Women Emerging as a C-USA Elite 

Men look for answers in wake of two shutout losses

By Ron Cherubini
©2002 Bonesville.net

Through defeat, the ECU women’s team learned that they can play with anyone in the country, not just Conference USA. Through victory, the Pirates validated themselves as a league contender and a strong candidate for a good seeding in the C-USA tourney in Charlotte at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the wheels seemingly came off for the men. In a week that look clearly like a good possibility to gain much-needed points in C-USA, the men instead were dismantled in a non-league game and then turned around and dropped a very winnable league contest to put in doubt the team’s resolve.

Two teams, two very different directions.

“Overall, it was a great week for us,” women’s coach Rob Donnenwirth assessed. “The Charlotte game was everything we expected it to be. (Against Saint Louis) I give the team credit that they found a way to win by pure guts. It wasn’t pretty.”

Forced to play four games in a seven-day span, ECU faced the daunting task of facing the 12^th-ranked Charlotte and league contender Saint Louis, both on the road, after having to deal with playing two games in Louisville because of rains.

On the men’s side, the week was a complete disappointment as the Pirates were demolished and demoralized by 17^th-ranked Coastal Carolina and then could not muster a mistake-free effort against C-USA bottom-dweller TCU in a league matchup.

“It certainly was a step backwards,” a disappointed coach Devin O’Neill said. “You know, we play hard every game. We have to see what we can do now. We need to win three more league games to make (a tourney berth) possible. It’s a tall order.”

In Coastal, the men found a offensive juggernaut, hell-bent on rolling over the outclassed Pirates. After the barrage was over, Coastal had posted a 6-0 win.

“Coastal Carolina, in my opinion, is the best team we’ve played all year,” O’Neill said. “We got beat by a very, very good team that was clicking on all cylinders when we played them.”

The Pirates were unable to recover emotionally and mentally to take on a game Texas Christian club with designs of their own on climbing back into the league race.

“It was very disappointing this week,” O’Neill reflected. “Against TCU, it was an evenly played game. I would have been nice to get the points there, but we made critical mistakes (defensively) and didn’t capitalize on our opportunities (offensively). We have to start defending much better. We are giving away soft goals and putting ourselves in position to get beat. We have to tighten up and stop giving away goals.”

Following the 2-0 loss at TCU, O’Neill said his team’s focus going forward is to tighten up the play in the defensive third of the field.

Ahead of the men is a non-league contest at struggling Campbell followed by a big league matchup at Cincinnati.

“For us, Campbell is much like a Wilmington or High Point or Elon game,” O’Neill said. “It’s an in-state rivalry and we expect a very close, tough-contested game.

“Cincinnati will be very difficult for us because they have such a definite home field advantage on that Field Turf. They love that surface and haven’t lost at home yet this season. Both games will be tough for us. The conference game, obviously, is most important. Anything is possible. We have to focus on getting better each time we (play).”

Where the men found playing a top-ranked team adverse in terms of confidence, the women grew from their tightly-contested, 1-0 loss at 12^th-ranked Charlotte in a league tilt with the conference leadership.

“I was very impressed with (Charlotte’s) physical play and intensity,” Donnenwirth said. “They took it to us in the first 15 minutes, but we weathered the storm. Once we settled down and matched their intensity, we were able to get some good chances to score.”

Charlotte was able to connect on a long goal that caught Pirate goalie Michele Kmiotek off guard.

“They scored from long range,” Donnenwirth said. “I know Kmiotek would like to have that one back.”

The game saw Charlotte miss another opportunity off the post. ECU, for its part, had opportunities. Senior midfielder Amanda Duffy collected a clear out off the Charlotte backline and hammered away a point blank shot that the Charlotte keeper was able to somehow turn away.

The Pirates lost and could have easily allowed the disappointment to carry over to their second big league match of the weekend in Saint Louis.

“We arrived in Saint Louis with our ‘gas light’ on,” Donnenwirth said. “It was our fourth game in seven days. It was evident we had tired legs by our poor passing and non-ability to make runs forward. I give the team credit for finding a way to win. It wasn’t pretty…it was pure guts.”

Duffy tallied first for the Pirates taking a hard shot from the goalie as she redirected a Mindy Nixon cross into the twine. The goal stood to intermission, but failed to pump the team up heading into the field house.

“I expected to see the team hyped up,” Donnenwirth said. “Instead, we saw a team on fumes and limping into the lockerroom. (Assistant coach) Chris Webb and I did all we could to plead with them to give it 45 more minutes.”

The Pirate backline bore the brunt of the second half action, desperately working to turn back consistent Saint Louis attacking runs. As the half moved along, the Pirates got sloppy and the Billikens turned an errant backpass to the goalie into an equalizing tally.

