Men's Soccer Release #10

Oct. 29, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Tebias Mason, Wright State
Senior * Goalkeeper * Santa Rosa, Calif.
Mason posted back-to-back shutouts last week, blanking IPFW 1-0 on Friday and adding a 1-0, overtime triumph over Valparaiso on Sunday. He posted a total of eight saves while lowering his season goals-against average to 1.39 with his third and fourth shutouts of the year. Mason has surrendered only one goal in the Raiders' current four-match winning streak.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending October 28

Frank Patano, Butler
Jr. * F * Franklin Park, Ill.
Patano scored a pair of goals to lead Butler to a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over IPFW on Wednesday. Patano now has 11 goals this season, ranking second in the League in that department.

Bryan Henson, Cleveland State
So. * M * Ashland, Ohio
Henson tied for the team lead with three shots (two on goal) in CSU's two matches over the weekend.

Renato Susnja, Detroit
Jr. * F * Dearborn, Mich.
Susnja posted five points with a pair of goals and an assist in Detroit's 4-0 victory over Cleveland State on Friday night. Susnja leads the Titans with seven goals and 16 points this season.

Keum Sung Kim, Loyola
Sr. * M * Arlington Heights, Ill.
Kim scored the Ramblers' lone goal in a 1-1 draw versus Detroit on Saturday. Kim's third goal of the year was unassisted, coming on a 20-yard shot.

Grant Fernstrum, Milwaukee
Jr. * GK * Green Bay, Ill.
Fernstrum posted a shutout in his first League action of the year, stopping four saves in the Panthers' 1-0 victory. One of his stops came in the final two minutes of regulation.

Brandon Bilbrey, UIC
Sr. * F * Barrington, Ill.
Bilbrey scored his first goal in a UIC uniform to account for the lone Flame goal in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Wisconsin.

Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso
So. * GK * Rockford, Ill.
Schwarz posted 11 saves in Sunday's 1-0 overtime loss to Wright State. He averages 5.64 saves per match this season to rank among the national leaders.

Previous Player-of-the-Week Honorees:
Sept. 3 -- Frank Patano, Butler
Sept. 10 -- Nick Harpel, Cleveland State
Sept. 17 -- Dan O'Brien, Green Bay
Sept. 24 -- Michael Ferguson, Loyola
Oct. 1 -- JC Banks, Green Bay
Oct. 8 -- Ryan Germann, Milwaukee
Oct. 15 -- Michael Ferguson, Loyola
Oct. 22 -- Brian Byrne, Loyola

News From Around the League

Ramblers face pair of local rivals
Loyola has won the regular-season championship, entering the week at 5-0-2 in the League and 9-3-4 overall. The Ramblers tied Denver 1-1 on Saturday in their only action of the week. Loyola has lost only once in its last 13 outings (8-1-4) since Sept. 7.

Senior midfielder Keum Sung Kim scored the lone goal for Loyola, hitting the net from 20 yards out for his third marker of the year. Denver answered in the second half, ending Loyola's six-match shutout streak with a goal in the 76th minute. The goal was the first allowed by Loyola in more than 719 minutes of play.

Junior goalkeeper Brian Byrne stopped four shots to give him 59 saves for the season. He now leads the League with his 0.70 goals-against average and also boasts a loop-best nine shutouts in 2007.

Sophomore forward Michael Ferguson was held off the scoresheet for the first time in six matches but still leads the circuit with 14 goals and 29 points for the season. Ferguson ranks third on the LU all-time single-season goal charts with the highest one-year total by a Rambler since 1984.

Loyola meets two intra-city foes this week, hosting DePaul on Wednesday before closing the Horizon League schedule with a Saturday evening match at Loyola Soccer Park against UIC.Panthers climb to second spot
Milwaukee owns the second seed for the Horizon League Championship, standing at 5-2-1 in League play (5-10-2 overall) following a 1-0 victory at Green Bay on Saturday. The Panthers, who started the year with eight consecutive losses, are now 5-2-2 since Sept. 29.

Junior goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum made his first League appearance of 2007 against the Phoenix, stopping four shots---including one in the final two minutes---to record the shutout victory. The shutout was his first of the season and the 14th of his career, moving Fernstrum into a tie for fourth place on UWM's career charts in that department.

