Men's Soccer Weekly Release # 10 - Championship Preview
Nov. 2, 2004
Player of the Week
Antou Jallow, UW-Milwaukee, Senior, Forward, Uppsala, Sweden
Antou Jallow of UW-Milwaukee has been selected the Horizon League Men's Soccer Player of the Week for Nov. 1. Antou Jallow enjoyed another fine week thanks to some record-breaking performances. UWM's senior striker scored three goals on the week and added an assist as Milwaukee went 3-0 with victories over crosstown rival Marquette, and against league-foes Butler and Cleveland State. Jallow scored two goals and assisted on a third in UWM's 3-1 win over Marquette before tallying the game-tying marker in Friday's 2-1 win over Butler. With his goal on Friday Jallow scored for the 54th time in his career which broke U.S. World Cup Star Tony Sanneh's old school-record. Furthermore, the 54 career goals is good for a first-place tie with Detroit's Jorge Ferriera for the top spot on the Horizon League all-time goals scored list. Jallow has a league-leading 12 goals and 28 points on the season to go with nine goals and 21 points in seven league games.
Other Top Performers
Ablaye Camara, Detroit, Senior, Forward, Conakry, Guinea
Playing in his first game in nearly three weeks, Camara made Senior Day an afternoon to remember for the Titans as he registered a goal and an assist in Detroit's 4-1 victory over cross-town rival Oakland. The triumph was even sweeter for the Red, White and Blue since it marked the first win over the Golden Grizzlies since 1998. The victory may pay huge dividends for Detroit as it came over an OU unit which was ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA Great Lakes Regional Rankings. After playing a scoreless first half, Camara netted the game-winner for Detroit as he deposited his team-leading 10th goal of the season into the net for a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute (51:32). He later added an assist on Vahid Assadpour's tally at the 55:27 mark. For the season he is leading the Red, White and Blue in goals (10), points (24), shots (40) and game-winners (5) while ranking second in assists (4) and shots on goal (20). He is now ranked second, second and third, respectively in school history in goals (35), points (95) and assists (25).
Jeff Engelbrecht, UIC, Redshirt Freshman, Goalkeeper, Peoria, Ill.
Engelbrecht has been a rock between the posts in his first season for the Flames, and the last two games have shown it. The rookie keeper made seven stops in UIC's 2-1 road win over a tough Marshall team, while Engelbrecht kept the shorthanded Flames in the game with six saves against Wright State. Engelbrecht now has 79 saves in 13 contests.
Mark Eckerle, Loyola, Senior, Forward, Downers Grove, Ill.
Eckerle scored two goals and assisted on a third as Loyola knocked off Detroit, 4-3, in its regular season finale. After Detroit scored the opener, Eckerle responded less than a minute later for his fifth goal of the season. The Titans then moved ahead again before Eckerle gave the Ramblers some momentum heading into intermission, scoring with 42 ticks left in the period to tie the match, 2-2. Eckerle capped the night by assisting on Tony DeLuca's goal in the 64th minute that gave LU a 4-2 lead, a tally which turned out to be the game-winner, as the Ramblers claimed their second Horizon League win of the season. Eckerle leads the Ramblers in goals (6), assists (5) and points (17) this season.
Brandon Steenlage, UW-Green Bay, Senior, Midfielder, Coralville, Iowa
Steenlage had a part in both UW-Green Bay's goals last week, assisting on the team's goal against Wisconsin Oct. 27 before slamming home his third goal of the season on Senior Day Oct. 31 against Butler. Steenlage, who is now second on the team in scoring this year with nine points on three goals and three assists, extended UW-Green Bay's consecutive scoring streak to nine games, the longest of its kind since 1993.
Championship Preview
2004 Horizon League Championship Preview
#1 UW-Milwaukee vs. #9 Cleveland State - Engelmann Field, Milwaukee, Wis. - 2:00 p.m. EST
Top-seeded UW-Milwaukee (10-4-3, 6-1 HL) will host #9 Cleveland State (5-10-2, 0-6-1 HL) on Saturday, Nov. 6 at Engelmann Field in Milwaukee, Wis. Both squads met this past Sunday as the Panthers squeezed out a, 1-0, victory in overtime against the visiting Vikings. The win gave Milwaukee a share of the regular-season title with Butler marking the fifth time in eight years the Panthers have captured at least a piece of the regular-season title. The Panthers enter the 2004 championship after winning the league tournament the past two seasons. Only one other school has completed the three-peat as former league member Evansville captured four consecutive tournament titles from 1989-92. The Panthers are led by 2002 Horizon League Player of the Year and two-time first-team all-league selection senior forward Antou Jallow who is currently leading the league with 28 points on 12 goals and four assists. Cleveland State is paced by senior forward Spencer Lappin's seven goals and two assists this season. Between the posts, Milwaukee sophomore Eric Mickschl has recorded 29 saves on the season with three shutouts along with a league-leading 0.74 goals against average, while Viking senior Amir Kettani leads the league with 93 saves (6.20 spg) along with two shutouts on the year. The winner of this match will face either #4 Wright State or #5 UIC on Saturday, Nov. 12.
