Sept. 23, 2008
Sept. 23 Men's Soccer Notebook 
IRVING, Texas - Tulsa posted a come-from-behind 2-1 overtime win against Northern Illinois on Sunday afternoon at the Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium. Coupled with their 3-0 win over Hofstra on Friday, the Golden Hurricane claimed the Leve 3 & Radisson Hotel tournament title. Freshman Austin Neil scored both goals on Sunday, the first two of his career, and tallied five points on the weekend to lead his team. Neil and Eric DeFreitas each have two goals on the season, while Neil leads TU with five points. The Golden Hurricane now owns a 4-3-1 mark and is on a two-game winning streak. TU will take to the road to open league play this weekend when they travel to Dallas to battle No. 6 SMU on Saturday, Sept. 27th.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SAM ARTHUR – South Carolina
So., F, Roswell, Ga.
Arthur tallied two goals in his third consecutive contest, contributing his third straight game winner (fourth of the year) as South Carolina toppled intrastate rival No. 22 College of Charleston, 4-0, Friday in non-conference play. Arthur collected two goals in the first half against the Cougars, leading the Gamecocks to their third consecutive shutout victory, their first win over a ranked opponent and first road victory of the season. Arthur leads C-USA in nearly every major offensive statistical category, including shots (25), shots per game (3.57), goals (8), points (18) and goals per game (1.14). The weekly honor is the first of Arthur’s career.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
AUSTIN NEIL – Tulsa
Fr., F, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Neil scored two goals, giving TU a 2-1 overtime victory over Northern Illinois and the Level 3 & Radisson Hotel Hurricane Classic title on Sunday. The two goals were Neil’s first and second of his career and he picked up an assist against Hofstra to lead all TU players with five points on the weekend. This is Neil’s first career weekly honor.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JIMMY MAURER - South Carolina
So., GK, Lawrenceville, Ga. Maurer collected his third consecutive shutout, and fourth of the season, as No. 21 South Carolina defeated No. 22 College of Charleston, 4-0, last Friday in non-conference play. Maurer collected six saves in net leading the Gamecocks to their third consecutive shutout victory, their first win over a ranked opponent and first road victory of the season. Maurer ranks second among C-USA opponents with a 0.69 goals against average, 5.00 saves per game and an .875 save percentage, while he is tied for first with 35 saves on the year. This is Maurer’s third weekly honor in 2008 and the fourth of his career.
SHOOTING STARS
-SMU junior F Dane Saintus notched his second goal of the season to lead the Mustangs to a 1-0 win over Hofstra in the second round of the Level 3 & Radisson Hotel Hurricane Classic at the University of Tulsa on Sunday.
-UCF freshman F Kevan George continued his strong play and vaulted the Knights to the top of the Conference USA early standings. Scoring a goal for the third-straight game, George tallied the game-winning goal in the 59th minute as UCF downed Memphis 1-0 Saturday. George has scored game-winning goals in the past two games for the Knights, both 1-0 victories.
-Kentucky junior GK Dan Williams had an excellent week while leading UK to its first win over Michigan in program history on Wednesday and helping the Wildcats earn a tie vs. a speedy Alabama A&M with a shutout. Williams saved one shot in UK’s win over Michigan, allowing a harmless goal in the 87th minute with UK up 2-0. In the tie vs. Alabama A&M, Williams posted his second shutout of the season and the ninth of his career, saving three shots and keeping UK in the game with several displays of toughness and athleticism. On the year, Williams has allowed only six goals in seven games, posting a 0.85 goals against average, saving 15 shots in 73 shots faced.
-Tulsa senior GK Tyrel Lacey logged all 189:41 minutes in goal this weekend and recorded four saves in each contest for 30 on the season. He allowed just one goal on the weekend, and posted a shutout. Lacey has allowed seven goals this season, four of which came against three top-30 teams.
PROGRAM FIRST
Kentucky posted its first win over Michigan in program history, extending its home winning streak to five games, before tying with Alabama A&M on Sunday. The Wildcats utilized the sixth-largest crowd in UK soccer history on Wednesday, taking down the Wolversines 2-1 with goals from All-American Barry Rice and Brazilian Marco dos Santos. Steady keeper play was the theme of the week, as UK keeper Dan Williams kept the Wildcats in the game vs. Michigan and helped silence the Jaguar offensive attack in his second shutout of the season, a scoreless tie. UK returns to action on Saturday, traveling to Asheville, N.C., to face UNC-Asheville in its final non-conference tune-up before beginning conference play vs. Marshall next Wednesday.
ARTHUR AND OTHERS HONORED
In addition to garnering C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors, South Carolina sophomore F Sam Arthur was also recognized for his efforts by Soccer America, College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer. Arthur was named to each organization’s Team of the Week. He has been named to the Top Drawer Soccer team the last two weeks and was named their national player of the week on Sept. 15.
Arthur was joined on Soccer America’s team by fellow C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honoree Austin Neil of Tulsa. Kentucky’s Barry Rice was named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week. after netting the game-winner in UK’s upset win over Michigan on Wednesday. The defender twisted a free-kick goal from 22-yards out, bending it around the Wolverine wall of defenders and into the net. On Sunday, Rice was a vital part of a UK defense that did not surrender a goal to the Alabama A&M.
COLLIER HELPS KNIGHTS
UCF senior defender Bryan Collier continued his impressive play last week since transferring from Virginia Tech. He anchored the Knights’ defense to its second-straight shutout and third overall in 2008 as UCF downed league foe Memphis 1-0 on Saturday. Collier has been named to two all-tournament teams this season.
HILL NOTCHES CAREER HIGH
SMU junior GK Craig Hill was outstanding in the Level 3 & Radisson Hotel Hurricane Classic at the University of Tulsa last weekend. In the Mustangs’ first-round game against Northern Illinois, Hill notched a career-high 11 saves to send the game into overtime. In the Mustangs’ second-round win over Hofstra, Hill was exceptional again, collecting seven saves and his fourth shutout of the young season.
Hill’s performance over the weekend left him tied (with South Carolina’s Jimmy Maurer) for the most shutouts among Conference USA goalkeepers with four. He stands alone among C-USA goalkeepers with a league-best goals-against average of 0.49 and a save percentage of .882.
GOLDEN GUERRA
FIU junior MF Juan Guerra scored his fifth goal of the season on Friday night as the Golden Panthers fell to Fairfield. Guerra’s goal came on a penalty kick after sophomore F Steven Jair Cabas drew a foul inside the box. On Sunday, sophomore MF Marcos Balladares picked up his second score of the year, tying the match at one with just 2:02 left in regulation. Guerra and Balladares remain the only Golden Panthers to find the back of the net in 2008.