“After we let up the tying goal, I thought we were in trouble,” Donnenwirth said. “It was the kind of goal that could be a backbreaker, but we were opportunistic.”

On the Pirates first subsequent corner kick, ECU struck gold.

Rachael Cabeceiras connected on a controversial goal as she caught the Saint Louis goalie drifting off her line. Cabeceiras took a rebound from the corner kick and looped the ball over the goalie. It crossed the goaline and a tally was awarded, sparking objections from Saint Louis.

“Was it a goal? I don’t know,” Donnenwirth said. “The ref was in good position for the call.”

Goal or not, the Pirates deserved to win based on grit alone. The result also has help further solidify the Pirates conference position, setting them up for a run at not only a seeding, but a good one in the tournament. But there are more games to be played yet.

“It’s good to be back home,” Donnenwirth said. “We know we can play any team in our conference, it’s just a matter of getting it done.”

The Friday home game against Marquette is huge for ECU. A win helps to break up standings a bit for the Pirates. The Sunday game hosting DePaul will give ECU the opportunity to really shake up their chances to push to the top of the league along with Charlotte.

NOTEBOOKS:

East Carolina Men

This Week’s Slate:

Wednesday, Oct. 23: ECU at Campbell, 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 27: ECU at Cincinnati, 2:00 p.m.

Last Week:

(17) Coastal Carolina 6, ECU 0

TCU 2, ECU 0

Coach O’Neill says:

"In the conference, it will probably take three wins to get us in the tournament. It is a tall order, certainly, but that is what we have to (play for)."

Looking Ahead:

In Campbell, the Pirates face another in-state team and will get all of the things that come along with a rivalry. The Camels (3-9-0; 2-4-0 in Atlantic Sun Conference) are coming off a 5-1victory over Gardner-Webb. The attack is paced by sophomore forward Jason Kirk (5 goals, assist) and freshman forward Shaun Elbaum (3 goals, 3 assists). Junior midfielder John Izzo (3 goals, 5 assists) runs the team from the central mid. The backline is experienced with senior Jason Naill and junior Steve Hollinger in front of veteran goalie Billy Englishby. The Camels have played a brutal slate this season, performing better at home than on the road. The Cincinnati game looms large because the Bearcats sit one slot ahead of the Pirates in the league race. A win, and the Pirates climb a rung on the ladder toward a possible tournament berth. The Bearcats are a very strong club, particularly at home on their field turf playing surface. They love the fast surface and have not been defeated yet at cozy Meyers Field. ECU gets them coming off a pair of non-league contests. The attack is centered around sophomore forwards Wiremu Patrick (8 goals, 3 assists) and Matt Hayden (2 goals, 4 assists). Senior midfielder Scott Lyons (3 goals, assist) is offensive minded and helps build the attack. The backline is led by tri-captain, junior back Anders Cedergren, who has returned nicely from a medical redshirt last year. Junior goalie Sacha Nathu has a 1.98 goals against average. Cincy tends to start slow and finish strong, having given up twice as many first half goals to their opponents. The second half is a much different story as the Bearcats are outscoring the opponents by a 2 to 1 margin.

Rewind:

If Coastal Carolina is truly just the 17^th-ranked club in the nation, it would take a major argument to convince that there are 16 better teams out there. The Chanticleers had their way with the Pirates, putting a 6-0 pasting on team, keeping ECU goalie R.J. Marvinney active from whistle to whistle. The goalie did make eight saves, but really had no chance as the Chanticleers made ECU pay for minute mistakes in the defense. Big-time scorer Joe Ngwenya tallied a hat trick to pace the Chants. The Pirates were not able to reconstitute in time to take advantage of a rare, large opportunity in C-USA. ECU got TCU in the midst of a four game losing streak and on paper, appeared to be more than able to collect the league win down in Texas. But, TCU rose to the occasion, getting a goal from Aaron Miranda in the first half and an insurance tally via a penalty kick from Michael Blackburn. The win shuffled the bottom ranks of the league standings.

On the Pitch:

Goalie R.J. Marvinney is rapidly closing in on 300 career saves, having added another eight this week...David Broyles will miss the Campbell game with an injury and Reed Avren is questionable for this week, as well.

