Nov. 8, 2002

CLEVELAND - Cleveland State has a strong presence on the Horizon League Men's Soccer All-League teams announced today. Sophomore forward Stephen Ademolu (Windsor, Ontario/Herman), freshman midfielder Adrian Balc (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and Head Coach Pete Curtis all received recognition from the conference.

Ademolu, who led the Vikings with nine goals and 21 points, earned a spot on the first team and on the All-Newcomer squad in addition to being named Newcomer of the Year. He is the 28th first team all-conference selection in CSU history and the second straight Viking to earn Newcomer honors (Joachim Walker earned that accolade in 2001). In an unusual quirk, Ademolu was also tabbed the Peach Belt Freshman Player of the Year last season at UNC-Pembroke.

Like Ademolu, Balc made an immediate impact in his first season at CSU. Balc netted eight goals and four assists en route to being named to both the Second-Team and All-Newcomer squad. Balc led the Vikings with four game-winning goals, including a pair of overtime winners in conference play.

Curtis is only the third CSU coach to be named Coach of the Year by the league, joining former skippers Brian Doyle (1984, '86, '93) and Tom Turner (1988). Curtis guided the Vikings to an 8-10-0 overall record this season, including a 5-2-0 mark in conference play. Picked to finish eighth in the league, CSU earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming league tournament and equaled its overall win total from the past three seasons combined.

UW-Milwaukee's Louis Bennett shared Coach of the Year honors with Curtis, while the Panthers' Antou Jallow was tabbed Player of the Year.

The Vikings face seventh-seeded UW-Green Bay (3-13-0/1-6-0 HL) tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at Krenzler Field. This marks the first time that CSU has ever hosted a conference tournament match.