Men Get a Huge C-USA Victory 

Women Gearing Up for Biggest League Weekend Yet

By Ron Cherubini
©2002 Bonesville.net

Things are getting very interesting for the ECU soccer teams as they enter the heart of Conference-USA play. The men, coming off a sweep this past week of non-league High Point and conference foe Louisville, now find themselves to be a real league threat.

On the women’s side, the team put together its best complete performance in a 2-1 win over Liberty in a non-league match. The contest is a good sign for the Pirates who head into a week where opportunities to seize control of their own destiny abound.

By rallying to down Louisville 3-2 in Greenville on Sunday, the men’s team (4-5-1) improved to 2-2-1 I the league and more importantly, positioned themselves quite nicely to make a run at one of six tournament spots. Most encouraging has been the fluidity of the offense as the attack has finally gotten its legs beneath it.

“We have seen a definite step up in play,” Coach Devin O’Neill said. “We’re playing very well right now and are being rewarded for the effort. Morale is strong and the wins serve to reinforce what we have been trying to tell our players.”

Forward Brian Deutsch exploded for three goals and an assist in the two wins – which was a performance good enough to earn him Conference-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors. And the entire midfield to forward attack has improved to create many more opportunities than the Pirates were used to early in the season.

“(The offensive output) has certainly been a shot in the arm for us,” O’Neill said. “Brian has stepped up nicely and there are a number of other guys who are creating great opportunities for us. David Broyles is making significant contributions to our attack. He scored the game-tying goal against Louisville and drew the penalty that set up the game-winner.”

Broyles has been one of a group of players including Clyde Simms, Reed Avren, and Michael Logan who have been picking up their games of late. Forward Joe Ellington, who also tallied this week, has gotten more active as well. Goalie R.J. Marvinney has been solid between the pipes in the Pirates latest string of successes.

“We’re getting nice contributions from a lot of players,” O’Neill said. “We need that to continue. (Louisville) was the best performance by an ECU team since I`ve been here. The guys showed a lot of heart and a lot of guts. I can’t express how proud I am of the way this team competed."

In the Pirates upcoming C-USA game on Friday hosting Memphis, ECU has an opportunity to pick up three points against a team that is having somewhat of an identity crisis, having opened league play 1-3. But it will not be an easy one.

“Memphis is a very dangerous team,” O’Neill said. “They have speed on the flanks and up through the midfield. They have a couple of players from Maryland who are exceptional and some local guys from Tennessee that are doing well.

“Our defense will be tested severely, but I like our chances to get a couple of goals. It should be a very entertaining game. We’re excited. There are a lot of points to be competed for.”

The ECU women, too, see this week as one where available points are on the line and seizing them could put the team clearly in control of its own destiny in C-USA play.

“Our next six games are huge,” Coach Rob Donnenwirth said. “Fifteen points should get any team into the conference tournament. That means we need to get three more wins. If you look at our schedule, all the top teams come from our half of the bracket. The first four games are all cross-over games.”

In a clear look-a-head game for the Pirates (6-3-1, 2-2-1), ECU stumbled a bit in the first half, but recovered to take a 2-1 victory on the strength of goals by Amanda Duffy and Kristin Hoyle.

“We played very well in the second half,” Donnenwirth said. “We weren’t as predictable in our attack. We possessed the ball very well and wore Liberty down. It was a great team effort. Our backs really didn’t let Liberty get any good looks at goal in the second half.

“Both Duffy and Hoyle’s goals came off good possession and switching the point of attack quickly through the midfield. Liberty’s defense pushes hard to the ball side and we able to find open players making backside runs. Both goals were scored this way. We gave the Purple Heart to the team as everyone played well collectively.”

The Pirates will again need that collective effort this week, is huge with league-leading Cincinnati coming to Greenville on Friday and then the Pirates taking to the air to Louisville on Sunday.

“Cincinnati is a top team and I’m sure the game will be a war,” Donnenwirth said. “Louisville is much improved and will be tough as well; especially on the road. We will need to play our best to get points this weekend.”

The Pirates lost midfielder Sarah Stoltz to an ACL tear and will expect Jen Leonard to pick up her play in the midfield rotation.

The good news is that freshman Meghan McCallion and Duffy, the senior, have become a bonafide deadly scoring tandem for the Pirates and ensure that ECU will always be in games. The two have combined for 39 points and have scored 7 goals apiece.

The Pirates head into the weekend with a  three-game win-streak on the line.

NOTEBOOKS:

East Carolina Men

This Week’s Slate:

Friday, Oct. 11: Memphis at ECU, 1:00 p.m.

