Charlotte's Mira Mupier scored the game-winning goals as the 49ers defeated No. 7 South Carolina, 1-0, Wednesday night. Cincinnati and Louisville both played to ties in non-conference action. The Bearcats knotted a 1-1 decision with Butler on Tuesday and the Cardinals played Ohio State to a scoreless draw on Wednesday.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Will John, Saint Louis
Sophomore, Forward, Kansas City, Mo.
John tallied six points for the week in a pair of Billiken victories. In Saturday's 2-1 victory against No. 24 UAB, John set up the game-winning goal with an assist. The sophomore added a pair of goals and an assist in a 3-2 non-conference victory over Southwest Missouri State. John netted the game-winning goal against the Bears.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kareem Smith, USF
Sophomore, Defender, Hyde Park, Mass.
Smith was a key figure in the Bulls' 2-0 shutout of No. 24 Memphis. The junior kept the Tigers' leading scorer Andy Metcalf in check, holding him to just two shots. Smith's defensive efforts have helped No. 10 USF secure five shutouts this season, which is already three more than the team had last season.


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES


TEAM CAPSULES
Charlotte - The 49ers upset No. 7 South Carolina, 1-0, on the road Wednesday. The game's only goal came in the 35th minute when Mira Mupier scored off a Floyd Franks assist. Mupier's goal was the 24th of his career and his tenth game-winning goal. Charlotte goalkeeper Josh Beachem posted his second shutout of the season on the road over a nationally ranked foe. He recorded six saves in the game. This is the eighth year in a row that the winner in this series has been decided by only one goal.

Cincinnati - UC played to a 1-1 tie against Butler Tuesday at a rain-drenched Gettler Stadium. Each team extended unbeaten streaks. Senior forward Jeremiah Gallegos got the Bearcats on the board early with his goal in the third minute. UC keeper Mike Vessells continued his stellar play with 12 saves. He has allowed just two goals during UC's three-match unbeaten streak.

DePaul - The Blue Demons had their chances to crack the win column on Saturday, but ended up suffering a 1-0 loss to Louisville. DePaul put five shots on goal, including four by John Kornfeld, and only allowed the Cardinals to get three shots off on goal, but one of those managed to go in as the Blue Demons remained winless in league play through five matches.

East Carolina - The Pirates pulled out a 3-2 overtime victory against Marquette when sophomore Calvin Simon finished a pass from Michael Long in the 97th minute. East Carolina did not surrender a shot in the extra period and maintained its lead as the league's top scoring offense. In 12 matches, the Pirates have netted 28 goals for a 2.33 per game average (tied for 16th in NCAA Division I).

Louisville - U of L and Ohio State played to a scoreless tie on Wednesday night as the Cardinals evened their record to 4-4-4 on the season. Goalkeeper Tyler Wilcox earned his fourth shutout of the season. It was the fifth overtime match for the Cardinals this season and the second time they tied a Big Ten squad (tying then-No. 13 Michigan, 1-1, on Oct. 3).

Marquette - The Golden Eagles rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit at East Carolina to force overtime, but Marquette came up empty in its attempt to secure its first league win of the season. The Golden Eagles allowed a goal seven minutes into the first extra period to take a 3-2 loss. Matt Blouin and Mike Malone scored within five minutes of each other, in the 54th and 59th minute respectively, to square the match at two. Forward Chris Lee led the team with five shots, but was held scoreless a match after registering his second-career hat trick versus Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Memphis - In a match-up of Top 25 teams, the No. 24 Tigers came up short against No. 10 USF, as the Bulls earned the 2-0 victory. Memphis outshot USF 20-16, but was held scoreless for just the third time this season in 11 matches. The loss snapped a school-record tying five-match winning streak and was the Tigers' first in C-USA play this season.

Saint Louis - The Billikens responded to a quick UAB goal with a pair of their own in the opening 30 minutes to hold on for a 2-1 victory over the 24th-ranked Blazers. Ryan Wileman, a member of this week's College Soccer News Team of the Week, scored his second goal of the night in the 29th minute on a pass from Will John as that proved to be the game winner. With the win, Saint Louis also moved back into the national rankings with the No. 25 spot in Soccer America.

UAB - The 24th-ranked Blazers could not overcome a pair of early goals as Saint Louis defeated UAB 2-1 on Saturday. Forward Leandro de Oliveira scored UAB's lone goal in the 21st minute. However, it was goalkeeper A.J. Robles, who kept UAB within striking distance as he stopped 10 of the 12 shots on goal by the Billikens.

USF - Forward Hunter West scored both of the Bulls' goals in their 2-0 victory over No. 24 Memphis. West is now tied for first in the Conference with three game-winning goals this season. The shutout was the fifth of the season for Bull goalkeeper Dane Brenner, who ranks among the Top 20 in the NCAA Division I standings for goals against average (.727). The Tigers did not make it easy on Brenner, who had to fend off five of the Tigers' 20 shots on the night. The Bulls' nine-game unbeaten streak to open the season is tied for the third longest in school history.