#2 Butler vs. #7 Loyola - 7:00 p.m. - Kuntz Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. - 7:00 p.m. EST
With a 2-1 victory over UW-Green Bay on Sunday, Butler (12-5-1, 6-1 HL) captured a share of the regular-season title along with UW-Milwaukee. The regular-season title is the Bulldogs third-overall as they conquered the feat in 1996 and 1998. After finishing runner-up in last season's tournament, Butler is looking to grab their fifth-overall league championship after taking the crown in 1995, 97, 98 and 2001. Butler is led by 2003 first-team all-league selection junior midfielder/forward Scott Olsen, who is tied for second in the league with 24 points on eight goals and eight assists. He is also tied for first in the Horizon League with five game-winning goals. After sitting out several matches with a broken arm, Butler senior netminder Evan Reinhardt has tallied 51 saves this season, while averaging a 1.15 goals against average. For the Ramblers (3-13-1, 2-5 HL), they will look towards senior midfielder Mark Eckerle, a 2003 first-team all-league honoree, who currently has 17 points coming off six goals and five assists this season. In the net, Loyola's junior Tim Jenkerson and sophomore Sean Bond have combined for 75 saves this season. Jenkerson has recorded two shutouts this year while compiling a 4.44 saves per game average. In its only contest this season, Butler defeated Loyola, 2-1, in Indianpolis. The winner of this match will face either #3 Detroit or #6 UW-Green Bay on Saturday, Nov. 12.
#3 Detroit vs. #6 UW-Green Bay - Titan Field, Detroit, Mich. -1:00 p.m. EST
Third-seeded Detroit (12-5, 4-3 HL) heads into its match-up with #6 UW-Green Bay (5-10-2, 2-4-1 HL) winning nine of its final ten contests. The Titans had a school-best eight-game win streak from Sept. 26 to Oct. 22 before it was snapped on Friday in a 4-3 loss to Loyola. After going 1-6 in the league in last season, the Phoenix went 2-4-1 placing sixth in the final standings this season. The Titans are led by two-time first-team all-league selection senior forward Ablaye Camara. Camara is currently tied for second in the league in points (24) coming from 10 goals and four assists, while he also is tied for the league lead with five game-winning goals this season. Detroit freshman goalkeeper Sasha Boskovic sits in fourth-place in the Horizon League with 69 saves. His goals against average is 1.33 along with a 4.06 saves per game average in 17 matches this season. UW-Green Bay is led by sophomore forward Joshua Okoampa, who has 18 points on the season with nine goals to his credit. Between the posts for the Phoenix will be junior Pat Czuprynski. Czuprynski has 56 saves this season with a 4.00 saves per game average. He lead the Horizon League with four shutouts this season. In its only contest this season, Detroit defeated UW-Green Bay, 2-1, in Detroit. The winner of this match will face either #2 Butler or #7 Loyola on Saturday, Nov. 12.
#4 Wright State vs. #5 UIC - Alumni Field, Fairborn, Ohio - 7:00 p.m. EST
Wright State (6-11-1, 3-3-1 HL) grabbed the fourth-seed in the league championship after defeating UIC (5-10-2, 3-3-1 HL) on Sunday, 1-0, at Alumni Field in Fairborn, Ohio. In 2003, the Raiders defeated the Flames, 1-0, in double overtime to advance into the semifinals only to lose to the eventual champion UW-Milwaukee, 3-0. Wright State will be paced by senior forward Ricky Strong, who has cumulated 21 points this season on 10 goals and one assist. He also has three-game winning goals for the Raiders this season. UIC will be led by sophomore midfielder/forward Eric Cervantes who has netted six goals this season for the Flames. He has 44 shots this season with a 3.67 shot per game average. In the nets will be two of the Horizon League's best, as Wright State's Jason Balach and UIC's Jeff Engelbrecht are in the tops of several statistical categories this season. Balach lead the Raiders with 70 saves and 4.12 saves per game average along with three shutouts. Engelbrecht is second in the league with 79 saves with a 6.08 saves per game average and one shutout this season. The winner of this match will face either #1 UW-Milwaukee or #8 Cleveland State on Saturday, Nov. 12.
