Men' Soccer to Host First BIG EAST Matches
9/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Golden Eagles host Cincinnati, Louisville in weekend matches
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MILWAUKEE ? Two familiar foes invade Valley Fields for Marquette men?s soccer?s first home contests against BIG EAST opponents. Marquette will host Cincinnati on Friday, September 23 at 7 p.m. and will host Louisville in the second match of a doubleheader on Sunday, September 25 at 3 p.m. at Valley Fields.
Marquette is coming off a 0-1-1 opening weekend in BIG EAST play in which it tied Syracuse and lost to no. 10 St. John?s on the road. This weekend doesn?t get any easier for Marquette as Cincinnati leads the Red Division with seven points and Louisville is close behind with four. Both Cincinnati and Louisville are coming off wins over no. 1 ranked Connecticut last weekend.
"The results of our opponents against good competition last weekend were impressive," head coach Steve Adlard said. "We go into the weekend mindful of how difficult it will be."
Marquette will have the added benefit of being at home, something that was a definite advantage in the days of Conference USA. Despite being at home, Adlard is aware that any advantage gained will be offset by the quality of the opponent and the fact that MU has a history with Cincinnati and Louisville.
"Last weekend's results reflect a dominance of having a home field advantage," Adlard said. "The rigors of travel are definitely a factor. Because we've played these opponents for a long time, there is a different agenda."
One of the surprises early in the BIG EAST is Cincinnati. Head coach Hylton Dayes always has a tough team, but his team appears to be ready for what the BIG EAST has to offer. The Bearcats are undefeated in league play, entering the weekend at 2-0-1, owning wins over Louisville and no. 1 ranked Connecticut along with a tie to Providence. However, Cincinnati is only 3-2-1 overall on the young season.
"Cincinnati beat Ohio State in the preseason and played very well against UConn," Adlard said. "Cincinnati won Conference USA two years ago. We know that they can play."
Cincinnati?s Omar Cummings earned BIG EAST Co-Player-of-the-Week honors with his two-goal performance in the win over Connecticut. He has three goals on the season. Goalkeeper Mike Vessels has only allowed one goal in the last two games, but he hasn?t exactly been a brick wall all season, allowing nine.
Like Cincinnati, Louisville has offered quite the surprising start to its BIG EAST season. The Cardinals come into the weekend at 1-1-1 in conference play also defeating the nation?s top ranked team in Connecticut and tying Providence in its most recent matches. Louisville meets Notre Dame before visiting Marquette on Sunday.
"Louisville has been improving every year," Adlard said. "We have the historical perspective of knowing how they play, but they are still a very good team."
Louisville has had eight different players score goals on the season. Only one, Frank Jonke, has scored more than once this year. Goalkeeper Charlie Edwards has allowed eight goals and owns a 1.10 goals against average.
Despite what his opponents may do, Adlard knows its up to how his team plays if they are going to be successful. While limiting the opponent's to just three goals on the season, he stated his team needs to be more aggressive in the offensive end.
"Things have been going well organizationally from back to front. It's not about the defense; it's more that we're playing like a team and staying organized," Adlard said. "But we have to put an emphasis on finishing. We're creating opportunities, but we're just not taking the chances to finish."
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