Nov. 1, 2010
Contact: Dan Carr
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Fresh off of helping the Cleveland State men's soccer team to one of the biggest victories in program history, a 2-1 win against previously top-ranked Akron, sophomore goalkeeper Brad Stuver has been selected as the Horizon League's Men's Soccer Player of the Week.
The league office made the announcement on Monday (Nov. 1).
"[Stuver] is a big part of what we've been doing all year long," head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "He's been making plays all season - making saves, catching corner kicks - he's been huge, and I'm happy that his efforts are getting rewarded."
Akron entered the match on Saturday (Oct. 30) with the top-scoring offense in the country, but could only manage a goal on a penalty kick against Stuver and the Vikings. Stuver recorded five stops in the win.
Akron outshot CSU, 12-6, and held a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal but managed only the one score against Stuver and the CSU defense.
"Having someone like Brad in net relieves some of the pressure off our defense," Kazemaini said. "Knowing that he's in there gives our players confidence, and that in turn has helped some of our younger defenders play better."
This is the second time this season Stuver has been honored as the Men's Soccer Player of the Week. Stuver previously won the award for the week of Oct. 4 after leading the Vikings to back-to-back shutouts against Pittsburgh and Valparaiso.
"I think the sky is the limit for Brad," Kazemaini said. "If he keeps playing like this, there's no reason to think he won't be playing at the next level when he graduates. I'm sure this won't be the last honor Brad receives."
Cleveland State (8-9, 4-3 HL) will wrap up the regular season on Friday (Nov. 5) with a 10:00 a.m. match at Butler (15-0-1, 7-0 HL) that will play an important part in determining the seeding for the Horizon League Championship. Already assured a spot in the postseason, Cleveland State would be guaranteed of at least home field advantage in a first round match with a win, while loss could place CSU anwhere from fourth to sixth in the final standings.
