Conference USA Soccer Update
SMU and Tulsa both notched wins on Friday night to move atop the C-USA
Men's Soccer Standings. The Mustangs are still unbeaten and untied at 3-0,
while TU improved to 2-0-1. Full standings, results and upcoming schedules
are attached and more info is available on ConferenceUSA.com and our
school's websites.
http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/c-usa-m-soccer-body.html -
Website Link
2008 MEN'S SOCCER
Team C-USA Overall
W L T Pts. W L T
SMU 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
Tulsa 0 0 0 0 2 0 1
Kentucky 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
South Carolina 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Memphis 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
UAB 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
Marshall 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
UCF 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
FIU 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Extended Standings Through Sept. 5
<http://www.fansonly.com/photos/schools/c-usa/sports/m-soccer/auto_pdf/standings.pdf>
<http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html>
SHOOTING STARS
· Senior forward Paulo da Silva scored his second goal of the
season and junior goalkeeper Craig Hill notched his second shutout of the
year Friday as the SMU shut out perennial power Stanford, 2-0, in the
first round of the Cal Legacy Classic.
· The Mustangs, who are ranked No. 7 in the nation in the current
National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll, will next
take on the host Cal Bears, who are ranked No. 8 in the nation by the
NSCAA and are coached by former All-America SMU defender Kevin Grimes,
Sunday afternoon.
· No. 18 Tulsa registered a 2-1 victory over Penn State on Friday
night in the Penn State Classic at University Park, Pa. TU moved to 2-0-1
on the season.
· TU's Jeovahnni Sandez earned his first goal of the year off a
free kick taken by Ashley McInnes at the 24:01 mark. McInnes played
Sandez the ball, who headed it down into the net.
· In the second half, Tulsa senior Eric DeFreitas scored from 10
yards out. Justin Chavez moved the ball forward to Zach Nulisch, then
Nulisch crossed the ball to DeFreitas who kicked it into the net.
<http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html>
Marshall Falls to Liberty 3-2
Herd rallies from two goals down but falls short
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall men's soccer's rally fell short as Liberty
held on for a 3-2 decision Saturday at Sam Hood Field.
The Thundering Herd (0-3) found themselves in a 2-0 hole at the half but
managed to tie the Flames (3-0) late into the contest before giving up the
go ahead goal in the 69th minute.
"This is good team that we played this afternoon," head coach Bob Gray
said. "This team has been to the NCAA tournament and is picked to do so
again. I thought we played well again, but we just came up on the losing
end."
Just nine minutes into the game, senior Greg Walter (Slippery Rock, Pa.)
gave up his first goal on a cross from Chris Phillips to Darren Amoo who
slammed the ball in from the middle of the box. The goal was Amoo's four
on the year.
Liberty then followed up with a goal just before the half when Cameron
Chastain hit the ball toward the Marshall goal and the ball bounced off
junior Dustin Dawes (Nashville, Tenn.) head into the net for an own goal
scored.
The Herd would begin its rally when freshman Aaron Dini (Winchester, Ky.)
netted a pass from junior Nick Daniele (Columbus, Ohio) to cut the lead in
half. The goal marked Dini's first collegiate score.
The Flames would have some misfortune as the Herd did, allowing an own
goal after senior Osric Flores (Everett, Wash.) attempted to cross the
ball when Douglas Nyame kicked the ball past goalkeeper Paul Gilbert.
Just five minutes later though, Liberty would take the lead for good when
Juno Nino needled a pass to Justin Willoughby on the left side past
Walter.
"Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy," Gray said. "It's disappointing
when you can comeback but can't finish it off."
Marshall will return to action Friday Sept. 12 when they travel to
Pittsburgh to take on Duquesne in the Duquesne Invitational at 7:30 p.m.
That game will be followed by a match against Richmond Saturday at 5 p.m.
Marshall and The Citadel Finishes with a 2-2 Draw
The Fourth Annual Thundering Herd Nike Invitational Continues Sunday with
Two Matches
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University's women's soccer team
kicked-off its 2008 season home opener with a 2-2 draw after two overtimes
against The Citadel, Friday evening, at Sam Hood Field in the second match
of the fourth annual Thundering Herd Nike Invitational in front of a
record-setting crowd. The Thundering Herd advanced to 2-0-1 overall while
the Bulldogs are 0-2-1 so far this season.
"The Citadel fought hard and took advantage of our mistakes," Marshall's
interim head coach Kevin Long said. "The Bulldogs had two great goals
against us and played very well."
The Herd's sophomore Erika Duncan (Easthaven, Scotland) dribbled through
defenders and drilled Marshall's first goal in the upper left corner at
the 32:22 mark. Duncan's goal was her second of the season and she
finished with three shots, two on goal. Teammate Erin Blakely
(Westerville, Ohio) assisted on the play and also added four shots, two on
goal.
Marshall began the second half strong with Missy Gordon's (Carmel, Ind.)
chip shot into the far left corner from inside the box at 49:21. The
sophomore's goal was her first of the season and added eight shots, five
on goal.
"This wasn't the result we were looking for but we will grow from it,"
Marshall's second-year junior co-captain Liz Orton (Fort Collins, Colo.)
stated. "We will fix our problems and be ready to move on Sunday."
The Citadel's Amy Loughran drilled one past Orton into the far side of the
goal to put the Bulldogs on the board. Diana Martin assisted on The
Citadel's goal in the 53rd minute.
Nikkita Persaud registered the tying goal in the 56th minute from a Jessa
Scott pass into the lower left corner.
"We dominated play in the first half but forgot leads go away fast," coach
Long added. "We need to be ready and bring everything on Sunday."
The Herd outshot the Bulldogs 28-to-11 with 19 being on goal. The Citadel
ended with seven shots on goal.
The Friday evening contest was the first meeting in school history.
The Citadel's freshman keeper Laura Serafino registered a career-high 16
saves, while Orton finished with five saves in the draw.
In the first match of the invitational, Radford University shut out Mount
St. Mary's University, 3-0. Action will resume Sunday with The Citadel
facing Mount. St. Mary's at 11:30 a.m. The morning match will be a
first-time meeting between the schools. The Bulldogs will be the
considered the home squad on the scoreboard.
Marshall will close the invitational against the Highlanders with kick-off
set for 2 p.m. at Sam Hood Field. In 2006, Marshall and Radford faced each
other for the first-time, where the Highlanders took a close 1-0 decision
in late September at Radford, Va.
GameTracker will be available for both matches by clicking the Marshall
women's soccer schedule.
Herd fans can check out and purchase photos from the 2007 women's soccer
season at http://herdsportsphotos.exposuremanager.com/ under "2007 Women's
Soccer."