Good Company - USF moved up to 10th on the Soccer Times National Poll and the Top 15 of the other three major polls this week. The Bulls are off to a 7-0-2 start and are one of only five NCAA Division I teams without a loss this season, joining UC-Santa Barbara (10-0-1), James Madison (11-0-1), New Mexico (9-0-0) and UNC-Greensboro (10-0-1).

Tenth Annual Championship - Louisville will host the 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates, PLLC Conference USA men's soccer championship on November 11-14. This will be the first time the Championship will be held in Louisville and the Derby City becomes the sixth site in 10 seasons.


C-USA 10th ANNIVERSARY


Conference USA celebrates its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. The league kicked off its 10th year with the introduction of "Conference USA: Top 10 Moments in History." There will also be a 10th Anniversary C-USA men's soccer team selected by a panel of the league's coaches and select media members. For more information about C-USA's 10th anniversary, please log onto www.ConferenceUSA.com.

ACHIEVEMENTS
* The league has produced 20 NCAA Tournament appearances in its nine-year history, with two teams advancing to the Final Four and six playing in the final eight.

* Twice Conference USA has advanced a team to the College Cup (Saint Louis in 1997 and Charlotte in 1996).

* C-USA has advanced four different schools (Charlotte, Saint Louis, South Florida and UAB) to the final eight of the NCAA championship over the last five years.

* The teams that comprise C-USA have combined to make 64 NCAA Tournament appearances all-time.

* Six different schools (Charlotte, Cincinnati, Marquette, Saint Louis, UAB and USF) have won at least a share of the regular season championship in the league's first nine seasons.

* Thirty C-USA players have earned All-American honors in the league's nine seasons. Nine players have earned Academic All-American honors during that time.

* Conference USA has placed 74 players on Soccer America's Team of the Week since 1995.

POLLING PLACE
Here's a look at the 2004 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America, Soccer Times and College Soccer News men's polls.

NSCAA (Oct. 12)
1. UC-Santa Barbara
2. UNC-Greensboro
3. New Mexico
4. Indiana
5. Virginia
6. SMU
7. South Carolina
8. Creighton
9. Santa Clara
10. St. John's
11. James Madison
12. Notre Dame
13. USF
14. Boston College
15. Pennsylvania
16. Va. Commonwealth
Duke
18. Stanford
19. California
20. Penn State
21. Maryland
22. Michigan
23. Hartwick
24. UAB
25. MEMPHIS
Washington
Seton Hall

ARV -SAINT LOUIS

Soccer America (Oct. 11)
1. UC-Santa Barbara
2. Santa Clara
3. New Mexico
4. Indiana
5. UNC-Greensboro
6. Duke
7. Notre Dame
8. South Carolina
9. USF
10. Stanford
11. SMU
12. Washington
13. California
14. Creighton
15. Virginia
16. Wake Forest
17. James Madison
18. Penn State
19. UCLA
20. Akron
21. Maryland
22. St. John's
23. Va. Commonwealth
24. William & Mary
25. SAINT LOUIS


College Soccer News (Oct. 10)
1. UC-Santa Barbara
2. Indiana
3. Santa Clara
4. New Mexico
5. UNC-Greensboro
6. Virginia
7. Creighton
8. California
9. USF
10. Duke
11. SMU
12. Stanford
13. Notre Dame
14. South Carolina
15. James Madison
16. Washington
17. Penn State
18. Maryland
19. St. John's
20. UCLA
21. Wake Forest
22. Va. Commonwealth
23. Michigan
24. Boston College
25. Old Dominion
26. Akron
27. William & Mary
28. Cal State Northridge
29. Tulsa
30. Butler

ARV -SAINT LOUIS, UAB, MEMPHIS

Soccer Times (Oct. 11)
1. UC-Santa Barbara
2. UNC-Greensboro
3. New Mexico
4. Indiana
5. Santa Clara
6. Duke
7. USF
8. California
9. Notre Dame
10. Creighton
11. SMU
12. Virginia
13. Stanford
14. Washington
15. South Carolina
16. St. John's
17. Michigan
18. Penn State
19. Maryland
20. James Madison
21. Boston College
22. UCLA
23. Wake Forest
24. Va. Commonwealth
25. William & Mary

ARV - MEMPHIS, SAINT LOUIS


PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
C-USA names an Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week during the 2004 season. The awards are announced on Mondays throughout the season. Players of the Week are selected by the conference office.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
S7 Will John, Saint Louis
S13 Will John, Saint Louis
S20 Maurice Hughes, UAB
Hunter West, USF
S27 Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
O4 Adam Ruud, Charlotte
Andy Metcalf, Memphis
O11 Will John, Saint Louis
O18
O25
N1
N8

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
S7 A.J. Robles, UAB
S13 Dane Brenner, USF
S20 Dane Brenner, USF
S27 Kareem Smith, USF
Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis
O4 Josh Beachem, Charlotte
O11 Kareem Smith, USF
O18
O25
N1
N8

NATIONAL TEAMS
In addition to the C-USA Players of the Week, league players are honored for their superior performances on a national level throughout the season by Soccer America and College Soccer News.

