core defense. Sadd has been named to the Dean's list for three straight semesters with a marketing major.
Roshard Gilbert: Roshard Gilbert came to the Vikings in 2005. The senior started all 17 matches that season and tallied a pair of goals (2), and assists (2). For his career, Gilbert has scored three goals for the Vikings. Gilbert is majoring in communications.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: Even though their record might not indicate it, the Vikings continue to play well on defense. They have only given up 23 goals in 15 matches, however seven of those goals were in a two game stretch. Nick Harpel and Dan Duric have combined for a goals against average of 1.49.
ALL THREE WINS ARE SHUTOUTS: In all three Viking wins, Nick Harpel pitched a shutout which ranks him tied for fifth in the league in that category. Two of the shutouts were back to back against Niagara (Sept. 2) and Western Michigan (Sept. 5).
A LOCAL FLAVOR: Two years ago, the soccer roster consisted of seven players who lived outside of the United States and only five who hailed from the greater Cleveland area. It hasn't taken long for Ali Kazemaini to change that as the only members of the 2007 Vikings to live outside of the U.S. are seniors Tom Sadd (Christchurch, New Zealand) and Roshard Gilbert (Scarborough, Ont.) and 22 of the 26 players are from Ohio (including 11 from greater Cleveland).
10 VIKINGS HAVE SCORED GOALS: Two Vikings have joined the goal scoring list for CSU. Tom Sadd and Eric Tattersall each scored goals for the Vikings over the weekend, giving CSU a total of 10 different players who have scored goals. George Kephart leads the team in goals with two.
WILLIAMS SECOND ON THE TEAM IN POINTS: With his two assists last weekend, Josh Williams is second on the team in points with five. He has one goal and three assists.
TAKING ON THE DUKE: When CSU takes on 23rd ranked Duke on Sunday (Oct. 28), it will be the first time in program history that CSU will take on Duke. It will also mark the first time since the 1993 season that CSU will match up against a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference, as it lost to Maryland, 1-0.
VIKING IN ONE GOAL GAMES: CSU has been in a lot of one-goal games the last several years. The Vikings have lost four consecutive matches by one goal as they are 2-6 in one goal matches this year, including 0-4 in the Horizon League. In 2006, the Vikings were 3-2 in one-goal decisions and 0-5 in 2005.
NEXT UP: The Vikings close out their regular season next weekend when they travel to Valparaiso on Friday (Nov 2) for a 4:00 p.m. match.
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