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With their game against Georgia Southern – originally slated for Wednesday – postponed for precautionary measures related to Hurricane Isabel, the Pirates now can solely focus on a pivotal Conference-USA visit from nationally-ranked Alabama-Birmingham on Sunday.

(UAB SID)

Jersun Monteiro leads

the UAB attack.

It is a scenario that the Pirates have experienced before, yet it feels different this time around. In 2001, UAB brought a ranked team to Bunting Field and left losers as the Pirates rose to the occasion to defeat the Blazers 2-0.

Though the result is definitely desired, the scenario is slightly different on both clubs and the implications are even bigger for an ECU team that is feeling pretty good about themselves right now.

The Pirates are riding a 3-1-1 record into the contest, but that one is in the C-USA loss column, having fallen to Charlotte in the conference opener earlier in the season. Still, ECU is convinced they are a much stronger and deeper team this year and would like nothing better than to prove it against a 9^th-ranked, battle-tested Blazers squad.

“UAB is off to a fabulous start,” coach Michael Benn said. “They are 4-0-2, have allowed one goal thus far. They tied national powers Indiana and Notre Dame (both 0-0) on opening weekend. We are 1-0-1 against them so far in C-USA. We are really looking forward to opening our home C-USA schedule against such a good opponent.”

Currently, the Blazers lead Conference-USA in goals allowed (1), goals allowed per game (0.17) and shutouts (5). It will be a tough test.

For ECU’s part, the team is much deeper and talented this season with multiple players able to find the twine. In Matt Kowalesky and Brian Deutsch, the Pirates have proven scorers and with Clyde Simms and Reed Avren, the central midfield is very competitive. Freshman goalie Brian Pope is improving game to game. The attitude is up and the hope for success is there.

A big win on Sunday, could be just the ingredient to catapult this team into a serious run at a league tourney slot.

The preliminaries are over and it is time for the ECU women (3-2-1) serious run at a the league as they play host to a pair of C-USA teams this weekend to get the league slate going.

However, the trip to Florida should pay some big dividends going forward for the Pirates and the fact that they performed so well against the #6 team in the country should bode well.

"What an unbelievable environment," coach Rob Donnenwirth said of the game in Gainesville. "Twenty-one hundred rowdy fans doing the Gator chop. We had about 50 fans showing purple pride as well. I feel we played about as well as we can. We had good preparation and the team stuck to the game plan very well. It was a total team effort."

One of the most notable things that came out of the Florida trip is the way the team was able to recoup for Western Carolina after such an emotionally-charged, big-time game.

"We were understandably a little tired, but we did a good job wearing Western Carolina down," Donnenwirth said. "We were deeper than them and subbed frequently in the first half. By the second half, we had the game under control."

South Florida and Southern Mississippi roll into town and Pirates are eager to see if a brutal out of conference schedule primed them to be stronger in the league this year. From the looks of the team in a narrow loss to 6th-ranked Florida and an overwhelming win over Western Carolina, the Pirates appear to be hitting on all cylinders heading into these games.

"South Florida and Southern Miss are starting a lot of new players so I feel we are more experienced," Donnenwirth assessed. "We just need to dictate the flow of the game."

The backline for the Pirates has looked impressive thus far with Penny Perrot leading things in front of surprisingly strong goalie Lindsi Troxler who has been more than good replacing injured Lauren Church.

Sophomore Meghan McCallion is in 2002 form, once again among the top scorers in the league and a host of other Pirates are emerging a scoring threats. Rachelle Cabeceiras is coming off a monster game against Western Carolina and Mindy Nixon is picking up her game.

"We have shown our potential," Donnenwirth said. "Our games versus top level teams have made us better and even though we lost, it has given us confidence. Our backs have been solid. Our midfield turned it up a notch on both sides of the ball."

If the Pirates can pocket a pair of wins against a struggling South Florida team and a surprisingly strong Southern Miss team, ECU could be positioned perfectly to start contending with the upper tier league teams down the road when they hit them on the schedule.