College Soccer News Team of the Week
S7 John DiRaimondo, Saint Louis
S19 Hunter West, USF
S26 Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
O3 Adam Ruud, Charlotte
O10 Ryan Wileman, Saint Louis

Soccer America Team of the Week
S7 Will John, Saint Louis
S20 Simon Schoendorf, USF
O5 Andy Metcalf, Memphis
O10 Will John, Saint Louis


C-USA PRESEASON AWARDS
Saint Louis, who has taken at least a share of every Conference USA men's soccer title every year since 1997, is the unanimous choice by the coaches as the preseason favorite to win the 2004 Championship. The Billikens' top returning scorer Will John, a sophomore midfielder/forward, shares Preseason Player-of-the-Year honors with junior midfielder Leandro de Oliveira from UAB.
The top six finishers in the regular season earn a spot in the 2004 Conference USA Tournament, November 11-14 in Louisville.

2004 C-USA PRESEASON POLL
(as selected by C-USA coaches)
1. Saint Louis
2. UAB
3. USF
4. Charlotte
5. Cincinnati
6. Marquette
7. Louisville
8. DePaul
9. Memphis
10. East Carolina

2004 C-USA PRESEASON AWARDS

CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Leandro de Oliveira, Jr., MF, UAB
Will John, So., MF/F, Saint Louis

ALL-CONFERENCE
Leandro de Oliveira, Jr., MF, UAB
John DiRaimondo, So., MF, Saint Louis
Floyd Franks, Jr., MF, Charlotte
Brian Grazier, So., MF, Saint Louis
Martin Hutton, Sr., GK, Saint Louis
Will John, So., MF/F, Saint Louis
Chris Lee, Sr., MF, Marquette
Andy Metcalf, Jr., F, Memphis
Jerson Monteiro, So., F, UAB
Mira Mupier, Sr., F, Charlotte
Dayton O'Brien, Jr., MF, Memphis
Wiremu Patrick, Sr., F, Cincinnati
Hunter West, Jr., MF/F, USF

OUT OF LEAGUE
Here's a summary of the non-conference records of Conference USA teams in 2004:
Charlotte 4-0-1
Cincinnati 1-5-0
DePaul 2-5-2
East Carolina 4-4-0
Louisville 3-3-3
Marquette 3-3-0
Memphis 4-2-0
Saint Louis 3-3-0
UAB 3-3-0
USF 4-0-1
Total 31-28-8 (.522)


CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Here's a summary of C-USA's record vs. other conferences in non-conference play in 2004:

Conference Record
ACC 1-2-0
America East 0-0-0
Atlantic Soccer 0-0-0
Atlantic Sun 3-0-1
Atlantic 10 0-1-0
Big East 0-1-0
Big South 3-2-1
Big Ten 0-1-2
Big West 0-1-0
Colonial 0-2-0
Horizon 6-2-2
Independent 3-0-0
Ivy 0-0-0
Metro Atlantic 0-0-0
Mid-American 0-1-0
Mid-Continent 2-4-1
Missouri Valley 7-6-0
Northeast 0-0-0
Pac-10 0-0-0
Patriot 0-0-0
Southern 3-4-1
WCC 1-1-0
Non-Division I 2-0-0
TOTAL 31-28-8

NCAA STAT LEADERS
Here is where Conference USA schools and players stand in the national rankings following matches through October 3:
Points Per Game
16t. Terron Amos, ECU 9gms/18pts/2.00pg
19t. Will John, SLU 11gms/21pts/1.91pg

Goals Per Game
17t. Terron Amos, ECU 9gms/8gls/0.89pg
21t. Will John, SLU 11gms/9gls/0.82pg
30t. Chris Lee, MAR 11gms/8gls/0.73pg

Assists Per Game
9t. Simon Schoendorf, USF 9gms/6ast/0.67pg
14t. Dayton O'Brien, MEM 11gms/7ast/0.64pg

Goals Against Average
19. Dane Brenner, USF
9gms/867min/7ga/0.727gaa

Team Scoring Offense
16t. East Carolina 12gms/28gls/2.33pg
22t. Saint Louis 11gms/24gls/2.18pg

Team Shutout Percentage
13t. USF 9gms/5sho/0.56pg

Team Goals Against Average
19. USF 9gms 0.73gaa
34. Memphis 11gms 0.89gaa


C-USA SUCCESS
Here's a look at each school's records since the league began play in 1995:
Charlotte 97-76-19
Cincinnati 76-83-26
DePaul 55-111-8
East Carolina 23-37-5
Louisville 77-101-16
Marquette 96-80-15
Memphis 70-107-9
Saint Louis 124-47-20
UAB 118-57-12
USF 107-62-9


C-USA ON TV
The championship match of the 2004 Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network. The championship match will be played on Sunday, November 14 in Louisville. More details will be released as the championship approaches.