Junior Adam Skalecki registered the match-winner against the Phoenix, hitting the net in the 78th minute. It was the first winning marker of Skalecki's career.

Senior midfielder Zeke Dombrowski leads the Panthers with four goals this year, tying for ninth place on the League charts. Dombrowski's three assists give him 11 points for the year, good for a share of sixth place on that loop chart.

Milwaukee visits cross-town rival Marquette and former Panther coach Louis Bennett on Wednesday night before closing the regular season Nov. 6 at Northern Illinois. Wednesday's match is for the Milwaukee Cup traveling trophy, with the John Lewang Memorial Cup on the line against NIU.

Phoenix lose first-round by
Green Bay finished the regular seasonwith a 4-2-2 League record and currently stands 9-4-4 overall after Saturday night's 1-0 loss to Milwaukee.

The setback was the first home-field loss of the year for the Phoenix, which is now 6-1-2 at Santaga Stadium in 2007. It also ended Green Bay's12-match unbeaten streak dating back to last season.

Junior forward Tosaint Ricketts ranks sixth in the League with 11 points and stands fourth with his five goals this season. Freshman teammate JC Banks also has five goals in 2007, while senior midfielder Dan O'Brien is third in the circuit with five assists.

Junior goalkeeper Adam Stikl ranks third in the League with a 0.83 goals-against average. He had two saves against the Panthers.

The Phoenix is 5-0-0 when scoring at least two goals and 8-0-0 when scoring first this season. Green Bay has led at halftime only three times this year, but has outscored its opponents 15-8 after intermission.

Green Bay closes the regular season on Saturday against nationally-ranked Northwestern. That contest marks the first time this year the Phoenix will play a team in the top 25, although two opponents (Ohio State and Creighton) have moved into the national rankings since facing the Phoenix.

Bulldogs win ciy bragging rights
Butler climbed over the .500 mark with a 3-2 victory over intra-city foe IUPUI on Wednesday, moving to 7-6-4 overall. That record includes a 3-2-2 League ledger.

The victory was also Butler's third in a row overall. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 10-4 during the streak after going scoreless for four consecutive contests immediately prior to this run of success.

Butler trailed 2-0 at halftime before rallying for three goals in the second half. Junior forward Frank Patano hit the net twice, giving him 11 goals for the year (second only to Loyola's Michael Ferguson in that department) with his third multi-goal effort of the year.

Sophomore forward Boris Gatzky is tied for the League lead with six helpers among his 16 points (third-best on that loop list).

Junior goalkeeper Nick Hegeman made his third start of the year against IUPUI, stopping three shots for the victory. He is now 2-1-1 this year for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Fabian Knopfler owns a 1.41 goals-against average as the regular starter for the Bulldogs.

Butler wraps up the regular season at home against Wright State on Thursday. The Bulldogs can secure a winning record for the season with a victory over the resurgent Raiders.

Flames see home-field mystique take a hit
UIC slipped to 6-5-5 overall following a 2-1 loss to Wisconsin on Sunday. The Flames lost at home for the first time in 15 contests, dating back to August, 30, 2006.

The Flames dell behind 1-0 just 87 seconds into the match but tied the match eight minutes later on senior forward Brandon Bilbrey's first career goal. Bilbrey headed home a pass from sophomore midfielder Ian Sarachan to level the match, but Wisconsin scored the match-winner with 3:54 remaining.

Senior forward Cesar Zambrano and freshman striker Matt Spiess share team scoring honors with five goals apiece this year (fourth-best in the League). Zambrano also has four assists for a total of 14 points to rank fourth in the circuit---one spot ahead of Spiess' 11-point total.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja ranks second in the League with a 0.70 goals-against average. He also boasts six shutouts this fall.

UIC has outshot its six League foes by a combined total of 86-37. Overall, the Flames have taken more than twice as many shots as their opponents this year (230-114), including a 10-6 advantage against the Badgers.

The Flames have two matches remaining on the League schedule, beginning Oct. 31 against Valparaiso. UIC closes the regular season on Saturday at Loyola, attempting to gain the third seed with a pair of victories this week.

Raiders continue late-season surge
Wright State has won four matches in a row, improving to 6-11-0 overall with 1-0 victories over IPFW on Friday and against Valparaiso on Sunday. The latter contest also raised WSU's League ledger to 3-4-0.

