Men's Soccer Release #9

Oct. 22, 2007

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Brian Byrne, Loyola
Junior * Goalkeeper * Arlington Heights, Ill.
Byrne recorded 11 saves in back-to-back shutouts versus Milwaukee and Green Bay as the Ramblers locked up the top seed for the League Championship. He now has nine shutouts this year to match the school's single-season record, and has allowed only one goal in his last nine outings, including a current 643:56 scoreless streak that features six consecutive clean sheets.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending October 21

Frank Patano, Butler
Jr. * F * Franklin Park, Ill.
Patano scored three goals in two matches, including the match-winner in Friday's 2-1 triumph over Cleveland State. He also netted his eighth and ninth goals of the year to pace Butler to a 5-1 victory over Detroit on Sunday.

Eric Tattersall, Cleveland State
So. * D * Erie, Pa.
Tattersall scored his first goal of the season to stake CSU to an early 1-0 lead over Wright state on Sunday. The defender hit the net from 15 yards out to become the tenth Viking to score a goal this season.

Matt Spiess, UIC
Fr. * F * St. Louis, Mo.
Spiess scored both goals in UIC's 2-0 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday night. He headed home the eventual match-winner in the 26th minute and added another header for his fifth goal of the year in the 72nd minute.

Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso
So. * GK * Rockford, Ill.
Schwarz stopped eight shots to preserve a 1-1 tie with #19/6 Michigan State on Sunday. Three of those saves came in a 90-second span late in the second half as the sophomore lowered his season goals-against average to 1.79.

Braden Fleak, Wright State
So. * F * Sunbury, Ohio
Fleak notched his first two goals of the season to help lift WSU to a pair of victories. He netted the match-winner in Friday's 2-0 triumph and added the tying tally in the Raiders' 2-1 victory over Cleveland State on Sunday.

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

News From Around the League

Ramblers claim top seed, home field
Loyola has clinched at least a share of the regular-season title, improving to 5-0-2 in the League with a 1-0 victory at Milwaukee on Thursday and a 3-0 triumph over Green Bay on Sunday. The Ramblers (9-3-3 overall) have lost only once in their last 12 outings (8-1-3) since Sept. 7.

Loyola shared the regular-season crown with UIC in 2000, the only time the Ramblers have finished atop the standings. Loyola also has home-field advantage in its quest to defend its 2006 Horizon League championship.

Sophomore forward Michael Ferguson hit the net in each contest, giving him a League-high 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.

Senior Reed Cataldo and freshman Josh Westberg added insurance goals against the Phoenix. It was the first goal of the season for each player.

Junior goalkeeper Brian Byrne continued his stellar play in net for the Ramblers with 11 saves. He leads the League with nine shutouts this season and has allowed only one goal in his last nine outhings. Byrne ranks second in the League with a 0.69 goals-against average, entering the week with a 643:56 shutout streak and six consecutive clean sheets.

Phoenix drops battle of unbeatens
Green Bay slipped to 4-1-2 in the League and 9-3-4 overall with Sunday's loss to Loyola. That setback was the first for the Phoenix since Sept. 7, ending a 12-match (8-0-4) unbeaten streak that included Thursday's 1-0 victory over UIC.

The unbeaten streak was the second-longest in program history, trailing only a 14-match run in 1992.

Junior forward Tosaint Ricketts notched his fourth match-winner of the season against the Flames, hitting the net in the 81st minute to provide the difference. Ricketts is one of six players tied for third place on the League scoring charts with five goals this season, matching the total of freshman teammate JC Banks.

Junior goalkeeper Adam Stikl recorded five saves against UIC for his eighth shutout of the season. Stikl ranks second in the League with those eight shutouts and third with a 0.82 goals-against average. As a team, Green Bay has nine whitewashes, just one off the school's single-season record.

Fifteen of Green Bay's 20 goals this season have come after halftime. The Phoenix has been outscored 7-5 in the first half this season but owns a 15-7 edge after intermission.

