Memphis became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2004 C-USA Men’s Soccer Tournament following a 2-0 shutout of visiting Saint Louis. The No. 22 Tigers were led by junior Dayton O’Brien, who assisted on the game-winning goal and netted the insurance goal toward the end of the first half. It was the first time a Memphis team had defeated Saint Louis during the regular season in 13 previous tries.

Charlotte scored two goals against the top-ranked team in the nation, UNC-Greensboro, but the Spartans remained the lone undefeated team in the country with a 4-2 victory. Marquette upset No. 11 USF on Saturday, 1-0, for the Golden Eagles first conference win of the season. Louisville also earned a shutout with a 3-0 victory over East Carolina on Sunday. Junior Ryan Edwards scored two of the Cardinals goals in that match.

In other non-conference action, UAB and Cincinnati posted big offensive performances. The Blazers defeated crosstown rival Birmingham Southern, 4-0, and the Bearcats took a 6-0 decision from Bowling Green.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Co-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
Junior, Forward/Midfielder, Memphis, Tenn.
O'Brien assisted on the game-winning goal and scored the insurance goal in a 2-0 shutout of No. 20 Saint Louis on Saturday. The Tigers' win was their first over Saint Louis in the regular season in 13 prior attempts. The three points moved O'Brien into a tie for first place on the conference scoring chart this season with 22 points.

Leandro de Oliveira, UAB
Junior, Midfielder, Bryan, Texas
In the Blazers' victories this week against No. 11 USF (4-3) and crosstown rival Birmingham-Southern (4-0), de Oliveira tallied six points. He scored the game-tying goal against USF to help give the Blazers their first win against a ranked opponent this season. He also scored the game-winner against BSC and was credited with an assist in each match.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mike Vessells, Cincinnati
Sophomore, Goalkeeper, Cincinnati, Ohio
Vessells earned his second straight Defensive Player of the Week honor as the Bearcats won their third in a row with shutouts at No. 20 Saint Louis and against Bowling Green. He made 13 saves for the week, including eight in the 1-0 win against the Billikens. Vessells now has four shutouts in the last five matches.


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES

TEAM CAPSULES
Charlotte - Sophomore Evan Harding put the 49ers on the board first against the top team in the nation, UNC-Greensboro, Saturday night. However, the Spartans remained the only undefeated team in the county by answering with four goals in a 4-2 victory at Charlotte. Floyd Franks took a pass from John Nabers, beat the keeper and scored with less than two minutes in regulation.

Cincinnati - The Bearcats followed up their 1-0 victory at No. 20 Saint Louis on Wednesday with a 6-0 shutout of non-conference foe Bowling Green on Sunday. Junior Jeff Hughes scored twice against the Falcons and Wiremu Patrick contributed a goal and an assist for UC. Sophomore keeper Mike Vessells earned his third straight shutout and second consecutive C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor.

DePaul - The Blue Demons had the weekend off to celebrate their afternoon of firsts on Wed., Oct. 20. DePaul earned its first conference victory and first overtime win this season with a 2-1 victory 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 the golden goal in the first overtime period (the Blue Demons' eighth overtime match of the season). It was Farrell's first career goal.

East Carolina - Despite seven saves by sophomore goalkeeper Brian Pope, the Pirates dropped a 3-0 decision to Louisville Sunday afternoon. Terron Amos, the league's leading scorer (0.75 goals per game), had a chance to tie the game at one-all early in the first half. Amos broke through the U of L defense, but the shot was saved by the goalie. ECU must win at least two of their next three matches to earn a spot in the 2004 C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament. The Pirates have a tough road ahead with matches at No. 21 Saint Louis, at No. 11 USF before playing host to No. 22 Memphis.

Louisville - Junior Ryan Edwards put the Cardinals first two scores on the board Sunday afternoon in a 3-0 shutout of East Carolina. Edwards scored the game-winning goal in the eighth minute off a pass from Anthony Celebre and put his shot in over the goalie's head. Jonathon Williams scored the Cardinals' third goal.

Marquette - The Golden Eagles' Matt Blouin scored his fifth goal of the season Saturday, which was all it took in a 1-0 upset of No. 11 USF. Blouin's second-half goal was assisted by teammates Mike Carlson and Pat Knoelke. The win was Marquette's first conference victory of the season, although the Golden Eagles tied Louisville, 2-2, on Sept. 29.

Memphis - The No. 22 Tigers defeated No. 20 Saint Louis, 2-0, Saturday night in the first Memphis victory over the Billikens in 13 previous regular season meetings. Junior Dayton O'Brien moved into first place on the conference scoring chart with 22 points after assisting on the game-winning goal and netting an insurance goal in the first half. The win clinched a spot for the Tigers in the C-USA Tournament and gave them sole possession of first place in the conference standings. Memphis has another tough match ahead as it hosts No. 23 UAB on Wednesday. A Tiger win would clinch the regular season title.

Saint Louis - The Billikens dropped a 2-0 decision at No. 22 Memphis on Saturday and fell to 4-3-1 in the conference standings. It was the first time in C-USA history that Saint Louis had lost three regular season conference games and snapped the Billikens chance at a fifth straight regular season league title. Saint Louis is still in the running for a C-USA Tournament berth. SLU hosts East Carolina on Friday, before closing out the regular season with No. 6 Indiana on Sunday.

UAB - The No. 23 Blazers won the eighth of their last nine matches with a 4-0 non-conference victory against crosstown rival Birmingham-Southern on Saturday night. Junior Leandro de Oliveira and freshman Shane Elsner each scored a goal and added an assist in the win. Junior Sandy Gbandi anchored the Blazer defense against BSC, which had been the top offensive team in the country averaging 3.00 goals per game.

USF - The Bulls dropped their third match in a row with a 1-0 defeat to visiting Marquette on Saturday. Goalkeeper Dane Brenner made eight saves, but allowed the game-winning goal in the 78th minute. USF was ranked as high as No. 11 nationally this season, but has dropped to sixth in the C-USA standings. The Bulls travel south this weekend for the FIU Classic in Miami, before closing out the regular season as host to C-USA foes East Carolina and Louisville as the teams all battle for a spot in the C-USA Tournament.

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.

CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES


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


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

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 Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
Leandro de Oliveira, UAB
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 Mike Vessells, Cincinnati
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


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 4-1-1
Cincinnati 2-5-0
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 4-3-0
USF 4-0-1
Total 33-31-9 (.514)


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 4-2-1
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 1-1-0
Mid-Continent 2-4-1
Missouri Valley 7-6-0
Northeast 0-0-0
Pac-10 0-0-0
Patriot 0-0-0
Southern 3-5-1
WCC 1-1-0
Non-Division I 2-0-0
TOTAL 33-31-9

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 99-77-19
Cincinnati 79-83-26
DePaul 56-113-8
East Carolina 23-40-5
Louisville 78-103-16
Marquette 97-82-15
Memphis 72-107-10
Saint Louis 125-49-20
UAB 121-57-12
USF 107-65-9


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.