On Friday, the Pirates traveled to High Point to make up an out of conference game with the Panthers, originally slated for August 31. The Pirates, on the strength of two first half goals, took the game to High Point (1-3-0) early, but then needed a late tally to put to rest a frantic Panthers’ rally late in the game.

Brian Deutsch tallied in the 4^th minute, roping a shot off a redirect from just inside the penalty box served by Reed Avren. The Pirates found twine again just 18 minutes later when Josh Foltz finished a corner from Avren by flicking a nifty header for tally. Forward Matt Kowaleski continued his scoring binge by bending a ball past the High Point goalie to ice the game in the 70^th minute for the Pirates

"Our guys played very well,” coach Michael Benn said. “High Point played very hard. We matched them every step of the way. Our guys stayed composed and battled for 90 minutes."

“Our schedule to this point has been challenging. To open up with 3 games on the road and come out 1-1-1 is a big step for this team. Our away record the past few years has not been good. I think our team has learned what it takes to be successful on the road. I am encouraged by our improvement every time out. We have defended well so far (0.70 gaa) and that needs to continue if we are to reach our goals. Getting results always helps with your confidence, but I think how you play is more of a motivating factor.”

Though Georgia Southern is just 1-4 on the season, the team’s mark is somewhat deceptive considering that the slate has included two ACC powers and two CAA stalwarts. A victory over, by the same margin that ECU downed the Camels (3-0), is the lone victory for the Eagles. Coach Benn has no illusions about the toughness of this Georgia Southern squad.

“This will be our first time playing Georgia Southern,” he said. “They are 0-4 right now but have played four very good teams in North Carolina State, Duke, James Madison, and George Mason.”

Georgia Southern is working with a roster that returned only three starters from a 2-16 team, so it is to the Pirates advantage to host this club early in the season. The team has a senior leader in goalie Kirk Latibeaudier (2.37 gaa; 44 saves) and senior forward Tony Moffat (17 goals, 13 assists career), who saw his number fall sharply last season when he tallied only once. The remainder of the roster is still finding its footing. Tyler Mullen (2 goals) and Brad Mitchum (goal, assist) can also find twine for the Eagles.

If ever ECU wanted a game that could catapult them into the spotlight, it is Sunday’s conference tilt with 12^th-ranked Alabama-Birmingham. The game, at home at Bunting Field, will quickly tell the Pirates how much they have improved and what their real prospects in the league are. A win or a solidly-contested game with the Blazers would give the Pirates a renewed vision of the C-USA slate. Since joining C-USA, the Pirates have not lost to the Blazers, but this year’s UAB club is outstanding, having draws with then-No. 5 Indiana and then-No. 11 Notre Dame early in the season.

“UAB is off to a fabulous start,” coach Benn said. “They are 4-0-2, have allowed one goal thus far. They tied national powers Indiana and Notre Dame (both 0-0) on opening weekend. We are 1-0-1 against them so far in C-USA. We are really looking forward to opening our home C-USA schedule against such a good opponent.”

The Blazers can hurt a team from many areas on the field. The Blazers spread the attack around with six different players already having tallied this season. Jersun Monteiro (3 goals, 3 assists) leads the team, but veterans Marin Pusek (2 goals, 3 assists) and Jose Rayo (2 goals, assist) are ever-ready to put away a goal. Defensively, the Blazers are airtight. Goalie Alberto Robles boasts a sterling 0.16 goals against average. Defenders Tony McManus, Kareem Morgan, and Oswaldo Gallegos are as good as you might find in the nation.