The Phoenix can wrap up second place in the League standings with a win or a tie against Milwaukee on Saturday. The Chancellor's Cup is also on the line in that contest.

Panthers also have run of success end
Milwaukee stands third in the League standings at 4-2-1 (13 points), part of a 4-10-2 overall record. The Panthers saw a six-match unbeaten string come to an end with a 1-0 loss to Loyola on Thursday before suffering a 2-0 defeat at UIC on Sunday night.

The Panthers had outscored their opponents 9-3 during the six-match run after being outscored 15-5 in their first eight matches of 2007.

Milwaukee finished the regular season 2-3-2 at home this year, marking the first sub-.500 mark at Engelmann Field since 1998 when the Panthers went 0-6-1 on the home pitch.

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 fifth place on that loop chart.

Junior goalkeeper Ryan Germann ranks fifth among League netminders with a 1.21 goals-against average. He stopped two shots in each match over the weekend.

UWM closes the regular season with three matches featuring traveling trophies, beginning Saturday when the Chancellor's Cup is up for grabs against Green Bay. The Panthers travel across town to Marquette for the annual Milwaukee Cup showdown on Oct. 31 and visit Northern Illinois to play for the John Lewang Memorial Cup on Nov. 6.

Bulldog attack breaks out
Butler improved to 6-6-4 overall and moved into fourth place (3-2-2, 11 points) in the standings with a 2-1 victory over Cleveland State and a 5-1 rout of Detroit over the weekend.

The seven goals scored were one more than Butler's total for the team's previous seven outings, when the Bulldogs were shut out five times.

Junior forward Frank Patano and sophomore forward Boris Gatzky each had two goals against the Titans and Patano also netted the match-winner versus the Vikings. Patano is second in the League with nine goals and 19 points this season, while Gatzky is tied for the League lead with six helpers among his 16 points (third-best on that loop list).

Butler has won back-to-back matches for the first time since opening the season with two consecutive victories.

The Bulldogs' offensive show overshadowed the continued strong play of Butler's defense. BU has yielded only three goals in its last five contests. Sophomore netminder Fabian Knopfler carries a 1.41 goals-against average after a five-save effort against CSU.

Butler plays its final two regular-season matches within the Indianapolis city limits, beginning Wednesday against intra-city foe IUPUI. The Bulldogs then wrap up the regular season at home against Wright State on Nov. 1.

Flames still in the hunt for top-three seed
UIC carries a 6-4-5 overall into the week, moving to 2-1-3 in League play after splitting two matches last week. The Flames fell 1-0 at Green Bay on Thursday but rebounded to defeat Milwaukee on Sunday, extending their home-field unbeaten streak to 15 matches (11-0-4).

Freshman forward Matt Spiess headed home both goals against the Panthers, finding the net midway through each half. It was the second multi-goal effort of the year for Spiess, whose five markers match the total of senior forward Cesar Zambrano for team honors in that department. Zambrano also has four assists for 14 points, putting him fourth in the League in scoring. Spiess is tied for fifth with 11 points.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja recorded his sixth shutout of the year against Milwaukee. He leads the League with a 0.61 goals-against average.

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 (220-108).

The Flames have two matches remaining on the League schedule, beginning Oct. 31 against Valparaiso. Before that, however, UIC faces Wisconsin on Sunday as the Flames hope to avenge a 1-0 loss to then-No. 6 UW that ended UIC's season-opening, nine-match unbeaten streak.

Raiders put brakes on skid
Wright State ended a program-record ten-match losing streak with a pair of victories last weekend, defeating Detroit 2-0 on Friday and edging Cleveland State 2-1 on Sunday. The Raiders are now 4-11-0 overall and 2-4-0 in League play, moving up to sixth place in the loop standings with a total of six points.

WSU had scored only six goals in its first 13 outings (none in the first half) before the four-goal outburst. Sophomore forward Braden Fleak netted his first two goals of the year, including the tying tally in the 39th minute against CSU. Fleak hit the net 13 times as a freshman last fall.