Around C-USA:

Charlotte (7-5-1; 4-3-0) took it on the chin both in and out of the league this week. The 49ers appeared to have been up for 11^th-ranked South Carolina, but came up short, following 2-1 in a battle. Charlotte forward Mira Mupier tallied early for Charlotte, but USC rallied for the equalizer less than five minutes later. The Gamecocks won it with a goal from a direct kick outside of the penalty box late in the game. The road remained unkind to Charlotte as the Niners were blown out by at Marquette, 3-1. The Golden Eagles ( 6-7-0; 4-2-0) a got a pair of goals from senior forward Eric Marshall to break open a tied game. Marquette keeper Lucas Mackanos was the star of the game making save after save including one on a penalty kick. Rob Evitts tallied for Charlotte…Charlotte will look to rebound next week when the team hosts the Big Four Classic Tournament, with visiting teams from UNC Greensboro, Duke, and N.C. State…Marquette’s Marshall was named the C-USA Offensive Player-of-the-Week for a two goal, two assist week in a pair of wins…South Florida (9-3-0; 4-2-0) junior Troy Perkins was named the league’s Defensive Player-of-the-Week. The Bulls got a great win over 14^th-ranked Saint Louis, 2-1, thanks to a beautiful goal by freshman midfielder Brian Gil in the 87^th minute. The victory snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Billikens (9-3-1; 4-2-0). Brandon Streicher also tallied for USF while Jason Cole scored for Saint Louis. Perkins, the Bulls goalie, earned much of his league honor with his effort between the pipes against the Billikens. The junior goalie made a spectacular save on a point-blank shot from Cole in the game… DePaul (5-6-2; 2-3-0) jumped out early, tallying a pair of goals – thanks to Edwin Arreola and Anthony Minniti – to put the game away early in a 2-1 win over Cincinnati (6-6-1; 3-3-0). The teams combined for five cards in the second half as the Bearcats fought furiously to get back in it to no avail. It was the Blue Demons third-straight win…UAB (7-3-3; 3-2-2) ended DePaul’s streak as the Blazers put together a pair of solid wins for the week dropping the Blue Demons 3-2 and previously smacking TCU, 4-0, in the early week game. In the DePaul game, the Blazers rallied for a trio of goals in a the final 13 minutes of the contest to steal the victories. DePaul got goals from Luke Rojo and Edwin Arreola to hold a 2-0 lead into the 78^th minute. Then, UAB exploded, starting with a Flavio Monteiro goal on a penalty kick. Seven minutes later, Jermie Frankson tallied the equalizer. Montiero then tallied the game-winner with 61 seconds later. Against TCU (3-11-0; 2-4-0), it was all UAB. Frankson tallied twice to lead the Blazers to their third-straight shutout…Cincinnati tallied a trio of goals to rally past Alabama A&M at home on Meyers Field. Matt Hayden scored the go-ahead goal with 20 minutes left in the game to position the team for the eventual 3-1 win…Louisville got a key league win, 3-1, over Memphis on a rainy, cold Saturday last week. The win was the first C-USA win for the Cardinals this season. All-CUSA performer Simon Bird tallied the game’s first goal. Sophomore Matt Rose tallied unassisted for Louisville (3-10-2; 1-3-1) in the 37^th minute for the eventual game-winner. Daniel Ronan, the Tigers top scorer, scored the lone goal for Memphis (8-4-1; 2-4-0).

The Tally Sheet:

The following table lists the Conference USA scoring leaders as of 22-Oct-2002:

East Carolina Women

This Week’s Slate:

Friday, Oct. 25: Marquette at ECU, 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 27: DePaul at ECU, 12:00 p.m.

Last Week:

Charlotte 1, ECU 0

ECU 2, Saint Louis 1

Coach Donnenwirth says:

“The Charlotte game was everything we expected it to be. I was very impressed with their physical play and intensity. They took it to us in the first 15 minutes but we weathered the storm. Once we settled down and matched their intensity we were able to get some good chances to score.”

Looking Ahead:

This week, the Pirates are looking up and down in the standings at their next two opponents. A sweep would go a long way toward validating that ECU belongs with the elite teams in C-USA. One win would go a long way toward earning a tournament spot. Marquette brings a 10-4-2 overall record and a 4-2-2 mark in C-USA. Marquette and the Pirates are tied in the standings, both looking to distance themselves from the pack. The Golden Eagles are lead offensively by potent scorer Kate Gordon (6 goals, 5 assists). DePaul (8-7-0; 3-5-0) comes in with an erratic team that has looked great at times and then shaky at others. Up front, Julianne Sitch (7 goals, 2 assists) and Margo Sackmaster (4 goals, 2 assists) are both threats. Goalie Lindsey Deason is solid between the pipes.

Rewind:

The team headed to 12^th-ranked Charlotte looking to learn if they could play with the nation’s elite. After a grueling 1-0 loss at Transamerica Field, ECU knows they can play with anyone. A goal from Charlotte star forward Courtney Crandell early in the second half spelled the difference, but boosted the Pirates confidence. The confidence lift showed on Sunday as the Pirates knocked off Saint Louis 2-1 on the road, picking up three key points in the C-USA race. The game-winner was tallied by freshman midfielder Rachelle Cabaceiras, who found twine on a header at the 73:17 mark. The goal was controversial in that it required a linesman ruling on whether or not Cabaceiras’ goal was truly a goal. Senior forward Amanda Duffy opened the scoring for ECU in the 37^th minute by heading a redirect from junior mid Mindy Nixon. Goalie Michele Kmiotek registered six saves in the win.