UAB has climbed to 9th in the NSCAA/ADIDAS soccer poll...ECU forward Matt Kowaleski was named the Conference-USA Offensive Player of the Week. A pair of goalies shared the co-Defensive Player of the Week honors. Saint Louis’ junior goalie Martin Hutton and Marquette’s Adam Ubert – a senior – shared the honor. Hutton is currently on a 292-minute shutout streak. Ubert is current second in the league with total saves (26)…If nothing else, Charlotte understands which games to win if you are only going to get a few. The 49ers are just 2-3-0 to start the season, but they are 2-0-0 in Conference-USA, saving their best for the games that count…When Charlotte’s Frank Floyds tallied in the 82^nd minute against Southern Florida at the USF/Ameri-Suites Invitational over the weekend, it sealed the 4^th-straight win over the Bulls for UNCC…In Cincinnati’s 2-1 win over Bradley – thanks to John Liersemann’s first tally on the year, it marked not only the Bearcats’ first win of the season, but also Bradley’s first-ever loss in its home stadium, Shea…DePaul’s Luke Rojo and Kevin Riemer were named to the Western Lakefront Invitational all-tournament team over the weekend. Northwestern won the tourney…Louisville’s Simon Bird, Marco Terminesi, and Jonathan Williams and Memphis’ Daniel Dobson and Omar Jarun were named to the Musselman Hotels Classic all-tournament team over the weekend…When Louisville freshmen Marco Terminesi tallied in double-overtime to defeat Memphis, it marked the third consecutive time that the Tigers have opened C-USA play with a defeat in double-overtime…Fourth-ranked Saint Louis continues to wreak havoc with the best teams in the nation. This time, the Billikens downed No. 15 FIU 1-0, improving Saint Louis’s win streak versus ranked teams to four-in-a-row and counting…No. 12 UAB is also streaking, winning its fourth-straight contest at the expense of the United States Military Academy and capturing the Jim ‘N Nicks/Puma BCS Fall Classic over the weekend…When Marshall’s Karim Boukhemis tallied against UAB at the 35:38 mark on Sunday, he became the first player to tally against the 12^th-ranked Blazers this season through six games…For a refreshing change of pace for the South Florida Bulls, someone other then league-leading scorer Hunter West or potent teammate Drew Helm tallied for the USF. Freshman Kareem Smith scored the game-winner over Providence on Sunday…Conference USA teams have posted a 22-15-7 (.580) mark against non-conference opponents so far this season...It was recently announced that the 2003 C-USA Men’s Soccer Tournament will be televised as part of the C-USA Television Network. Details will be released as they are hammered out…UAB joined Saint Louis as the only other Conference USA team with two tournament crowns to their credit this season. The Blazers earned their latest tournament trophy by winning the Jim ‘N Nick’s/Puma Birmingham-Southern Fall Classic with wins over Marshall (2-1) and Army (3-0).

The following table lists the leading scorers in 2003 for Conference-USA through Monday, September 15:

Player

Team

Goals

Assists

Total

Points

WEST, Hunter	South Florida	7	0	14
BIRD, Simon	Louisville	4	3	11
KOWALESKI, Matt	East Carolina	4	2	10
METCALF, Andy	Memphis	4	2	10
MONTIERO, Jersun	UAB	3	3	9
HELM, Drew	South Florida	2	4	8
IBISEVIC, Vedad	Saint Louis	3	2	8
KOHLMEYER, Blair	Marquette	4	0	8
JARUN, Omar	Memphis	3	1	7
PUSEK, Marin	UAB	2	3	7
TERMINESI, Marco	Louisville	2	3	7
DiRAIMONDO, John	Saint Louis	2	1	5
JOHN, Will	Saint Louis	2	1	5
RAYO, Jose	UAB	2	1	5
ROJO, Luke	DePaul	2	1	5
AVREN, Reed	East Carolina	0	4	4
BLOUIN, Matt	Marquette	2	0	4
DEUTSCH, Brian	East Carolina	2	0	4
FOLTZ, Josh	East Carolina	2	0	4
MUPIER, Mira	Charlotte	2	0	4
O’BRIEN, Dayton	Memphis	2	0	4
POMEROY, Ryan	Louisville	2	0	4

On Friday, the Pirates showed why many of the teams in C-USA are worried about them. Taking on another top-10 program – this time on the road – the Pirates nearly took out 6^th-ranked Florida (5-0-0).