Freshman Jordan Haggit posted the match-winner against the Vikings, collecting his first goal as a Raider. Senior forward Brian Decker posted his second goal of the fall against Detroit. Both goals have come in his last three outings after he had not hit the net since 2004. Sophomore midfielder Adam Harp set up both goals in Sunday's victory and leads the Raiders with three assists this season.

Senior midfielder Tony Labudovski is still two goals away from cracking the top ten list in Wright State's career charts, boasting 19 in his tenure.

Wright State attempts to continue its winning streak Friday at IPFW and Sunday at home versus Valparaiso. WSU also could be playing for a first-round home match in the League Championship when the Raiders visit Butler on Nov. 1.

Crusaders come back to tie top-25 foe
Valparaiso starts the week at 3-8-3 overall following a 1-1 tie with #19/6 Michigan State. The Crusaders, playing their first match in 12 days, fell behind just 28 seconds into the contest but rallied to claim the draw on sophomore defender Steve Shively's fourth goal of the season. His four markers include one match-winner and three tying goals.

Valpo survived the Spartans' attack as Michigan State owned a 22-7 advantage in shots and a 19-2 margin in corner kicks but sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz turned away eight shots. Schwarz lowered his season goals-against average to 1.79, which would be the second-lowest mark in program history.

Six freshmen and three sophomore started Sunday's match, with two other freshmen coming off the bench.

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. He helped set up Shively's tying goal against the Spartans.

Valparaiso returns to League play after an extended run outside the circuit. Sunday's match at Wright State will mark the Crusaders' first League outing since Oct. 3, although Valpo closes the regular season with two other loop showdowns---at UIC on Oct. 31 and versus Cleveland State on Nov. 2.

Titans end scoreless streak but not skid
Detroit fell to 4-8-5 overall and 0-4-3 in the League after a 2-0 loss to Wright State on Friday and a 5-1 setback at Butler on Sunday. The Titans are winless (0-5-3) in their last eight outings since Sept. 28.

Junior forward Renato Susnja hit the net at Butler, giving Detroit its first goal in nearly a month. Susnja snapped the team's 734:57 scoring drought with his fifth marker of the season but Detroit could not hold the 1-0 lead against the Bulldogs. Susnja is one of six players tied for third place on the League scoring charts with those five goals and is tied for fifth place with 11 points.

Reserve goalkeeper Rich Fatyma saw action in Sunday's match, his first competition since Sept. 2. He posted five saves in 72 minutes despite allowing the five Butler goals.

Senior Jordan Veit and freshman Ken Simon each had a team-high three shots against Wright State as Detroit outshot WSU 12-10. No Titan had more than one attempt against Butler. Friday's loss marked the tenth time UDM has been shut out this year.

Detroit closes the regular season with matches this week. The Titans step outside the League Wednesday to visit Bowling Green before traveling to Cleveland State on Friday for a match between the two teams still searching for their first League victory of the year.

Vikings' troubles continue
Cleveland State has now lost five consecutive matches, slipping to 3-10-2 overall and 0-5-1 in League play following 2-1 losses to Butler on Friday and at Wright State on Sunday. Each of the last four defeats have been by one goal.

Sophomore defender Eric Tattersall gave CSU an early 1-0 lead Sunday, hitting the net for the first time in 2007. He became the tenth different Viking to score a goal this season. That list also includes senior defender Tom Saad, who accounted for the lone Cleveland State tally on Friday.

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.

Freshman Nick Harpel and sophomore Dan Duric shared goalkeeping duties over the weekend, with Harpel stopping three shots Friday and Duric matching that performance in Sunday's contest. Harpel ranks sixth in the League with a 1.31 goals-against average.

Cleveland State tries to record its first League victory of the year Friday, hosting Detroit. The Vikings conclude the weekend Sunday with a non-League tilt at Duke.