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It was a week of setbacks for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams this past week. The disappointments came in the form of 4 – that is, 4-0 and 4-1 losses. Both clubs were expecting anything but lop-sided losses as the women were on cruise control and unbeaten and them men were coming off a competitive performance up in Big Ten country.

The women headed into their clash with the University of South Carolina riding a 2-0-1 unbeaten streak and coming off a strong finish against Virginia Tech in the opening round of the Charlotte Classic. After battling to a 1-1 tie midway through the second half, the Gamecocks broke open the contest and ripped off three unanswered scores leaving the Pirates scratching their heads in the wake of a the 4-1 loss.

“Obviously our team is disappointed with the results this weekend,” women’s coach Rob Donnenwirth said. “I felt our current lack of depth at center-mid was going to be an issue. It really showed in our second game versus South Carolina. I felt we worked very hard defensively but didn’t do a good job in transition to offense. We need to possess the ball better and make other teams do the chasing.”

The week was not all negative for the women, as Donnenwirth focused on the positives.

“The positive was how we came back from a 2-0 deficit versus Virginia Tech,” he said. “2-0 is hard to come back from and I felt our team showed they will never give up. This is a sign of maturity from our upperclassmen. We also had chances to win the game in overtime.

“South Carolina was an excellent team. Their depth was the deciding factor. We battled from being down 1-0 at half-time and scored a great goal off a corner kick to tie it 1-1.”

Penny Perrott showed that she is going to be a large part of the ECU attack. It was Perrott who pushed up the field on a set piece – a corner kick – and went to the air to head home a perfectly placed Amanda Duffy service.

“We were hoping momentum would shift at this point but South Carolina took another lead,” Donnenwirth recalled. “At this point we pushed players forward to try and get the equalizer. This exposed us in the back and USC scored two goals in the last five minutes.”

The depth in the midfield for the women’s team is being addressed. Sophomore midfielder Krystel Pabey was not able to play in the Charlotte tourney due to a paperwork screwup but all has been resolved and she will bring more needed midfield support to the team.

With Campbell and Virginia Commonwealth, Donnenwirth will be expecting to see his team pick up again and refocus. With the offensive weapons his team possesses, he knows that the 4-1 setback to USC should be more anomaly than norm.

“Meghan (McCallion) and (Amanda) Duffy are legit forwards for any team,” he said of his forwards. “As good as they have been, they are still learning about each other. At times they are pulled too far apart from each other, which makes it difficult for them to use each other for combinations. Our second goal against Virginia Tech is more of what we are looking for (from the combination). It was a perfect three-way combination starting with Rachelle Cabeceiras passing to McCallion. McCallions’ one-touch pass to a streaking Duffy found her on a breakaway and finished in a goal.”

For the men, the 4-0 loss at South Florida was probably as confusing as it was disappointing to a team with high expectations this season. The excitement still exists for the club and this team does love a challenge, but to back step after a competitive weekend against Big Ten stalwarts was not expected.

“The players are bit down,” coach Devin O’Neill said. “No one likes to be 0-3. The most critical thing for us is to sure things up from a defensive standpoint. I think (the players) are grasping what we are trying to do (from a team concept), but the biggest area is individual defending. The breakdowns are of an individual nature… getting beat one–v–one and giving up goals on restarts. We gave up 3 goals on restarts.”

“For 65 minutes I think we played a solid game,” O’Neill said. “We were happy to that point. Where we are struggling now is making critical mistakes in back and the quality opponents we are playing have made us pay for that.”

O’Neill thinks his team’s offensive woes do not lie at the hands – make that the feet – of the forwards, but rather in the midfield.

“We have had some opportunities up front,” O’Neill said. “Joe (Ellington), Brian (Deutsch), (Michael) Logan, Josh (Foltz), and Andy (Tabor) are all doing OK. It’s been a couple of things. The quality of service from the wide midfielders and backs could be better. And, the forwards could look to turn and take people on and be more dangerous. With the quality of our opponents, we haven’t been getting a lot of opportunities, so we need to make the most of them when we do.”

