Cincinnati senior Jeremiah Gallegos scored the game-winning goal off an assist from John Liersemann in a 1-0 upset of No. 20 Saint Louis Wednesday. It was the Bearcats second win over a ranked opponent in as many outings. No. 25 UAB took a 4-3 victory from No. 11 USF in a suprisingly offense-driven contest for two of the conference's top defensive squads. Charlotte won its third match in a row with a 2-0 shutout of Louisville and DePaul earned its first conference win of the season with a 2-1 overtime victory against Marquette.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mira Mupier, Charlotte
Senior, Forward, Houston, Texas
Mupier scored the game-winning goal in the 49ers' 1-0 victory over No. 7 South Carolina, and added a goal in a 2-1 conference win against Marquette. The goals were Mupier's first two of the season. He is just one goal shy of Charlotte's Top 10 goal scorers list with 25 career goals to date.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mike Vessells, Cincinnati
Sophomore, Goalkeeper, Cincinnati, Ohio
Vessells recorded his second shutout in the Bearcats' last three matches, holding No. 9 USF scoreless in a 1-0 Cincinnati victory. He has allowed only two goals in his last four matches and tallied a career-high 12 saves in a 1-1 tie against non-conference foe Butler on Tuesday.


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES


TEAM CAPSULES
Charlotte - Senior Mira Mupier scored his 26th career goal and the game-winner in a 2-0 victory at Louisville Wednesday night. Mupier now ranks No. 10 on the 49ers' career scoring chart. Charlotte gears up to host the top team in the country, intrastate rival UNC-Greensboro, on Saturday night. The 49ers do hold a 6-3 edge in the series, but the teams have not met since 1994 (Charlotte won 3-0).

Cincinnati - The Bearcats won their second match over a ranked opponent in as many outings with a 1-0 victory at Saint Louis Wednesday night. Senior Jeremiah Gallegos scored on a 15-yard header from teammate John Liersemann in the 62nd minute. UC is 2-2 against ranked opposition this season. In a trip to Robert R. Hermann Stadium last month, the Bearcats dropped close matches with No. 8 Virginia (1-0) and No. 14 SMU (3-2) during the Saint Louis Nike Soccer Classic.

DePaul - It was an afternoon of firsts as the Blue Demons earned their first conference victory and first overtime win this season with a 2-1 victory Wednesday against Marquette. The win also snapped a nine-match stretch since DePaul's last victory - a 2-1 win against Evansville on Sept. 17. Patrick Farrell scored DePaul's golden goal in the first overtime period (the Blue Demons' eighth overtime match of the season). It was Farrell's first career goal. John Kornfield sent the game into overtime, netting a goal with less than three minutes in regulation.

East Carolina - The Pirates need to rebound from a 2-1 non-conference loss to Alabama A&M on Monday night as they host Louisville Sunday. The C-USA match-up is crucial for both teams, who are battling for a spot in the 2004 C-USA Tournament. On Monday, senior Terron Amos scored his ninth goal of the season from a J.W. Gallagher pass to tie the game. Prior to the match, Amos ranked among the Top 20 in the nation for points (1.8 per game) and goals (0.8 per game).

Louisville - Freshman midfielder Anthony Celebre tried to put the Cardinals on the board for the first time in three games during Wednesday night's match with visiting Charlotte. However, Celebre's shot hit the cross bar and ricocheted out of the goal and U of L dropped a 2-0 decision to the 49ers.

Marquette - The Golden Eagles' Matt Blouin scored his fourth goal of the season when he knocked in a rebounded shot from teammate Mike Carlson to put Marquette up 1-0 with less than 12 minutes on the clock. However, DePaul responded with two unanswered goals and Marquette took a 2-1 C-USA loss.

Memphis - The No. 22 Tigers were idle mid-week as they prepare to host No. 20 Saint Louis Saturday night in a big match-up between two of the league's top teams. A Memphis win will clinch a spot in the C-USA Tournament and give them sole possession of first place in the conference standings. The Tigers have ranked in the NSCAA Top 25 poll the last three weeks, longer than any other men's soccer squad in school history. Junior Dayton O'Brien leads the team in scoring with 19 points, tied for third in the conference.

