Men's Soccer Weekly Release #8

Oct. 9, 2006

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Horizon League Player of the Week

Alex Jones, Loyola
Freshman * Forward * Downers Grove, Ill.
Jones scored the match-winning goal in both of Loyola's victories last week, pushing the Ramblers to 4-0-0 in League play and a share of the top spot on the circuit standings. He hit the net in overtime to give Loyola a 1-0 triumph at Butler on Tuesday, and posted the only goal in a 1-0 shutout versus Detroit on Friday. He leads the team with six goals this season.

Other Top Performances for the Week Ending October 8

John DeVae, Butler
Sr. * F * Elmhurst, Ill.
DeVae netted both Butler goals in a 2-2 tie versus UW-Milwaukee on Sunday. His unassisted marker gave the Bulldogs a 1-0, first-half lead, and he hit the equalizer midway in the second half to give BU a point in the League standings.

Bryan Henson, Cleveland State
Fr. * M * Ashland, Ohio
Henson scored the Vikings' only goal in a 6-1 loss at Rutgers on Tuesday night. His tally in the 70th minute of that contest was his third of the season, coming on only 11 shots in ten matches played this year.

Sasha Boskovic, Detroit
Jr. * GK * Oakville, Ontario
Boskovic recorded 19 saves in three matches last week, including ten in Sunday's 2-2 draw at Western Michigan. One of those came on a penalty kick in the second overtime to preserve the tie.

Tonci Skroce, UIC
Sr. * F * Zadar, Croatia
Skroce scored goals in both of UIC's victories last week. He posted the game-winner to push the Flames past UW-Milwaukee 1-0 on Tuesday, and added an insurance marker versus Cleveland State on Sunday.

Joshua Okoampa, UW-Green Bay
Sr. * F * Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Okoampa was involved in four of his team's five goals last week, scoring twice and setting up two others. His two goals forced overtime as the Phoenix defeated Butler 3-2 on Friday and he set up the OT match-winner versus the Bulldogs.

Colin Baker, UW-Milwaukee
So. * F * Minneapolis, Minn.
Baker scored a goal in the Panthers' 4-0 victory over Wright State on Friday, and also hit the net as UW-Milwaukee earned a 2-2 draw with Butler on Sunday. Baker now leads the team with four goals this season.

Previous Players of the Week:
Aug. 28 -- Tonci Skroce, UIC
Sept. 4 -- Grant Fernstrum, UW-Milwaukee
Sept. 11 -- Eric Cervantes, UIC
Sept. 18 -- Jason Massoglia, Detroit
Sept. 25 -- Eric Cervantes, UIC
Oct. 2 -- Joshua Okoampa, UW-Green Bay

News From Around the League

Phoenix rising higher and higher
UW-Green Bay entered the NSCAA regional poll for the first time in six years last week, and should continue climbing the charts. The Phoenix has won five in a row, moving to 10-3-0 overall (4-0-0 in the League) after edging Butler 3-2 in overtime Friday and defeating Wright State 2-1 on Sunday.

The ten victories represent only the second time since 1992 that the Phoenix has reached double figures. UW-Green Bay is guaranteed to open the League Championship at home for the first time since 2000.

Senior Joshua Okoampa has taken a commanding lead in the League scoring race, netting his 12th and 13th goals of the season versus Butler. He was sixth in the nation with an average of 2.36 points per game last week but increased that total to 2.46 with his outburst. This week's rankings will be released Monday evening.

Okoampa has been involved in 19 of his team's League-leading 34 goals, and the Phoenix owns a 10-1-0 mark when he dents the scoresheet. Only three of the 13 strikes are match-winners, though, as six other players have at least one deciding tally this season. Sophomore Tosaint Ricketts did the honors versus Butler and sophomore Mike McCormack had the deciding tally with 1:44 left in regulation Sunday versus Wright State.

Ramblers clamp down on defense
Loyola kept pace atop the standings, moving to 4-0-0 in the League and 9-4-0 overall by shutting out Butler (1-0 in overtime Tuesday) and Detroit (1-0 on Friday). Loyola has won nine of its last 11 games after an 0-2-0 start, and has already surpassed its victory total for 2005. With one more point, Loyola could open the League Championship at home for the first time since 2000.