With Elon up next and a huge conference match looming with Charlotte, the men need to find a way to find the twine. Through three games, the Pirates have only tallied twice while giving up 10 goals. The firepower exists for ECU, which has a number of scorers in the lineup, but the finish is still lacking.

Today's match with the Phoenix serves as the best opportunity for Coach O'Neill and his charges to right the soccer ship and put it all together for the remainder of the league slate.

“Our challenge right now is to continue to get the guys focused. To improve and not get overwhelmed by the (0-3) start. We have to refocus on the areas where we need to be stronger. And, we need to continue to keep upbeat and hopefully we can get the result (a win) we are looking for.”

ECU is desperately seeking a victory when it jumps out of conference today to take on Elon, a team expected to compete for the Big South Conference title this season. Elon returns 13 lettermen including all-leaguer defender Devin McCanon and offensive threat Paul Bellacqua who tallied seven times in 2001. The Phoenix (1-2-0) is coming off its first win, a 3-1 victory over Long Island. On Friday, the Pirates host Conference-USA rival Charlotte, which sits among the league leaders as the out of conference slate progresses. Charlotte has a bevy of scorers including Tim Flavin, Shane Carew, and Mira Mupier. The 49ers are looking like contenders this season. The Pirates will be looking to break into the win column this week, preferably notching a pair and bagging their first C-USA victory of the season.

After a solid, albeit unsuccessful, appearance at the Ohio State NIKE Classic to open the season, the Pirates took a clear step backwards in getting blanked by South Florida in both teams’ Conference USA Opener. Had it not been for an incredible performance in the net by R.J. Marvinney (15 saves), it could have even uglier than the 4-0 score. Marvinney was staunch between the pipes until he finally cracked at the 66-minute mark. Lack of offensive opportunities was glaring as the Pirates were outshot 25-4 on the day.

The offense has been severely lacking thus far. Forwards Joe Ellington and Brian Deutsch and midfielders Clyde Simms and Brian Bostian must pick up the effort if ECU is going to contend this season. Marvinney is a battle-tested, tough-minded goalie, but he will not last long this season if he continues to get hammered between the pipes.

Saint Louis, ranked 13^th nationally, are still trying to figure it out this season. Expected to be a national contender, the Billikens are still seeking a first win. In fact, at 0-2-1, the Billikens are now behind in the league, falling earlier in the week to Marquette, 1-0, in the C-USA opener for both clubs…In blasting Birmingham Southern 4-0, Charlotte convincingly captured the NIKE Classic Championship hosted by UAB and held in Birmingham, Alabama. UAB’s Mikey Spitzer and Flavio Monteiro earned all-tournament recognition for their club at the same NIKE Classic Championship. The Blazers – ranked 23^rd nationally – won their first game and then lost a heart-breaker to Rhode Island, 3-2 in double-overtime… TCU couldn’t stand up to the relentless pressure put on by 18^th ranked Bradley, falling 2-1 in a tough match at the finals of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Kickoff Classic. Junior forward Aaron Miranda, senior midfielders Carrington Brown and Jon Meyers, and soph goalie Justin Durst were named to the all-tournament team…Memphis overcame two redcards within a five minute span and held off Northeastern 2-1 to capture the Memphis-Diadora Tournament. Defender Graham Gibbs was the tourney MVP for the Tigers…Louisville thumped UNC-Asheville 3-1 to get a win in their Seelbach Classic tournament. Adrian Cann and Matt Neely made all tournament…DePaul posted its first win – a 3-1 victory over UW-Green Bay at the Coca-Cola Panther Invitational. Luke Rojo and Adam Hermsen both scored in the win and were named to the all-tourney team…Charlotte midfielder Shane Carew was named the Conference-USA Offensive Player of the Week. He was also named the MVP for the UAB NIKE tournament, which the 49ers captured over the weekend.

