Boston College Athletics
Men's Soccer Gearing Up For Showdown With UConn
September 30, 2002 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2002
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Coming off its first 2-0 week of the season, the men's soccer team faces one of its toughest challenges yet as No. 7 University of Connecticut rolls into town Wednesday, Oct. 2 for a 3 p.m. meeting at Newton Campus Soccer Field. The Huskies and Eagles are ranked 1-2 in the region, respectively, in the latest NSCAA/adidas poll.
The No. 15 Eagles (5-1-0, 3-0-0 BIG EAST) beat Boston University, 2-1, last Wednesday at home and Georgetown, 3-1, last Saturday in Washington, D.C. Sophomore Oktay Kilic (Univ. of Heidelberg/Heidelberg, Germany) headed in the game-winning goal eight minutes into the second half against the Terriers, while senior Casey Schmidt (Newbury Park/Newbury Park/Calif.) found the back of the net twice in the win over the Hoyas. Schmidt was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his efforts.
UConn (6-2-0, 2-1-0 BE) made the trip cross country last weekend, and it proved worthwhile as it downed No. 11 Portland, 2-1, and Washington, 2-0, to take the Nike Husky Classic title in Seattle, Wash. Leandro de Oliveira tallied the game-winner midway through the second half Friday against the Pilots. Damani Ralph continued his stellar senior campaign in the Huskies' second game, scoring both of their goals.
Ralph leads the team and the conference with 16 points (seven goals, two assists). Cesar Cuellar is second on the club with 11 points (five goals, one assist) and Rui Fernandes is third with seven (two goals, three assists). Anthony Curtis's five assists are the most of any Husky. Adam Schuerman fashions a 0.75 goals-against average and a .812 save percentage.
The Huskies not only have dominated the all-time series with the Eagles, holding a 20-6-2 record against them, but they have won the last six meetings, including a 1-0 win last year at Storrs, Conn. The last Boston College victory was Nov. 10, 1995, in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament, when it tripped up UConn, 2-1.