Saint Louis - The Billikens had their three-match winning streak snapped by a visiting Cincinnati team on Wednesday night, suffering a 1-0 shutout. Saint Louis outshot the Bearcats, 14-6, but could not convert. The No. 20 Billikens will travel to square off with No. 22 Memphis in a key conference match on Saturday night.

UAB - The No. 25 Blazers won the seventh of their last eight matches with a 4-3 C-USA victory against No. 11 USF. Junior Jason McLaughlin scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes in regulation. Three other Blazers contributed to the UAB offense as Maurice Hughes and Sandy Gbandi each scored for a 2-0 early lead. Following three straight USF goals to start the second half, junior Leandro de Oliveira tied it at three-all in the 77th minute. Prior to the seven-goal match, these two teams had only allowed a combined 18 goals all season.

USF - Despite the Bulls tying their best offensive performance of the season with three goals, USF dropped a 4-3 decision at UAB on Wednesday night. The Bulls' were riding a nine-match unbeaten streak (tied for the third longest in school history), which ended Saturday when USF lost on the road to Cincinnati. Freshmen tandem Rodrigo Hidalgo and Simon Schoendorf each scored a goal and assisted the other in the game, while classmate Christian Jiminez netted the go-ahead goal in the 72nd minute.

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. The championship match on Sunday, Nov. 14, will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network.


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. 19)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. UC-Santa Barbara
3. Virginia
4. SMU
5. New Mexico
Notre Dame
7. Creighton
8. Indiana
9. James Madison
10. St. John's
11. USF
12. Boston College
13. UCLA
14. Pennsylvania
15. Wake Forest
16. Va. Commonwealth
17. Seton Hall
18. Washington
19. Duke
20. Hartwick
21. Connecticut
22. MEMPHIS
Santa Clara
24. Binghamton
25. UAB
California
Maryland


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




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

ARV - MEMPHIS

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

ARV - MEMPHIS, SAINT LOUIS, UAB


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 Mira Mupier, Charlotte
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 Mike Vessells, Cincinnati
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
O12 Will John, Saint Louis


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES

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 2-6-2
East Carolina 4-3-0
Louisville 3-3-3
Marquette 3-3-0
Memphis 4-2-1
Saint Louis 3-3-0
UAB 3-3-0
USF 4-0-1
Total 31-30-9 (.507)

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 0-2-2
Big West 0-1-0
Colonial 0-2-0
Horizon 6-2-3
Independent 3-1-0
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 31-30-9

NCAA STAT LEADERS
Here is where Conference USA schools and players stand in the national rankings following matches through October 17:
Points Per Game
19t. Terron Amos, ECU 10gms/18pts/1.80pg
25t. Will John, SLU 12gms/21pts/1.75pg

Goals Per Game
17. Terron Amos, ECU 10gms/8gls/0.80pg
22. Will John, SLU 12gms/9gls/0.75pg

Assists Per Game
14. Simon Schoendorf, USF 10gms/6ast/0.60pg
24t. Dayton O'Brien, MEM 13gms/7ast/0.54pg

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

Team Scoring Offense
17. Saint Louis 12gms/27gls/2.25pg
23. East Carolina 13gms/28gls/2.15pg

Team Shutout Percentage
15t. USF 10gms/5sho/0.50pg
26t. Memphis 11gms/5sho/0.45pg

Team Goals Against Average
20. USF 10gms 0.75gaa
34. Memphis 13gms 0.89gaa

C-USA SUCCESS
Here's a look at each school's records since the league began play in 1995:
Charlotte 99-76-19
Cincinnati 78-83-26
DePaul 56-113-8
East Carolina 23-39-5
Louisville 77-103-16
Marquette 96-82-15
Memphis 71-107-10
Saint Louis 125-48-20
UAB 120-57-12
USF 107-64-9