Men's Soccer Release #11

Nov. 5, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

Horizon League Player of the Week

Frank Patano, Butler
Junior * Forward * Franklin Park, Ill.
Patano netted the natural hat trick in Butler's 3-1 victory over Wright State on Thursday. The junior forward gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute and added an insurance marker nine minutes later. He completed the hat trick with 51 seconds remaining in the first half. Patano ranks second on the League scoring charts with 14 goals and 29 points.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending November 4

Nick Harpel, Cleveland State
Fr. * GK * Toledo, Ohio
Harpel stopped five shots in the Vikings' 1-0 loss to Valparaiso on Friday. He ranks fifth in the League with 64 saves this season.

Brian Byrne, Loyola
Jr. * GK * Arlington Heights, Ill.
Byrne set a school single-season record with his tenth shutout of the fall in Loyola's 3-0 victory over DePaul on Wednesday. His current goals-against average of 0.68 also would set a Rambler one-year standard.

Steve Bode, Milwaukee
Sr. * D * Milwaukee, Wis.
Bode played a key role in the Panthers' 1-1 draw against intra-city rival Marquette on Wednesday. His late goal forced overtime as UWM rallied to claim the tie and retain possession of the Milwaukee Cup.

Baggio Husidic, UIC
So. * M * Velika Kladusa, Bosnia
Husidic scored the golden goal 3:51 into overtime to send UIC past regular-season champion Loyola on Saturday, giving the Flames the third seed for the League Championship. The goal was his third of the season.

Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso
So. * GK * Rockford, Ill.
Schwarz held UIC scoreless through regulation before allowing an overtime tally on Wednesday. He has not given up a goal in regulation during his last four League outings, including a 1-0 victory over Cleveland Stae on Friday.

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
Oct. 29 -- Tebias Mason, Wright State

News From Around the League

Ramblers carry top seed despite loss

Loyola won the regular-season League championship outright for the first time ever, posting a 5-1-2 loop ledger. Loyola shared the regular-season title with UIC in 2000.

Saturday's 1-0 overtime loss to UIC snapped an eight-match unbeaten streak for LU, which had gone 6-0-2 since a 1-0 loss to then-third-ranked Northwestern on Sept. 26.

The Ramblers split two matches with city rivals last week, defeating DePaul 3-0 on Wednesday before falling 1-0 in overtime to UIC on Saturday. Junior goalkeeper Brian Byrne set a school single-season record with his tenth shutout of the year. His current goals-against average of 0.68 also would set a Rambler one-year record in that category.

Junior midfielder Tim Puttkammer scored his first collegiate goal against the Blue Demons. Sophomore forward Michael Ferguson also hit the net, but that's a more common occurrence for him. Ferguson leads the League with 15 goals and 32 points this year, ranking fourth on the school's all-time single-season lists in points and third in goals.

Senior midfielder Keum Sung Kim rounded out the scoring with his fourth goal of the year and second in as many matches.

The Ramblers are idle this week before opening defense of their 2006 Horizon League championship on Nov. 16.

Panthers keep control of cups, take time off

Milwaukee also is idle until the semfinals, holding the second seed in the League Championship with a 5-2-1 loop ledger. The Panthers are 5-10-3 overall after tying Marquette on Wednesday to keep possession of the Milwaukee Cup. The Panthers are now 5-1-1 in the last seven Milwaukee Cup matches.

UWM tries to regain another traveling trophy Tuesday, defending the John Lewang Memorial Cup at Northern Illinois.

Milwaukee outshot Marquette 14-7 for the match but trailed 1-0 until senior defender Steve Bode scored the tying goal with 5:08 remaining in regulation. It was Bode's first goal of the season, making him the tenth different Panther to hit the net in 2007.

Wednesday's match carried added significance for several Panthers, who played a team led by former UWM sideline boss Louis Bennett. Current Panther director John Coleman spent nine seasons (1997-2005) as Bennett'sassistant before Bennett took the reins across town.

Milwaukee started the season with eight consecutive losses but is now 5-2-3 since Sept. 29.

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.

Flames work overtime to claim third seed

UIC improved to 8-5-5 overall with a pair of 1-0 overtime victories last week. The Flames outlasted Valparaiso on Wednesday and edged cross-town rival Loyola on Saturday to take the third seed in the League Championship based on a 4-1-3 mark in loop play.

Sophomore midfielder Baggio Husidic netted the golden goal against the Ramblers, scoring 3:51 into extra time to hand Loyola its only League loss of the season. Senior midfielder Pavle Dundjer provided the difference against the Crusaders, scoring midway through the second overtime session.

The Flames won each of their last three League contests by 1-0 margins. Five of UIC's eight League matches went to overtime, where the Flames went 2-0-3.

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 five assists for a total of 15 points to rank fifth in the circuit.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja regained the League lead with a 0.61 goals-against average. He now has eight shutouts this fall and has yielded only one goal in his last four outings.

The Flames begin their title quest at home Sunday, meeting the winner of Friday's contest between Wright State and Valparaiso.

Phoenix plays Northwestern to a draw

Green Bay owns the fourth seed in the League Championship, with a 4-2-2 loop ledger. The Phoenix won a tie-breaker over Butler based on a 1-0 victory over third-seeded UIC. Green Bay and the Bulldogs tied 0-0 during the regular season and both teams lost to top seed Loyola and second seed Milwaukee.