The following table lists the Conference-USA leading scorers as of Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2002:

Player	Team	Goals	Assists	Total Points
GRANT, Jelani	Louisville	3	1	7
MONTEIRO, Flavio	UAB	3	0	6
TOLOMELLI, Fernando	Louisville	2	2	6
WEST, Hunter	South Florida	3	0	6
PATRICK, Wiremu	Cincinnati	2	1	5
O'BRIEN, Dayton	Memphis	2	1	5
FLAVIN, Tim	Charlotte	2	0	4
GUTIERREZ, Derek	Marquette	2	0	4
REILLY, John	Memphis	2	0	4
ROJO, Luke	DePaul	2	0	4
ROSE, Matt	Louisville	1	2	4
THWAITES, Jeff	South Florida	1	2	4
CAREW, Shane	Charlotte	1	1	3
MUPIER, Mira	Charlotte	1	1	3
RAYO, Jose	UAB	1	1	3
SUGAR, Steven	UAB	1	1	3

“This week of practice is important for us. This is the time of year when teams start to get worn down. We need to keep focused. We will have Pabey back for this weekend. These will be two tough games. We handed Campbell their worst loss last year (6-0) and I know they are foaming at the mouth to get us in Buies Creek. VCU has had good results beating Seton Hall and losing 2-1 to Maryland in a close game.”

This week has the Pirate women on the road for a pair of games. On Friday, the team takes the short jaunt to Buies Creek to take on a Campbell team that is currently 1-1-1 on the season. The Camels have a solid offensive capability as demonstrated in a dominating 4-0 win over UNC-W in the team’s opener. However, UNC-Asheville exploited the Campbell defense to the tune of 4 tallies in a 4-2 win last week. The Camels return 10 starters from last season’s 13-6 team and is talented throughout the lineup. Up front, talented All-South selection Sara Davis returns. Davis tallied 11 of Campbell’s 30 goals last season. But the team strength is in the midfield where all four starters return, including captain Becky Moghaddam, a stalwart in the attack. Sophomore Erin Switalski returns after a 2001 campaign where she carried a 0.92 goals against average in 14 contests. She was 10-4 as a keeper for Campbell and recorded the second best season in the net in program history. Against VCU, the Pirates pay a visit to an old Colonial Athletic Association foe with whom they are intimately familiar. The Rams (3-1-0) are coming off their first loss of the season, having fell to Maryland in a 2-1 slugfest. Just two years ago, VCU was a cellar-dweller in the powerful CAA, but now the Rams are truly contenders in the league. This match will be a solid barometer for the Pirates. VCU’s strength is clearly its backline and goalkeeping. The Rams registered a stingy 1.44 gaa as a team last season and are anchored by 2001 CAA Defensive Player of the Year Prue Cormie. Cormie runs the show in the back. Chrissie Lloyde returns in the net and has a flare for the magnificent save. Sophomore Jen Parsons returns in the attack after setting the league afire in her rookie season, leading the CAA in goals 13 and points 29. If VCU tallies first, they are a tough team to come back on.

The Pirates started off well this past week in the Charlotte Classic Tournament where they were joined by conference rival Charlotte, Big East power Virginia Tech and SEC contender South Carolina. The Pirates tied Virginia Tech in the opener 2-2 to remain unbeaten on the season, but then succumbed to South Carolina 4-1. The loss to the Gamecocks will undoubtedly have the Pirates back to the drawing board this week. It was not so much the loss as much as the fact that this Pirate team, with all of its weapons, couldn’t muster only one tally on the day. Penny Perrott found the net on a service from corner by senior forward Amanda Duffy. Against the Hokies, the Pirates fell behind 2-0 early but regrouped quickly as freshman Meghan McCallion tallied on a breakaway in the 18^th minute. McCallion then served up an assist to Duffy in the 53^rd minute for the equalizer. The teams went to double-overtime, but the match ended in a draw.