Last Week:

ECU 2, High Point 0

ECU 3, Louisville 2

Coach O’Neill says:

"We are very excited to get some good results (recently). There are a lot points out there to be competed for and we are looking to continue to make progress and hopefully get into that tournament."

Looking Ahead:

Although struggling in Conference-USA at 1-3-0, Memphis remains a dangerously talented opponent and now they are feeling a sense of urgency to get back into the league hunt. They are a dangerous offensive club, having outscored opponents 26-17 thus far this season. Leading the way for the Tigers is Daniel Ronan who leads the team in points (18), goals (8), and shots (25), including three game-winners this season. Ronan is not alone in the attack as Chris Schmidt (5 assists) and freshman Dayton O’Brien also are viable scorers. Defensively, junior Graham Gibbs is the leader and sophomore Daniel Dobson is a very skilled back. Regular goalie Clark Talley has 27 saves this season with a shutout and backup, Brian Baytos – who started two games this season – has a shutout to his credit and an impressive 0.99 goals against average.

Rewind:

The Pirates appear to be rolling and if this past week is any indication of the possibilities for this club, ECU may surprise a few more teams. The Pirates had little trouble disposing of High Point in the week’s early game, 2-0. This year’s leading scorer, Brian Deutsch and last year’s top points earner, Joe Ellington, each tallied in a game in which the Pirates offense exploded for 27 shots on goal. In the C-USA game this week, against Louisville, the Pirates showed great resilience in rallying for the win. Junior David Broyles was key in the contest, scoring the tying goal in the contest and then drawing the penalty that led to the game-winner in the 3-2 victory. Deutsch tallied two goals in the win, including the game-winning penalty kick.

On the Pitch:

In a Conference-USA no-brainer, forward Brian Deutsch was named the league Offensive Player of the Week for his three tallies and an assist in a pair of wins that put the Pirates right in the thick of the race for tournament spots…Speaking of tourney spots, at 2-2-1 in the conference, the Pirates are currently sitting in fourth place in the league with a winnable league game this week in Memphis…Reed Avren and Michael Logan – both among the league leaders in assists – have been picking up the offense of late, pushing the attack and getting very involved up front…Midfielder Clyde Simms was cited by coach O’Neill as being the most consistent Pirate in the lineup this season. Flavio Montiero scored his 4^th goal of the season in a second-half flurry of goals for UAB that broke open a 1-0 game at the intermission.

Sidelined:

Ryan Bostian, So, D – day to day

Josh Foltz, Jr, F, foot – Out for Season.

Around C-USA:

Cincinnati sophomore Wiremu Patrick and Bradon Dobbs scored within a minute of one another to spark the Bearcats to a key league win over South Florida, 2-0. The win pushed Cincy’s league mark to 3-1-0 in the league and keeps them atop the standings…Preseason player of the year Jack Jewsbury scored one of the tallies in a 2-0 win over Furman, helping to push Saint Louis to its 7^th-straight win this season…It doesn’t get much worse for Louisville than it did this week. Not only did the Cardinals lose a league match to ECU, but the team also fell 1-0 to archrival Kentucky…Tim Blake scored the game-winner midway through the second half to lift DePaul to an upset win over Memphis…Marquette’s Matt Darby tallied and added an assist in a 4-1 blowout league win over TCU to level the club at 2-2-0 in the league and later in the week, added two assists in a non-league, 3-0 blanking of Bowling Green…UAB shocked the league this week not only by downing conference elite Charlotte but also by blowing out the 49ers 4-0.

The Tally Sheet:

The following table lists the Conference USA scoring leaders as of 8-Oct-2002:

East Carolina Women

This Week’s Slate:

Friday, Oct. 11: Cincinnati at ECU, 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 13: ECU at Louisville, 12:00 p.m.

Last Week:

ECU 2, Liberty 1

Coach Donnenwirth says:

“Our next six games are huge. Fifteen points should get any team into the conference tournament. That means we need to get three more wins. If you look at our schedule, all the top teams come from our half of the bracket. The first four games are all cross-over games.”

Looking Ahead:

This is a huge week for the Pirates in the league. ECU plays host to Cincinnati and then travels to Louisville. With six league points on the line, the Pirates could really put themselves in the driver’s seat with a win or two this week. In the Bearcats, ECU hosts one of the best teams in the league. Cincy is riding a 4-game unbeaten streak and are 3-0-1 in the league. Amy Simonson (5 goals) and Tasha Wagner (goal, 5 assists) represent a powerful scoring combo that will really test the ECU backline. Preseason all-league defender senior Heather Herweh will make life difficult for the Pirates’ attackers. Sophomore goalie Tracy Hale brings in a 0.79 goals against average. Against Louisville, the Pirates face a team that is struggling a bit in the league at 1-2-0. The Cardinals take a two-game win-streak into its non-league game with Ohio.

