Men's Soccer Begins Regular-Season Homestretch Saturday at Cincinnati
10/24/2008 9:46:35 AM | Men's Soccer
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse (7-4-3, 3-4-1) starts a brief two-game road swing on Saturday, Oct. 25 when it travels to Cincinnati for a 7 p.m. contest against the Bearcats at Gettler Stadium. The Orange has three BIG EAST games remaining in the 2008 regular-season and is angling for a conference championship berth.
SU has won its last two games, defeating DePaul on Oct. 18 (1-0) and Adelphi (3-2) on Oct. 21. The team is currently sixth in the BIG EAST Red Division, two points ahead of Rutgers heading into this weekend.
ABOUT THE ORANGE
The Orange is riding a two-game winning streak, including a 3-2 victory against Adelphi in its final non-conference match. The win secured an unbeaten record (4-0-2) for the team in non-league games for the third year in a row.
Senior forward Spencer Schomaker vaulted to the top of the Orange’s scoring chart with a hat trick against Adelphi. Schomaker leads the Orange with 14 points. He is tied for the squad lead in both goals (5) and assists (4). The Seattle, Wash. native is having by far his best collegiate season, recording career bests in points, goals, and assists.
Schomaker and his mates have found their scoring touch this season. With three matches still remaining, SU has 20 goals which equals its 2003 total and is more than it had in 2004 (15), 2005 (15), 2006 (18) and just one shy of last year’s total (21).
Syracuse has a goals-against average of 0.94 and eight shutouts. Senior goalkeeper Robert Cavicchia has been the keeper of record in every match this season and has 60 saves on the year. Classmate Karol Wasielewski is the reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week. Wasielewski recorded his first point of the season against Adelphi when he assisted on Schomaker’s second goal.
SCHOMAKER NOTCHES FIRST ORANGE HAT TRICK SINCE 2001
Schomaker tallied all three Orange goals in a 3-2 victory against Adelphi in its most recent outing on Oct. 21. It was the first hat trick by an SU player since Kirk Johnson achieved the feat against Providence in 2001. Schomaker’s three goals and six points were both career highs. They also tied the SU Soccer Stadium records for points and goals. Schomaker’s hat trick was the fourth by an Orange man and sixth overall since the SU Soccer Stadium opened in 1996.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
The Bearcats are one of the youngest teams in the nation this season. Of the 27 players on the Cincinnati roster, 22 are either freshmen or sophomores. The team's lone senior is Brad Simpson who will honored in a brief Senior Night ceremony prior to Saturday's contest. The Bearcats enter this weekend with 5-8-2 record including a 2-5-1 mark in the BIG EAST. They are currently in last place in the Red Division standings.
Simpson (3) and Brandon Stelmak (4) have combined for seven of the team’s 10 goals this year. Matt Williams has started every match between the posts. Despite surrendering 18 goals, he has recorded seven shutouts in 2008 and is the league's reigning Goalkeeper of the Week.
Hylton Dayes is in his eighth season as the head coach at Cincinnati. In 2006, he guided the club to the Red Division title and the school’s third NCAA Tournament berth. Dayes owns an overall coaching record of 166-146-40, including 11 years as the head coach of Wright State’s men’s and women’s teams.
SYRACUSE-CINCINNATI SERIES
This will be the fourth time the Orange and the Bearcats have squared off on the pitch. Syracuse owns a 2-1 advantage in the series with each team defending its home turf. Syracuse posted home wins in 2005 (2-1) and 2007 (1-0). The Bearcats shut out the Orange, 3-0, in its first trip to Gettler Stadium in 2006.