The Ramblers have not allowed a goal in League play, holding four loop foes off the scoreboard for 365:18. Loyola owns an overall shutout streak of 313:04, and has eight shutouts this season---the most for the school since 1996. Senior goalkeeper Sean Bond ranks second in the League with a 0.54 goals-against average. His seven whitewashes top the circuit in that category. Bond had only one clean sheet in his first three years at the school.

Freshman forward Alex Jones paces the Rambler attack with six goals (tied for third in the League) and 12 points (tied for sixth on the look charts). He netted match-winners in both contests last week, and has three such strikes this season. Fellow freshman Michael Ferguson has five goals and 11 points.

Following Friday's showdown at UW-Green Bay, the Ramblers close the regular season with three consecutive home contests against Michigan State (Sunday), UIC (Oct. 20), and UW-Milwaukee (Oct. 22).

Flames prepare for busy week
UIC opens the week at 3-0-0 in the League and 9-1-2 overall after defeating UW-Milwaukee 1-0 on Tuesday and posting a 2-0 triumph over Cleveland State on Sunday. The Flames were ranked 13th in the Soccer America poll and 18th by the NSCAA last week.

Senior forward Tonci Skroce netted his teamhigh sixth goal of the year against the Panthers. Four of those six are match-winners, tying him with Detroit's Mark Djurovski for the League lead in that category.

Skroce is tied for third place on the loop charts with those six markers, and stands third with 15 points (including three assists) in 2006. Senior Eric Cervantes has five goals and 11 points.

UIC has outscored opponents 21-4 this season and has allowed only one second-half goal in 2006. In League play, the Flames have held the competition scoreless in three matches.

Freshman goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja has already tied a school single-season record with his six shutouts, and his 0.34 goals-against average (four goals allowed in 1054 minutes of action, including one in the last 604) ranks among the national leaders. He was third in Division I last week.

The Flames have three matches in five days this week, hosting Northwestern on Sunday before visiting Wright State (Friday) and Butler (Sunday) in League play.

Panthers experience all outcomes
UW-Milwaukee went 1-1-1 last week, moving to 4-8-2 overall and 1-2-1 in League play for the season. The Panthers were shut out 1-0 at UIC on Tuesday but bounced back for a 4-0 victory over Wright State on Friday and tied Butler 2-2 Sunday to close the week.

The Panthers are 4-1-1 at home but are still looking for their first victory away from home this season. UW-Milwakee is 0-7-1 outside Engelmann Field.

The tie with Butler continued a trend for UWM, which is now 0-6-7 in its last 13 overtime decisions. Tuesday's loss at UIC was also the team's seventh one-goal defeat of the year.

Lost in the four-goal outburst Friday was the play of the Panthers defense, which held Wright State (the 17th-highest scoring team in the nation) off the scoreboard and allowed only four first-half shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Grant Fernstrum posted his 13th career shutout, moving into a tie for sixth place in school history.

The victory over Wright State snapped UWM's five-match winless streak (0-4-1), the longest drought for the program since 1983.

Sophomore Colin Baker scored a pair of goals last week to take the top spot on the team scoring charts with four goals this season. Senior Craig Mallace is tied for fourth in the League with his five assists, including two versus the Raiders.

Bulldogs continue working overtime
Ninety minutes hasn't been enough lately for Butler, which stands at 4-7-2 overall and 1-3-1 in League play. Those numbers could be deceiving, considering the Bulldogs have gone to overtime in each of their last four matches only to post a 0-1-3 record in those outings. Loyola (1-0 on Tuesday) and UW-Green Bay (3-2 on Friday) outlasted BU, which came back to tie UW-Milwaukee 2-2 on Sunday.

Senior John DeVae scored both goals for the Bulldogs at UW-Milwaukee, while fellow senior Tom Turner converted two penalty kicks in a 27-second span versus the Phoenix. Turner's markers ended a 268:41 scoring drought for the team.

Sophomore forward Frank Patano continues to lead the team with five goals and one assist for 11 points. Turner is next with four goals and one assist (nine points) apiece, while DeVae has four goals and eight points this season.

