University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 5 Men's Soccer Opens BIG EAST Season
9/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
A Closer Look At The Opponents
Cincinnati (2-2-0, 1-0-0)
The Bearcats opened their inaugural BIG EAST campaign with a 4-3 overtime win against Louisville on September 7, before dropping a 1-0 decision to Butler to finish out the week. Cincinnati is led on the attack by Mike Dwyer and Tony Morelli, who have each scored two goals on the season, while Bearcat keeper Mike Vessells has tallied 12 saves through four games and holds a 1.98 goals against average.
Series Info
The Bearcats lead the all-time series 1-0, with the lone meeting coming in 1999 when Cincinnati defeated the Huskies, 2-1, in Storrs, Conn. on Oct. 15.
Louisville (2-3-0, 0-1-0)
The Cardinals host Providence Friday night before welcoming the Huskies Sunday afternoon. Louisville fell 4-3 in overtime to Cincinnati in the conference opener for both teams on Sept. 7. Over the weekend, the Cardinals traveled to the Michigan Invitational where they spilt games against Michigan (L, 1-0) and Michigan State (W, 1-0). Six players have netted goals so far in 2005, with Frank Jonke tallying an additional four assists for a team-leading six points.
Series Info
This is the first meeting between the Huskies and Cardinals.
UConn Rises In The Rankings
The UConn men’s soccer team is ranked No. 1 in this week’s Soccer America poll, released Monday on the magazine’s Web site. The Huskies, who have not been No. 1 since the start of the 2001 season following the 2000 national championship, moved to 4-0-0 on the year with wins over George Mason and UNC Greensboro. In each of the other three major polls (NSCAA, College Soccer News and Soccer Times), UConn is firmly entrenched in the top five after starting the year scattered throughout top 20 positions.
Looking Back
The Huskies lengthened their season-opening win streak to four games this weekend, as they knocked off George Mason and UNC Greensboro en route to winning the adidas-Brown Classic in Providence, R.I. Mpho Moloi (Soweto, South Africa), Willis Forko (Houston, Texas) and Adam Schuerman (Brookfield, Wis.) all earned All-Tournament honors, while Chukwudi Chijindu (Fontana, Calif.) garnered Offensive MVP accolades after posting a goal in each of the two games.
Despite giving up its first goal of the season against George Mason, UConn went on to capture the game 2-1 off goals from Julius James (Maloney Gardens, Trinidad) and Chijindu. The Patriots scored about 28 minutes into the first half when Karim Manneh connected on pass from Dan Ames to send the ball into the back of the net from about six yards out. It took the Huskies less than eight minutes into the second frame to tie up the game, as James was able to score on a header off Kevin Burns’ (Greenfield, Ind.) perfectly placed free kick. About six minutes later, the Huskies took the lead for good when they scored on Chijindu’s goal off a pass from David Fromayan (Bay Shore, N.Y.) and Moshe Shalchon (Rishon Lizioh, Israel).
UConn seemed to take a more strategic approach in the tournament championship game against UNC Greensboro, relying on carefully placed passes and well-timed runs. Neither team was able to score in the first period, despite a number of golden opportunities on both sides. The Huskies sprang into action in the second period, posting their first goal just two minutes into play. O’Brian White (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) fielded a pass from Shalchon and then fed into Ryan Cordeiro (Highland Mills, N.Y.), who turned and punched into the lower right corner of the net to put UConn on top. About thirty minutes later, Schuerman sent a long ball from the goal down field to Stanley Ford (Liverpool, N.Y.), who passed it to Chijindu in time to send a rocket shot into the goal from about 18 yards out.
Chijindu, Moloi Take Home Weekly Honors
Chukwudi Chijindu (Fontana, Calif.) and Mpho Moloi (Soweto, South Africa) each garnered accolades following UConn’s performance in the adidas-Brown Classic. Chijindu earned National Player of the Week honors Monday after leading the No. 8 University of Connecticut men’s soccer team to a first place finish in the adidas-Brown Classic over the weekend in Providence, R.I., as announced on TopDrawerSoccer.com. This is the first national honor for the sophomore forward, who received conference accolades in his freshman campaign in 2004.
Chijindu scored the game-winning goal Friday against George Mason to clinch UConn’s first come-from-behind victory of the year. On Sunday against nationally-ranked UNC Greensboro, Chijindu posted his second goal of the tournament to cement the win and garner tournament offensive MVP honors.
Moloi was selected as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, as well as a member of the Soccer America Team of the Week. The senior midfielder received these honors for his performance at the adidas-Brown Classic over the weekend, adding to his all-tournament team accolades. Moloi, a 2005 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy candidate, was instrumental in helping UConn (4-0-0) shut out No. 24-ranked UNC Greensboro, 2-0, on Sunday in Providence. Spartan leading scorer and fellow Hermann Trophy nominee, Randi Patterson, was held to three shots on the day, none of which were on goal. The senior also played a crucial role in the Huskies’ 2-1 come-from-behind victory over George Mason in the first game of the tournament Friday night.
Spreading the Wealth
In the Huskies’ first two games of the year, four different players scored the team’s first four games of the year. Kevin Burns, Ryan Cordeiro, Willis Forko and Moshe Shalchon each found the back of the net for UConn, with Shalchon’s goal against St. Peter’s standing as his first career tally.
Deuces Wild
The Huskies have scored two goals in each of their four games this season, giving them enough to win each contest.
9/2 St. Peter’s 2-0 9/9 George Mason W, 2-1
9/4 Hartwick 2-0 9/11 UNC Greensboro W, 2-0
Hermann Trophy Watch List
Connecticut men’s soccer players Mpho Moloi (Soweto, South Africa) and Julius James (Maloney Gardens, Trinidad) are two of 25 players from around the nation named candidates for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual honor in intercollegiate soccer. The list was compiled by a coaching panel for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), which serves as the official selection body for the MAC’s Hermann Trophy.
Huskies On The Airwaves
With the TV game against UNC Greensboro (W, 2-0) behind them, the Huskies are set to take the national stage next weekend. The St. John’s contest on September 23 is part of an eight-game deal between the NSCAA and Fox Soccer Channel that was announced Wednesday, Sept. 7. The Huskies and Red Storm will face off at approximately 8:00 p.m. live on Fox Soccer Channel, available from all major cable companies.
Media Information
WHUS Radio: UConn’s campus radio station WHUS (91.7 FM) will broadcast nine of 10 home Husky men’s soccer games, as well as selected road contests, in 2005. WHUS’ broadcasts can be heard live on the Internet at WHUS.org and will be linked to UConnHuskies.com.
E-mail: If you would like the latest Connecticut men’s soccer news e-mailed directly to you as soon as it breaks, e-mail men’s soccer contact Alissa Clendenen at alissa.clendenen@uconn.edu with the message "Men’s Soccer E-mail" as the subject and you will receive every update.
Web: Please visit UConnHuskies.com for up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other UConn athletic department information.
