Orange Seeks 50th Soccer Stadium Win on Sunday
9/29/2006 7:12:39 PM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - After two consecutive road matches, the Orange men’s soccer team (4-5-1, 0-5-1) returns to the SU Soccer Stadium for an important BIG EAST Red Division match against Louisville on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m. The Orange owns a 49-36-7 overall record at the SU Soccer Stadium. Its next home victory will be SU’s 50th at the facility, which opened its gates for the 1996 season.
In the first 10 full years as the home of Orange soccer the men’s team has posted at least five home victories six times. This year Syracuse is 3-2 at home.
Sunday’s match is shaping up to be a critical one for both teams as the two clubs battle for position in the conference standings. The Orange picked up its first point in its most recent outing, recording a 1-1 draw at #23 St. John’s on Sept. 27. Two of the Cardinals three victories in 2006 have come against league foes and Louisville enters this weekend’s matches with six points, tied with DePaul and Rutgers for fourth in the division standings. The top six in the division qualify for the conference tournament.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
Louisville is 3-6-1 overall and has lost four of its last five games with its only win in that span coming against Marquette on Sept. 17 by the score of 4-0. It’s only road victory of 2006 was on Sept. 8 at Pitsburgh, 2-1, in overtime. The Cardinals have not scored a goal since its drubbing of the Golden Eagles. They were shut out against St. John’s on Sept. 23, 1-0, and at Cincinnati on Sept. 27, 3-0, in their two most recent contests.
Head coach Ken Lolla is in his first season with the Cardinals after guiding Akron to an 18-1-4 record and a No. 5 final ranking in the NSCAA national poll in 2005. Lolla spent 13 seasons with the Zips, won eight Mid-American Conference crowns and directed them to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a spot in last year’s Elite Eight.
The Cardinals most dynamic offensive player is David Guzman, who ranks seventh in the BIG EAST in points (12) and he is tied for fourth in the conference with five goals. Frank Jonke is second on the club with 11 points, including a team-best three assists. The duo is responsible for 23 of the Cardinals 40 points and no one else on the team has more than three points. Goalkeeper David Simolike is tied with SU’s Robert Cavicchia for fifth in the BIG EAST with 38 saves.
CAVICCHIA MAKES 10 SAVES AT ST. JOHN’S
Sophomore goalkeeper Robert Cavicchia totaled 10 saves to help the Orange earn a 1-1 draw at nationally-ranked St. John’s on Sept. 27. Three of his 10 stops came in the overtime periods to help preserve the tie. The performance elevated him into a tie for fifth in the BIG EAST with 38 saves on the season. Cavicchia also ranks seventh in the league in saves per game at 4.22. He has the second-most saves in the league against conference opponents (30). Earlier this season, Cavicchia made his 100th career save versus Connecticut on Sept. 17.
Cavicchia owns a career saves per game mark of 4.1 in 28 matches and has 114 saves. He is three saves away from tying Jay Nigrini, who ranks 10th in career saves at SU, making 117 from 1993-96. Cavicchia also owns a career goals against average of 1.10, the third-best career mark in school history.
WOODRUFF ENDS RED STORM’S SHUTOUT STREAK
Freshman Hansen Woodruff has a knack for coming big for SU with time winding down. He scored the equlizer against the Red Storm with 2:40 left to play in regulation and the Orange went on to tie St. John’s, 1-1, at Belson Stadium on Sept. 27. The goal was the first allowed by the Red Storm in more than three games and ended the team’s shutout streak which had reached more than 453 minutes. It was Woodruff’s third goal of the season and the second time he squared a match with under three minutes to play this year. The Stuart, Fla. native ranks second on the team in points (8) and goals (3). Against Providence on Sept. 14., Woodruff netted the game-tying tally with less than two minutes left to even the contest at 2-2. Woodruff also picked up an assist on SU’s opening goal of the game against the Friars and equaled his career high in the match with three points. He made his first career start in the Providence game.
SCHOMAKER MAKES FIRST START OF 2006
Sophomore Spencer Schomaker earned his first start of the 2006 campaign on Sept. 27 at St. John’s. He recorded four shots in the match, all of which were on goal. He has appeared in SU’s last three matches after missing the first seven games of the year with a knee injury suffered during the summer. Schomaker ranked third on the Orange last season with six points (2g, 2a).
THE SYRACUSE-LOUISVILLE SERIES
The Orange and Cardinals have met once previously. The two teams squared off for the first time last season with the Orange winning by the score of 2-1 in two overtimes at Cardinal Park. This year’s encounter represents Louisville’s first trip to Syracuse in the series.