Butler closes the regular season with a four-match homestand, beginning with contests versus Detroit (Friday) and UIC (Sunday). The Bulldogs also host cross-town rival IUPUI on Oct. 18 and Indiana on Oct. 24.

Vikings drop a pair
Cleveland State slipped to 4-8-1 overall and 1-3-0 in the League after dropping two matches last week. The Vikings suffered a 6-1 loss at Rutgers on Tuesday before falling 2-0 at UIC on Sunday.

Freshman midfielder Bryan Henson scored the lone CSU goal at Rutgers, his third of the season. Those three markers have come on only 11 shots in his ten appearances for the Vikings.

Fellow freshman Andrew Gutting shares the League lead with six assists this season, tying him for the top spot on the Viking charts with eight points. Senior David Stewart also has eight, coming off his four goals.

CSU has allowed only six goals in four League matches this season, with sophomore Kasey Gray anchoring the Viking defense. Gray has a 1.49 goals-against mark in all matches this season.

Cleveland State yielded 20 goals in seven League contests a year ago. Overall, the improvement is even more evident: 23 markers allowed in 13 matches this year, compared to 65 in 17 contests during the 2005 campaign.

Titans snap scoreless streak
Detroit begins the week at 5-6-2 overall and 1-3-0 in the League. The Titans were shut out twice last week, falling 3-0 to Bowling Green on Tuesday and 1-0 to Loyola on Friday before coming back for a 2-2 draw versus in-state rival Western Michigan on Sunday.

Senior Jason Massoglia converted a penalty kick in the first half at WMU, giving the Titans a 1-0 lead. The strike snapped a 498-minute scoring drought for the Titans, who had been shut out five times since defeating IPFW 2-0 on Sept. 20. Massoglia now leads the team with six goals this season, tying him for third place in the League. His 14 points are fourth-best on that chart.

Junior goalkeeper Sasha Boskovic stopped a PK in the second overtime session at WMU to preserve that draw. It was one of a season-high ten saves for Boskovic, who also watched another Bronco PK sail over the crossbar earlier in the match. He owns a 1.33 GAA for the year.

Detroit took a season-high 23 shots against Western Michigan after firing 21 versus Loyola.

Raiders' slide continues
Wright State has now lost four in a row, slipping to 6-6-0 overall and 0-4-0 in League play after a 4-0 defeat at UW-Milwaukee on Friday and a 2-1 setback at UW-Green Bay on Sunday. WSU visits Akron on Tuesday looking to avoid the program's first five-match skid since 1991.

Freshman Adam Harp netted his fourth goal of the season (second-best in the League) against the Phoenix, steering home a Josh Grossman service to snap a two-match scoreless streak for the Raiers. Fellow freshman Braden Fleak ranks second in the League with ten goals and 22 points this season, while Grossman and sophomore Michael Conley are tied for sixth with four assists apiece.

Junior goalkeeper Tebias Mason leads the League with an average of 5.25 saves per outing, stopping 63 shots in his 12 appearances. Mason entered last week ranked 15th in the nation in that category.

Tuesday marks WSU's final road trip of the regular season as the Raiders close the schedule with four home dates---hosting UIC (Friday), Detroit (Sunday), Cleveland State (Oct. 20 in a match re-scheduled from Sept. 27) and Eastern Illinois (Oct. 22).

Valpo on verge of school history
Valparaiso, which officially joins the Horizon League next season, stands at 7-5-0 after defeating IPFW 2-0 on Sunday. The seven victories are Valpo's most since 1998 when the team finished at 8-12-1. The Crusaders, who were ranked ninth in the NSCAA's Midwest Region prior to a 4-2 loss to Northwestern on Tuesday, need two more wins to tie the school single-season record of nine, set in 1987.

Junior goalkeeper Sean McGinnis recorded the shutout in his first appearance of the year, stopping two shots while freshman Steve Shively and senior Jerey Stacy scored the goals for Valpo. Shively now has four goals this year, all match-winners.

Senior Henrik Turk posted the first point of his career with an assist at IPFW, while fellow senior John Allendorf had his first point of 2006.