The Phoenix closed the regular season with a 1-1 draw at 12th-ranked Northwestern on Saturday. Green Bay led 1-0 at halftime before settling for the draw, pushing the Phoenix to 9-4-5 on the year. That ledger includes a 1-0-2 mark against Big Ten Conference foes.

Sophomore midfielder David Znaty came off the bench to score the Phoenix goal in the 35th minute. Junior midfielder Tyler Rosenberg and senior defender Glenn Herzog assisted on the marker, with Rosenberg tying senior midfielder Dan O'Brien for the team lead in that department. Each has five helpers this year to tie for third-best in the League.

Junior forward Tosaint Ricketts is tied sixth in the League with 11 points and shares fourth place on the loop charts with his five goals this season. Freshman teammate JC Banks also has five goals in 2007.

Junior goalkeeper Adam Stikl ranks third in the League with a 0.83 goals-against average.

Green Bay opens tournament play at home Friday versus Cleveland State.

Bulldogs continues strong finishing kick

Butler enters the League Championship with an 8-6-4 record (4-2-2 in the League) and riding a four-match winning streak that includes Thursday's 4-1 victory over Wright State. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 13-5 during the run of success after going scoreless for the previous four contests.

Junior forward Frank Patano netted a natural hat trick against WSU, raising his season goal count to 14---second only to Loyola's Michael Ferguson (15) on the League charts. Patano has eight goals in his last four contests and recorded multi-goal efforts in each of his last three outings. He is tied for seventh place on Butler's career charts with 23 goals in a BU uniform.

Butler's four League victories are the most for the program since the 2004 went 6-0-1. Butler hasn't won a League Championship match since that year but attempts to remedy that problem Friday, hosting eighth seed Detroit in the opening round.

Sophomore forward Boris Gatzky is second in the League with six helpers among his 16 points (third-best on that loop list). His five goals rank fourth on that chart. Freshman defender Connor Burt adds three goals and three assists for nine points.

Sophomore netminder Fabian Knopfler owns a 1.39 goals-against average. He posted four saves in the victory over the Raiders.

Raiders see streak end

Wright State stands at 6-12-0 overall (3-5-0 in the League) following a 3-1 loss at Butler on Thursday. The Raiders, who finish the regular season at home against IUPUI on Monday, host Valparaiso in the first round of the League Championship on Friday. The winner of that contest travels to UIC for second-round play on Sunday.

WSU had allowed only one goal in four outings before Thursday's setback, but Butler raced to a 3-0 halftime lead.

Senior goalkeeper Tebias Mason owns a goals-against average of 1.54, stopping 79 shots (third-best in the League) while posting four shutouts during the regular season. Freshman Matt Koewler placed a scoreless second half in net. He stopped a pair of shots to lower his season GAA to 1.67.

Senior midfielder Tony Labudovski leads the Vikings with two goals and two assists (six points) this season. Sophomore forwards Braden Fleak (two goals and one assist) and Adam Harp (one goal and three helpers) are next with five points apiece.

Wright State was elminated from last year's League Championship in a penalty-kick shootout. The eighth-seeded Raiders played top seed UIC to a scoreless battle through 110 minutes before falling 10-9 in the longest shootout in League Championship history.

Crusaders win finale to grab seventh seed

Valparaiso split its final two regular-season matches, moving to 4-10-3 overall (2-4-2 in the League). The Crusaders suffered a 1-0 overtime loss at UIC on Wednesday but rebounded for a 1-0 triumph over Cleveland State on Friday. Each of Valpo's last three contests have been decided by 1-0 margins.

Junior forward Oscar Lomeli scored his second career goal to decide Friday's contest. He is only the second Crusader to post multiple goals this year, joining sophomore defender Steve Shively (four goals and one assist for nine points in 2007) in that group.

Freshman midfielders Adrian Ortiz and Ken Perkins set up Lomeli's golden goal. For Ortiz, it was his League-leading seventh helper of the year. Ortiz is now second in Valpo's all-time single-season charts in that department.

Sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz finished the regular season with a 1.55 goals-against average overall but limited League foes to a 1.02 rate. His overall mark would be the best in school history, eclipsing the current 1.71 standard set by Jeff Oleck in 2005. Schwarz also leads the League with 84 saves this season.

Valparaiso makes its Horizon League Championship debut Friday at Wright State, with the winner of that contest advancing to the second round and a match at UIC on Sunday.

Titans return to action

Detroit was idle last week, entering the Horizon League Championship at 5-9-5 overall. UDM opens the tournament at Butler on Friday afternoon.

Junior forward Renato Susnja collected five points against Cleveland State in the Titans' regular-season finale, scoring two goals and setting up another strike in a 5-0 victory over Cleveland State on Oct. 26. 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 equaling 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.

Vikings hoping eight is more than enough

Cleveland State brings an eight-match losing streak into the League Championship. The Vikings stand at 3-13-2 overall after a 1-0 loss at Valparaiso on Friday, a setback that left CSU 0-7-1 in League play.

CSU has been outscored 17-3 during its losing streak. The Vikings were outshot 15-7 by the Crusaders, although freshman netminder Nick Harpel stopped five shots while allowing one goal in the second half. Cleveland State has been outshot 61-17 in its last three outings.

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 a total of six points off one goal and four assists, standing in a tie for sixth place in the circuit with those four helpers. Sophomore forward Josh Williams is next on the team with a goal and three assists for five points.

Harpel owns a 1.51 goals-against average with three shutouts and 64 saves this season.

Cleveland State begins the League Championship at Green Bay on Friday. The Vikings have not won a tournament match since defeating Green Bay 2-1 in 2002.