Senior goalkeeper Tebias Mason notched back-to-back shutouts with a total of eight saves last week, lowering his season goals-against average to 1.39 with four shutouts for the year. Mason's 76 saves this season rank third in the League.

The Raiders continue to rely on their defensive efforts, but the offense is coming around. Wright State has outscored its opponents 6-1 during the winning streak and has seven goals in its last five outings after hitting the net only five times in its first 12 contests of the year.

Freshman defender Andrew Eakle netted his first goal as the match-winner against IPFW, scoring with only 12 seconds remaining in the half. Freshman midfielder Brian Cothern nearly duplicated the feat, hitting the match-winner versus Valparaiso with only 22 seconds left on the clock in the second overtime session. The tally was also Cothern's first marker of 2007.

Wright State closes the regular season with two contests this week. The Raiders visit Butler in a critical League contest on Thursday before visiting IUPUI on Monday, Nov. 5.

Titans stop slide in a big way
Detroit starts the week at 5-9-5 overall after splitting two matches last week. The Titans fell 2-1 at Bowling Green on Wednesday before posting their first League victory of the year, a 4-0 triumph over Cleveland State on Friday.

Junior forward Renato Susnja collected five points against CSU, scoring two goals and setting up another strike. Susnja opened the scoring just 5:36 into the match and added an insurance marker in the 65th minute. The five points are the most by a Titan this year and give Susnja 16 for the year. He ranks third in the League with seven goals and is tied for third in points.

Susnja also set up junior Simon Zahra's second goal of the year before freshman Matt Spencer hit the net for the first time in 2007. UDM outshot the Vikings 21-5 in the match while matching its highest output of the season.

Sophomore midfielder Michael Jonca accounted for the lone Titan goal at Bowling Green, becoming the eighth different player to score a goal for Detroit this fall.

Sophomore goalkeeper Bryan Kloss stopped three Viking shots for his eighth shutout of the year. He ranks second in the League in that category and tops the circuit with 85 saves for the year while compiling a 1.00 goals-against average.

The Titans are idle until the start of the Horizon League Championship.

Crusaders fall at the end
Valparaiso carries a 3-9-3 ledger after a 1-0 overtime loss at Wright State on Sunday. The Crusaders are 1-3-2 in League play with two matches remaining on the loop schedule.

Sunday's match was Valpo's first League outing since Oct. 3, although the Crusaders close the regular season with two more loop showdowns---at UIC on Wednesday and versus Cleveland State on Friday.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz registered a season-high 11 saves against the Raiders, keeping Valpo in contention despite a 28-8 shot disadvantage. Schwarz ranks among the national leaders with an average of 5.64 saves per contest, standing second among League netminders with 79 saves.

Sophomore defender Steve Shively is tied for ninth place on the League charts with four goals this season.

Freshman midfielder Adrian Ortiz remains tied atop the League charts with six assists in 2007, tying for the third-best one-year total in Crusader annals.

Sunday's loss continued a scoring drought for the Valpo, which has managed more than one goal only twice this season. The Crusaders have managed five goals in their last eight contests since Sept. 21. The loss was also the first non-tie in four overtime contests for Valparaiso this season.

Vikings' slide reaches not-so-lucky seven
Cleveland State saw its losing streak hit seven matches with a 4-0 defeat versus Detroit on Friday and a 3-0 setback at #24/23 Duke on Sunday. The Vikings are now 3-12-2 overall and 0-6-1 in League play.

CSU has been outscored 16-3 during its losing streak. The Vikings were outshot 25-5 at Duke. Freshman netminder Nick Harpel stopped three shots while allowing one goal in the second half after sophomore Dan Duric yielded two goals in the opening stanza. Cleveland State also suffered a 21-5 disparity in shots against the Titans.

Cleveland State has scored more than one goal only once this year, a 2-0 victory over Niagara on Sept. 2.

Sophomore defender Mitch Boyer remains atop the team scoring charts with six points off one goal and four assists, standing in a three-way tie for fourth place in the circuit with those four helpers.

Harpel owns a 1.31 goals-against average with three shutouts. His 59 saves are fourth-best on the League charts this season.

Cleveland State has one last chance to claim that elusive first League victory of 2007. The Vikings visit Valparaiso in the regular-season finale Friday night.