In a slugfest, it wasn’t until the 65^th minute of play that the Gators cracked the scoreboard with a Cherry Pickman tally. The Pirates came right back with a Meghan McCallion tally in the 67^th minute on a pass from Sarah Stoltz.. Finding twine for the 5^th time this season, McCallion leveled the score.

Gators star Crystal Frimpong broke the deadlock in the 75^th minute just beating ECU goalie Lindsi Troxler - who had an outstanding game – for the victory. Notably, the Pirates were level with the Gators in shots on goal with 12 apiece.

“Florida's team speed is off the charts but we kept up with them and played good team defense,“ Donnenwirth said. "We actually out-shot Florida in the first half. I think we shocked them a little. Carmen Calpo had a great game and hit the post on a header in the first half. Lindsi Troxler made some big stops in the net. We were under fire for about 20 minutes in the second half. We had a couple of chances to tie it."

On Sunday, the Pirates rebounded to put another game in the win column, dominating Western Carolina en route to a 3-0 victory at home on Bunting Field. The Pirates pounded away at the Catamounts goal, holding a decisive 19-1 advantage in shots on goal.

Rachelle Cabeceiras put ECU on the board first in the 25^th minute by redirecting a pass from sophomore Carmen Calpo for a header on goal. In the 71^st minute, the duo hooked up again for a second tally. This time, Calpo drove a pass across the box to Cabeceiras, who punched it in to the lower-90 to ECU up 2-0. Melissa Penny finished the scoring for the Pirates in the 89^th minute, finishing on a Mindy Nixon pass. Lindsi Troxler, recently elevated to starter in the goal, recorded her second shutout of the season.

"It was one of those games I think if you finish more of your chances the game is a little bit easier," Coach Donnenwirth said. "We possessed the ball well, which is something we talked about doing. We knew that we were deeper in the bench then they were and could substitute more."

"This is the start of the second season. We need to protect our home field as it is very tough on the road (in C-USA). Only eight of 14 teams make the conference tournament, so every game is a battle."

On Friday, ECU opens C-USA league action at home - barring any Hurricane Isabel-related weather. The Pirates greet a struggling Bulls squad, looking for some offensive improvement.

Junior Stacie Sastre is the team's most versatile player and the leader on the field. She has yet to get off offensively yet, but she is a strong player. The Bulls are coming off losses to Miami and Florida Atlantic, dropping their record to 1-3-0 on the season. They beat Stetson in double overtime for their lone victory.

The attack has been the deficiency for the Bulls thus far, but they do have a staunch backline, bolstered by a pretty good keeper in Breck Bankester.

On Sunday, Parents Day, the Pirates take on a surprisingly successful, unbeaten Southern Miss squad. The team is 5-0-1 thus far including three-straight shutout victories.

In the back, the Eagles rely on seasoned goalie Anna Snyder who has been particularly tough early on this season. Up front, Carly Barkley (4 goals) has emerged as a tenacious goal scorer, but she is not alone as the Eagles have seen tallies by four other players.

ECU’s senior defender Penny Perrott was named the Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Week while Houston’s Nikki Hawkins and Tulane’s Lindsay Morris shared the Offensive Player of the week honors...By beating Drury 3-0, Memphis finally ended an agonizing five-game winless streak to start the season…In Tulane’s 1-1 double-overtime match with rival LSU, there were five yellow cards issued, two ejections, and 48 total fouls. Now that is a rivalry…DePaul is one of the hottest teams in C-USA right now, currently enjoying a four game win-streak…In drawing with LSU, Tulane snapped a 13-game unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents for LSU…UAB is a perfect 3-0 in matches decided by one goal this season...Louisville – currently out to one of its best-ever starts to a season – has outscored opponents 11-1 in its last three outings…DePaul middie Julianne Sitch – currently the league-leader in scoring – was named to the Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the week…The championship match of the 2003 Conference USA Women’s Soccer Tournament will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network. More details will be released as the championship approaches.