On the Pitch:

Fatigue was likely setting in on Sunday for the Pirates who crammed four games into a 7-day stretch, going 2-1-1 in those contests…Reserve midfielder Stephanie Walker was awarded the team’s famous Purple Heart award for her effort off the bench in the Saint Louis victory. Back Penny Perrott was also stalwart defensively to gain the same team award…In the Saint Louis game, Coach Donnenwirth was surprised that neither he, nor his counterpart at Saint Louis were carded as both coaches got loud a number of times as the officiating was regularly called into question. No cards were issued…At 4-4-2 in Conference USA, the Pirates are currently tied for third place with Marquette…Midfielder senior Amanda Duffy showed the poise that has made her one of the most dangerous scorers in the league. In scoring against the Billikens, the captain remained focused on a service from Mindy Nixon knowing that she was about to be crushed by an approaching back, and flicked the header into the goal. She was subsequently crashed into by the SLU defender.

Around C-USA:

No. 12 Charlotte (13-0-1; 6-0-1) has clearly set itself firmly at the top of the league. After fighting off East Carolina, the 49ers collected their first-ever win over ACC-foe Duke 2-1 in Charlotte’s final home game this season (until the tourney). The success is due in large part to C-USA’s leading scorer and freshman phenom Courtney Crandell, who is scoring at a torrid pace. She scored the game-winners against both ECU and Duke. Goalie Jenn Howell posted her 17^th shutout of her career in the 1-0 win over the Pirates…Cincinnati picked up a huge league-win when Amy Simonson tallied in the first overtime period against Marquette, 1-0. The Bearcats then dispatched of DePaul to stay in second place in the league at 11-2-1 overall and 5-0-2. The win was the team’s seventh straight and marks the 22^nd-straight C-USA game in which Cincy has not been beaten…DePaul (8-7-0; 3-5-0) split its games this past weekend, using a multi-goal game from freshman Margo Sackmaster to down Louisville, 3-0. The 8 wins set a new single-season, program-best win total as did Julianne Sitch’s goal, setting a new mark for team goals scored in a season (22). Sitch also established a new record with her 17^th point of the season, topping the previous single-season mark of 15 points by Maria Martinez in 1997…South Florida outmuscled Houston (6-7-2; 2-3-2) in a physical C-USA contest, 3-2. The Bulls and Cougars exploded for a combined five goals, four of which came within a five-minute time frame, in the second half. The two teams also combined for 16 fouls. USF got the game-winner from Aleia Long in the 66^th minute. The loss was Houston’s only game for the week as the non-league match at SMU was canceled and will not be made up…Marquette rebounded nicely from its loss to Cincy by ripping Louisville, 4-0. Sophomore Katie Michuda scored a pair of goals to lead the Golden Eagles. Michuda’s goals came within three minutes of one another in the 83^rd and 86^th minute. The win allowed Marquette (10-4-2; 4-2-2) to keep pace with the league’s top teams while the Cards (5-9-1; 1-5-1) are fast falling off the slate…Freshman Robyn Smart tallied in the 41^st minute to collect the game-winner for Memphis (7-7-1; 3-4-0) over Southern Mississippi. The win ended a three-game league skid by collecting its first win ever over USM. Against UAB, it was sophomore Kirsty Marr who netted the game-winner in the 78^th minute. The back-to-back shutout wins was the first since the 1997 season. For the Blazers, the loss snapped a three-game, C-USA win streak. Previously, the Blazers ripped Tulane, 3-0…Southern Miss and Tulane played to a 1-1, double-OT draw on Sunday. It was the first tie of the season for USM (6-8-1; 2-5-1). Tulane’s Colleen Lake put the Green Wave (5-9-2; 2-3-2) up early with a goal off a corner kick in the 20^th minute. But Southern Miss responded late in the game for the equalizer, thanks to a Lauren Prewitt goal in the 82^nd minute. The two teams combined for 51 shots on the day…Saint Louis (11-4-1; 4-2-1) picked up a 1-0 non-league win over Western Illinois on Friday on a sloppy, mud-laden field. Freshman midfielder Kelly Ferguson tallied the game-winner to help goalie Meghann Burke post her school record-tying 10^th shutout of the season…Texas Christian got a goal from Cara Toulouse with less than 35 seconds remaining in regulation to secure a tie with South Florida in a contest that was moved from Friday to Saturday due to heavy rains in Fort Worth. South Florida got a multi-goal game from senior midfielder Tia Opliger, who tallied the 2^nd and 3^rd goals for the Bulls (6-7-2; 2-4-2).

The Tally Sheet:

The following table lists the Conference USA scoring leaders as of 22-Oct-2002:

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