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Syracuse University
Loyola
Orange Defends Mayor's Cup Title This Weekend
9/10/2009 3:52:58 PM | Men's Soccer
Game Notes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse (1-2-0) looks to defend its Mayor's Cup title with a pair of matches this weekend at Hartwick's Elmore Field. The Orange will face Loyola (1-1-1) in the tournament's opening match on Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. and squares off against its second Patriot League opponent of the season in Bucknell (2-1-0) on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 12 p.m.
ABOUT THE MAYOR'S CUP
The Mayor's Cup started in 1976 and was the first truly national collegiate soccer tournament, attracting outstanding teams from across the country to battle the local sides - Hartwick College and Oneonta State - at a time when both were top NCAA Division I teams. Among the teams that have made the trip to Oneonta are Virginia, American University, San Jose State, Alabama A&M, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and, closer to home, Penn State, Cleveland State, and Rutgers and Syracuse.
This year marks the 34th Mayor's Cup. Hartwick has the most titles of any school, winning the tournament 17 times and tying Pittsburgh for the championship in 1997. Syracuse is the defending tournament champion having won the crown for the first time in 2008 with wins against UNC-Wilmington and Florida Gulf Coast.
A QUICK TRIP HOME
Orange head coach Dean Foti is an Oneonta, N.Y. native so this weekend's tournament represents a trip back to his old stomping grounds. Foti played his scholastic soccer at Oneonta High School and came to SU first as a player from 1979-82 and then rejoined the program as head coach in 1991. The two colleges in Oneonta - Hartwick and Oneonta State - have been fixtures on SU's schedule over the years (Oneonta State is now Division III). The city is also home to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
ORANGE TIED FOR SECOND IN THE LEAGUE IN GOALS
Syracuse notched two goals in each of its first three games. The Orange's six goals on the year is tied for second in the BIG EAST with Notre Dame and Pittsburgh heading into this weekend. Cincinnati leads the league in goals scored with 12 in its opening three matches. Senior forward Hansen Woodruff leads the team and is tied with Mike McDade (Pittsburgh), Bright Dike (Notre Dame) and Branden Stelmak (Cincinnati) for the conference's individual goals lead with three.
JONES MAKES 12 SAVES IN FIRST START
Redshirt freshman goalie Ryan Jones made his second appearance and first career start Monday at Colgate. The Clifton Park, N.Y. native stopped 12 shots in the match, including seven in the second half and overtime. His 12 saves were the most by an individual SU keeper since Oct. 14, 2003 when Alim Karim finished with 12 saves in a 1-1 draw versus Rutgers and it is the highest save total by BIG EAST goalkeeper so far this season. Overall, Jones leads the BIG EAST in saves per game (7.5). He has played 142 minutes in the last two games and has 15 stops.
SCOUTING LOYOLA (MD.)
The Greyhounds are receiving votes in this week's NSCAA/adidas and SoccerTimes.com national rankings. They are also listed 26th in the latest edition of the College Soccer News Top 30. Loyola is 1-1-1 on the season and is unbeaten in its last two outings, a 3-2 win against Mount St. Mary's on Sept. 4 and a 0-0 draw against Quinnipiac on Sept. 7. Following its Friday match with Syracuse, Loyola will face tournament host Hartwick on Sunday.
Junior Glenn Leitch (2g) and senior Jamie Darvill (1g, 2a) are the team's leading scorers with four points each. Leitch netted two of Loyola's three goals in the win versus Mount St. Mary's. Junior goalie Kyle Wittman has 13 saves on the year and recorded his first career shutout versus Quinnipiac.
Loyola head coach Mark Mettrick enters this weekend with a 183-100-28 career record and a 116-50-16 mark in 10 years with the Greyhounds. Mettrick guided the club to one of the most successful campaigns in school history last year as Loyola went 18-2-1 and reached the NCAA Tournament. This weekend is a homecoming of sorts for Mettrick who is a 1988 graduate of Hartwick and was a two-time first-team All-American as a player there.
SYRACUSE-LOYOLA (MD.) SERIES
Syracuse holds a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Greyhounds. The Orange has won the last two meetings, including the most recent encounter in 2006. In the last pairing, Syracuse prevailed 3-2 in overtime after rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the second half.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
The Bison are 2-1-0 in their first three matches with 2-1 wins over Vermont and La Salle. Bucknell will play Hartwick on Friday in its first Mayor's Cup match before facing the Orange on Sunday.
Reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Conor O'Brien tallied eight points (3g, 2a) in the Bison's first three games to earn league player of the week honors on Sept. 8. O'Brien had both goals in the team's win against La Salle and he assisted on both Bucknell goals in the Vermont victory. In addition to O'Brien, Ryan Sappington and Brendan Burgdorf also have goals for the Bison this season. Goalie Tommy Caso has played all 270 minutes between the posts. He has 17 saves and has allowed four goals.
Bucknell is coached by Brendan Nash who is in his 11th year at the helm of the program. Nash owns a 91-77-28 record heading into this weekend. He guided the Bison to the Patriot League Championship and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
SYRACUSE-BUCKNELL SERIES
Sunday's match with Bucknell marks the first time since 1942 the two schools will meet on the pitch. Syracuse holds a 3-1-1 advantage in the all-time series with the teams playing once a year for five consecutive seasons from 1938 to 1942.
