Sept. 20, 2006
Final Stats
Contact: Josh Rattray
CINCINNATI, Ohio - Cincinnati scored a pair of second half goals, including one on a penalty kick, in the second half to defeat Cleveland State, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Gettler Stadium. The loss is the fifth in six matches for the Vikings (3-5-1).
"I was happy with the way we played tonight," head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "Cincinnati has a very good team. They are very physical and they wore us down. We played some of our best soccer of the year at times, but we just couldn't keep it up for 90 minutes."
The Bearcats (5-3-1) struck first when a Patrick Baxter header found the back of the net at the 29:12 mark. The goal came on the tail end of a Noah Davidson corner kick. UC's Brad Simpson also was awarded with an assist on the play.
The Vikings evened the score in the 33rd minute when senior David Stewart scored off a cross just outside the box from sophomore Nenad Stojkovic. Freshman Marco DiFranco was also credited with an assist on the tally, which was the final score of a 1-1 first half.
"It was one of the finest goals we've had all year," Kazemaini said. "I thought the first half was the best offense we've played all year. We looked sharp."
The goal for Stewart was his team-leading fourth on the season. After not scoring in the season's first six matches, Stewart has scored in the last three matches. He now also moves into a tie with freshman Andrew Gutting for the team lead in points (8).
Cincinnati got the go-ahead marker in the 50th minute when Kenny Anaba rocketed a cross from Omar Cummings from the left side past CSU goalie Kasey Gray. The Bearcats' third goal came after a CSU foul set up a penalty kick at the 54:51 mark. Cincinnati's Sam Miller converted the penalty kick, giving the Bearcats a 3-1 lead.
"The penalty call killed us," Kazemaini said. "It put the matchout of reach and, really, it took a lot out of us."
The Vikings were outshot, 25-12, in the match, including an 11-3 disadvantage in the second half. The Bearcats also enjoyed an 8-5 edge in shots on goal. CSU did manage a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks.
Anaba led the Bearcats with game highs shots (5) and shots on goal (3).
Stewart and freshman George Kephart led the Viking attack with three shots (two on goal) apiece. DiFranco and Gutting each attempted two shots on the night.
Gray played all 90 minutes in goal for CSU, marking the sixth time this season he has gone the distance. Gray, who came into the match with a 1.00 goals against average, recorded five saves.
The Vikings host league foe Loyola on Sunday morning (Sept. 24) at Krenzler Field. Kickoff is at 11:00 a.m.
