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Cleveland State Set to Play Butler in the Horizon League Championship Semifinals

Cleveland State Set to Play Butler in the Horizon League Championship Semifinals
Posted: Nov 09, 2010

Nov. 9, 2010

Contact: Dan Carr

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No. 4 Cleveland State (9-9-1, 5-3-1 HL) at No. 1 Butler (15-0-2, 7-0-1 HL)
Date: Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
Time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
Site: Butler Bowl (5,500) - Indianapolis, Ind.
Series: Butler leads, 16-4-2
Last Meeting: @ Butler 0, CSU 0 (11/5/10)

SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State's men's soccer team is in the Horizon League Championship semifinals for the third consecutive season, and the Vikings will play top-seeded Butler on Friday (Nov. 12) at 2:30 p.m. for the chance to play in their second Horizon League Championship match in the past three years. CSU, the tournament's No. 4 seed, opened the postseason with a 2-1 victory over No. 5 Detroit on Tuesday (Nov. 9).

REVIEWING TUESDAY'S MATCH: Cleveland State opened the 2010 Horizon League Championship with a first round match. Below is a recap of that contest:

Match 19: CSU 2, Detroit 1 (Nov. 9, Cleveland, Ohio)
Audric Kilroy scored his first two goals of the season in the first half and the Vikings withstood a rally by the Titans in the second half to defeat Detroit, 2-1, in the first round of the Horizon League Championship postseason tournament. John Wargo and Manuel Conde tallied assists in the win, while goalkeeper Brad Stuver recorded six saves.

2010 SEASON PREVIEW: After defeating top-ranked Akron and tying No. 6 Butler, the Vikings are heading into the postseason with the confidence that they can beat anybody. Head coach Ali Kazemaini has taken a group of young players who lacked collegiate playing experience and has turned them into one of the top teams in the Horizon League. Two of the top returning players from last season, Admir Suljevic and Justin Mancine, have been inactive for most of the year while battling injuries, and newcomers have accounted for more than half of the team's starts this year, but the Vikings' season has still been quite successful, with Cleveland State earning the right to host a playoff match for the third straight year. Manuel Conde (3 goals, 3 assists, 9 points), Aaron Adkins (3-2-8), John Wargo (3-3-9) and Aslinn Rodas (3-2-8). have led a balanced offensive attack. Adkins, Rodas and Audric Kilroy, (2-1-5), have been the team's leading forwards. In the midfield, a solid rotation of Conde, Wargo, Jeff Baker, Brian Donnelly (who has a goal and an assist on the season) and Cameron Eisses (who has also scored a goal this year) have helped CSU control the ball all over the field. Defensively the Vikings have been led by freshmen Justin Cree and Zach Ellis-Hayden, with sophomore John Gulden and junior Christopher Koy giving strong performances in the last few weeks. Goalkeeper Brad Stuver, a three-time Horizon League Player of the Week honoree and the conference's season save leader (80), has given Cleveland State a dependable and sure-handed leader in the net.

TAKING ON THE BEST: The past two weeks the Vikings have faced two of the best teams in the country, Akron and Butler, and have more than held their own. CSU handed Akron, which had entered the contest unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the country, a 2-1 defeat on Oct. 30. The Vikings then played on the road against No. 6 Butler on Nov. 5, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in a 0-0 tie.

THE MAN IN PINK: Goalkeeper Brad Stuver, donning a pink jersey for most games this year, had yet another great performance in the win over Detroit, recording six saves. Stuver finished the regular season as the Horizon League's save leader with 74, having made four more stops than UIC's Steve Purdy, who finished second with 70. Stuver has three shutouts in 2010, including blanking Butler, the No. 6 team in the nation, in the final match of the regular season.

...AND EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Brad Stuver's seven save performance against Butler last Friday (Nov. 5) earned the sophomore Horizon League Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week, making the sophomore the only player to accomplish that feat. This is the third time this year that Stuver has been named player of the week, the most of any player in the conference. Stuver previously earned the honor on Oct. 11 after helping the Vikings to shutouts against Pittsburgh and Valparaiso, and again last week (Nov. 1) following a five save performance against Akron.

ELLIS-HAYDEN RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY: After helping the Vikings hold Butler scoreless on Friday, freshman defender Zach Ellis-Hayden was named to CollegeSoccerNews.com's National Team of the Week. Ellis-Hayden made a clutch save on a shot that went past Stuver towards the net, getting in front of the ball just in time to make the save and preserve the shutout.

CSU TOURNEY HISTORY: With Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Detroit, Cleveland State is now 4-0 in Horizon League Championship playoff matches played at Krenzler Field since 2001. The Vikings defeated Green Bay, 2-1, in 2002, beat Wright State, 2-1, in 2008 and won an overtime shootout against UIC last year. All four have been first round contests. The win over Detroit improves CSU's postseason record to 6-9 since the Midwestern Collegiate Conference became the Horizon League.

PROTECTING THIS HOUSE: The Vikings have done a very good job of protecting their home field this season, owning an .800 winning percentage in games at Krenzler Field this year. Cleveland State went 8-2 overall and 4-1 against Horizon League competition at home, outscoring opponents 15-7.

NEXT UP: A win against Butler would place the Vikings in the Horizon League Championship match, which will be played on Sunday (Nov. 14) at 1:00 p.m. in Indianapolis, Ind.