Rewind:

In what may have been the Pirates best collective effort of the season, ECU shutout a good Liberty team. The win, driven by a strong defensive effort from the backline and an excellent midfield attack, has the Pirates rolling into this week’s league games. Forward Amanda Duffy led the Pirate rally by equalizing with a tally in the second half. Kristin Hoyle scored the game-winner midway through the second half to guarantee the 2-1victory. Lisa Martin (4 goals, 5 assists) and Melissa Wark (4 goals, assist) are able scorers and could do some major damage if the Pirates are not ready for the road game.

On the Pitch:

The Pirates are currently on a 3-game unbeaten streak and the offense appears to have matured into the threat that the league coaches believed it would be…The attacking combination of senior Amanda Duffy and freshman Meghan McCallion has proven to be even more lethal than Coach Donnenwirth ever expected. The two have combined for 39 points on the season, placing them in the 2^nd and 3^rd spots among league leaders. Duffy (7 goals, 5 assists) has been hot of late, tallying in the last four games and McCallion (7 goals, 6 assists) has been consistent all season…The Pirates suffered a big loss this week in losing Sarah Stoltz who tore an ACL. Stoltz was a dependable left-footer. Her lineup spot will be filled by sophomore Jen Leonard.

Sidelined:

Sarah Stoltz, So, MF, torn ACL – doubtful to return to lineup.

Michelle Kmiotek, Fr, GK, torn ligament in right thumb – Will redshirt this season.

Around C-USA:

17^th-ranked Charlotte continues to do nothing but impress. The 49ers got a pair of goals from freshman sensation and lead leading scorer Courtney Crandell (11 goals, 2 assists) to down Furman 3-2 to keep its unbeaten streak alive at 9-0-1 on the season…DePaul rebounded from a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Indiana to post a 2-1 non-league victory over Western Illinois on the strength of a Krissy Seeberhagen game-winner. DePaul dominated the attack with a 20-3 advantage in Shots on Goal…Houston followed up a 1-0 win over Southwest Texas – thanks to sophomore Nikki Hawkins’ goal – with a pair of unimpressive losses to UNLV (2-0) and Southern Utah (2-1)…Louisville is on a bit of a roll, posting a pair of shutout victories for the week. In the first win, a 1-0 victory over Murray State, the Cardinals got the game-winner from Andrea Marak in the 59^th minute. In the second win, a 3-0 blanking of Morehead State, the Cardinals got goals from three different players…In the conference matchup of the week, 15^th-ranked Marquette held off UAB for a 3-2 win. Laura Culhane tallied the game-winner. Marquette stayed unbeaten in the league by posting a 1-1 tie with South Florida. The tie puts Marquette at 9-2-1 and 3-0-1 in the league. South Florida, who got its tally from Tia Opliger in the 18^th minute…Becca Amrozowicz scored a goal and added an assist to help Memphis to a 2-1 win over Southeast Missouri State, helping to take a little of the sting out of a double-overtime loss to Tennessee-Martin earlier in the week. Amrozowicz tallied twice in the game…Sophomore Jamie Perry earned MVP honors at the Wildcat Classic, leading Saint Louis to the title over host Arizona. Perry scored the game-winner in the 1-0 win over Idaho State in the first round and then tallied twice to lead a 5-1 Billikens rout of Arizona…Freshmen Katie Reed and Berna Breirem tallied for South Florida in a win over rival Florida Atlantic…Weather cost Southern Mississippi’s game against Louisiana Lafayette and then fell 1-0 to South Alabama…TCU rebounded from a 2-0 loss to Oklahoma to post a 1-1 draw with SMU. The draw snapped a 17-game losing streak to SMU for TCU…Though they lost, Tulane turned in a valiant effort against No. 1 Stanford, hanging in for a long time before succumbing for a 3-1 loss…UAB used a Jill Knottek goal to take an early lead over ACC foe Virginia. But the Cavaliers were too much, eventually rallying to down the Blazers, 2-1…Lisa Stephens tallied a goal and an assist for Cincinnati in a non-league win over Bowling Green.

The Tally Sheet:

The following table lists the Conference USA scoring leaders as of 8-Oct-2002:

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