Coming out of the Charlotte tournament, the Pirates are now sure that freshmen forward Meghan McCallion is a legitimate scoring threat for the Pirates. The Long Island New Yorker earned all-tournament honors in Charlotte and is currently among the league leaders in scoring, which bodes well for the Pirates, who already have one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the league in Duffy…Penny Perrott also garnered all-tournament honors at the Charlotte Classic Tournament…Rachelle Cabeceiras was cleared to play 15 minutes per half this past weekend and showed very well in the midfield, an area where depth is sorely lacking for the Pirates…With senior back Unicity Dittmer, junior midfielder Faith Innis, and freshman goalie Michelle Kmiotek all out for extensive time with injuries, Coach Donnenwirth will have to make some red-shirt decisions for these players in the near future…Perrot has been the most consistent player on the field thus far this season and at 5-11 her size has made her a real force in the air…Back Mindy Nixon has shown great speed on the outside, to help kick start transition opportunities…Donnenwirth cited the toughness this season of Tina Rivera and Meghan Schwanke recently, saying that they embody the grit and determination he requires of his team.

Charlotte swept the Conference-USA Player of the Week honors this past week on the strength of senior goalie Jenn Howell’s tournament performance this past weekend. Howell was the defensive player of a the week. Teammate, freshman Courtney Crandell garnered Offensive Player of the Week honors. The Iowa Gatorade State Player of the Year last season as a prepster, Crandell scored a game-winner against South Carolina and also tallied in a win over Virginia Tech en route to the Charlotte Classic Tournament title victory…The Tulane Green Wave lost its last two games by a combined total of 7-1 to a pair of former Pirate CAA foes in Richmond and James Madison…UAB was brought back down to reality after a first week undefeated. The Blazers took a pair of losses this week, the worst being a loss to rival Auburn in UAB’s own tournament. The Tigers smacked UAB 3-0…After a torrid start to the season, the Cincinnati Bearcats got a reality check this week in the form of a 3-0 loss to Illinois… Marquette captured the Flyer Classic championship over the weekend with a 1-0 defeat of tourney host Dayton. The win was a showcase of domination for Marquette as the Golden Eagles held a decisive 24-6 shots on goal advantage…The Houston Cougars are finding it hard to find the twine lately and on the defensive end, it has been a scorefest for the opponents. The team is coming off of back-to-back, badly-played shoutout losses at the hands of UTEP (6-0) and New Mexico (4-0)…South Florida had an mood swinging week as the team opened the week with a 4-0 blanking of Stetson, only to come back and suffer a 2-0 loss at the hands of rival Jacksonville…Southern Miss, riding the goal-scoring of Katie Adams, have righted themselves after dropping their first two games. The Golden Eagles swept their two games last week, downing Middle Tennessee State 2-1 and routed Alabama A&M 7-1...It took Memphis a span of little more than five minutes to tally a trio of goals and notch another victory this season, besting Northeastern 3-0…20^th-ranked Pepperdine was just too powerful for TCU this week, blanking the Horned Frogs 2-0 over the weekend. The California trip took its tool on TCU as the team dropped an early week game to UC-Santa Barbara 3-1 as well…Lisa Martin tallied a pair of goals for Louisville as the Cardinals cruised to a 4-1 win over Youngstown State and posted the team’s first win of the 2002 campaign…The Military school gauntlet produced mixed results for Saint Louis this past week. The Billikens took on Army and Navy back-to-back and split the two contests. Saint Louis downed the U.S. Military Academy 2-1 on a pair of Christie Cigno tallies. The Naval Academy exacted revenge, however, downing SL 1-0 and ending a three-game winning streak for the Billikens.

The following table lists the Conference-USA leading scorers as of Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2002:

After lopsided losses, teams are taking stock of where they are heading