Game 3
Teams: Cleveland State (1-1-0) vs. Loyola (1-0-0)
Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 1 | 7:00 PM
Location: Cleveland, Ohio | Krenzler Field
Follow: Video | Stats
Game 4
Teams: Cleveland State (1-1-0) vs. Xavier (1-0-1)
Date/Time: Monday, Sept. 4 | 7:00 PM
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio | Corcoran Field
Follow: Video | Stats
Opening Whistle
The Vikings will play their first home game of the year on Friday, Sept. 1 against Loyola and then travel to Xavier on Monday, Sept. 4.
Banner Ceremony
Be sure to join us early on Friday evening as Cleveland State will unveil its 2022 Horizon League Regular Season and Tournament Championship banner.
Last Game Out
Cleveland State claimed their first victory of the year on Monday evening, defeating Canisius 4-3, behind Albert Portas's first collegiate hat-trick. Pablo Kawecki was the other goal scorer for the Green and White.
Series History
Loyola holds a 9-4-1 advantage in the all-time series, with last season's game ending in a 1-1 draw in Chicago. The Ramblers haven't visited Cleveland since 2011.
Cleveland State and Xavier will meet for the tenth time, with the Vikings holding a 7-2-0 edge in the series. These two teams haven't met since 2017, with Xavier winning 2-1.
About Loyola
The Ramblers have played just one game this season due to their season opener at Michigan State being canceled early due to weather. Loyola then shutout Lindenwood 2-0 in their home opener.
About Xavier
The Musketeers are unbeaten on the year, 1-0-1, and face No. 5 Marshall on Friday evening before taking on the Vikings. Xavier is coming off a 2-1 win vs. Oakland on Aug. 28 at home. Xavier has scored three goals on the year, all of which were unassisted. Jonny Mennell has played every minute in goal, making six saves.
Watch Lists Times Three
Bojan Kolevski was named to three watch lists to start the 2023 campaign. The senior was recognized on the Hermann Trophy Watch List, which is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year. He was also named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch list as a forward and was also named a Top 100 Player to Watch by Top Drawer Soccer.
A Look Back at Last Season
Cleveland State claimed their first-ever Horizon League Regular Season Championship after going 5-1-3 in league play. The Vikings went on to win their second Horizon League Tournament Championship and make their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament after beating IUPUI on Krenzler Field, 3-0 in the title contest.
For their efforts throughout the year, Sinisa Ubiparipovic was named the #HLMSOC Coach of the Year for the first time, Bojan Koevski was named the Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, while the Vikings had five All-League members with three on the first team; Bojan Kolevski, Pablo Kawecki, Jannis Schmidt, and two on the second team; Hector Gomez and Uros Jevtic.
Key Returners
The Vikings return three players who received Horizon League postseason honors; senior Bojan Kolevski, senior Pablo Kawecki, and sophomore Uros Jevtic.
Preseason Poll
Cleveland State was picked to finish first in the Horizon League preseason poll, as voted on by the league's ten coaches. The Vikings finished with nine of the ten first-place votes for 99 total points. IUPUI was selected second with the final first-place vote for 80 points, and Oakland was third with 71 points.
