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MATCH #1
Kent State at Cleveland State
Friday, Aug. 17, 2012
Cleveland, Ohio
MATCH #2
Cleveland State at Bowling Green
Sunday, Aug. 19, 2012
Bowling Green, Ohio
THE OPENING KICK
Cleveland State opens the 2012 regular season when the Vikings play two matches this weekend, beginning with the home opener on Friday (Aug. 17) against Kent State at 7:00 p.m. at Krenzler Field. The Vikings then begin a four-match road swing when CSU heads to Bowling Green for a 1:00 p.m. contest on Sunday (Aug. 19). CSU is coming off a season in which it won a school-record 10 matches and finished fourth in the Horizon League at 3-3-1 and returns eight starters and 14 letterwinners from that squad. Head coach Derrek Falor will also combine 14 newcomers, regarded as one of the top recruiting classes in program history, to form this year's squad.
REVIEWING THE LAST TIME OUT
The Vikings opened the preseason by going 0-2-1 in three exhibition matches.Here are brief recaps:
Exhibition #1: Michigan 5, CSU 0 (Aug. 7, Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Michigan scored three first half goals, including the first one on a penalty kick, en route to a 5-0 win over Cleveland State.
Exhibition #2: CSU 1, Oakland 1 (Aug. 9, Cleveland, Ohio)
Cleveland State and Oakland played to a 1-1 tie in the Vikings' second exhibition match of the preseason. Frederike Dubeau scored off a header from Carla Ragone's corner kick in the eighth minute, but the Grizzlies added the equalizer in the 38th minute.
Exhibition #3: Buffalo 1, CSU 0 (Aug. 12, Cleveland, Ohio)
Buffalo's Stephanie Velez scored at the 25:13 mark of the first half and two Bull goalkeepers combined for four saves as Buffalo blanked the Vikings, 1-0. The Vikings took six shots, while Sarah Wood made five saves in 90 minutes in goal.
VIKINGS TABBED FIFTH IN HORIZON LEAGUE POLL
Cleveland State has been picked to finish fifth in the 2012 Horizon League Preseason Poll that was released on Wednesday. Milwaukee, which received five first place votes, and Detroit, which garnered the other three, tied for first with 44 points. They were followed by Valparaiso (35 points), Wright State (34), CSU (24), Loyola (23), Green Bay (12) and Youngstown State (8).
VIDOVIC RETURNS UP TOP
Junior Taylor Vidovic returns as one of CSU's top offensive threats after earning second team All-Horizon League accolades last season. Vidovic led the squad in goals (7) and points (15) last season, ranking second in the league in goals. She begins her third season ranked fifth on the all-time career list at CSU in both goals (8) and points (19).
... AND EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
Taylor Vidovic was honored with a spot on the College Sports Madness Preseason All-Horizon League first team. Vidovic was the lone Viking to earn a spot on the squad.
DUBEAU NETS PRESEASON GOAL
Junior Frederike Dubeau netted Cleveland State's lone goal in three preseason exhibition matches, scoring in the 1-1 tie with Oakland (Aug. 9). Dubeau's goal came in the eighth minute when she headed in a corner kick from Carla Ragone.
EARLY START
The Vikings regular season opener on Friday (Aug. 17) will mark the earliest start to a season in program history. It will better the old mark by two days as CSU opened the 2011 season at Kent State on Aug. 19.
DOUBLE DIGIT WINS
CSU reached double digit wins for the first time in program history last year, winning 10 matches. The old mark was nine wins in 2011.
WOOD BACK IN GOAL
Freshman Sarah Wood returns in goal for the Vikings after having her season cut short last year when she injured her knee in the second match of the season. In three exhibition matches, Wood played 225 minutes and made 16 saves.
CAPTAINS OF THE VIKING SHIP
Seniors Jaime Avona and Valerie Stahl will serve as team captains. Both players have been mainstays in the program for the last three years. Avona has played in 53 matches with 51 starts, scoring four goals with two assists. Stahl has started all 54 matches in her career, totaling 11 points with five goals and one assist, while anchoring CSU's defense.
ALL-OHIO
CSU's freshman class comes in as one of the most talented classes in program history, featuring four players who were All-Ohio selections as seniors in high school. Jen Jankowski, Erin O'Toole and Allie Sieradzki were first team picks, while Chloe Fadenholz was a second team honoree.
UP NEXT
The Vikings are back in action two times next weekend, heading to IUPUI for a 5:30 p.m. match on Friday (Aug. 24) before traveling to Eastern Illinois on Sunday (Aug. 26) for a 2:00 p.m. match.
