Conference USA Men's Soccer Notebook - Oct. 29-Nov. 4

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

CO-OFFENSIVE:
Gabriel Salgado, South Florida
Jr., MF, Plant City, Fla.
South Florida midfielder GABRIEL SALGADO is the Conference USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 28. Salgado had both goals in a 2-0 win over DePaul and added four assists in a 5-2 win over Memphis. The four assists are a league-high this season.

Jeff Thwaites, South Florida
Jr., MF, Odessa, Fla.
South Florida midfielder JEFF THWAITES is the Conference USA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 28. Thwaites became the seventh C-USA player to record a hat trick this season when he had three goals against Memphis, and he added an assist against DePaul.

DEFENSIVE:
Lucas Mackanos, Charlotte
So., GK, Valparaiso, Ind.

For the second straight week, Charlotte's LUCAS MACKANOS is the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week. Mackanos paced the 49ers to the Big Four Classic crown by defeating N.C. State 4-1 and Duke, 1-0. The win over Duke was Charlotte's first-ever, as the Blue Devils had 20 shots but were unable to score. Mackanos had 10 saves.





CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES


POLLING PLACE
Here is a look at this week's national polls.
NSCAA (Oct. 29)
1. SMU
2. Virginia
3. Stanford
4. Indiana
5. Saint Louis
6. Clemson
7. St. John's
8. North Carolina
9. Connecticut
10. Rutgers
11. Loyola-Maryland
12. Washington
13. Wake Forest
14. Ohio State
15. UAB
16. Rhode Island
17. Portland
18. Lehigh
19. South Carolina
20. San Diego
21. Wisconsin-Milwaukee
22. Rhode Island
23. Penn State
24. Air Force
25. Columbia

Soccer America (Oct. 22)
1. SMU
2. Virginia
3. Saint Louis
4. Washington
5. North Carolina
6. Stanford
7. St. John's
8. Clemson
9. Indiana
10. Connecticut
11. Rutgers
12. South Carolina
13. Penn State
14. UAB
15. Furman
16. Gonzaga
17. Portland
18. Harvard
19. Loyola-Md.
20. Notre Dame

THE WEEK OF UPSETS
There were several upsets in Conference USA from Oct. 21-27. No. 13 UAB shut out No. 3 Saint Louis, 1-0 on Oct. 24. Cincinnati twice overcame one-goal deficits to upset the Blazers, 3-2 on Oct. 28. This marks Cincinnati's first win over a nationally-ranked Top 25 team since a 3-1 win over Ohio State on Oct. 29, 2000.

Outside the conference, Charlotte won the Big Four Classic title in Durham, N.C. with a pair of big wins over N.C. State (4-1) and Duke (1-0).
THE WEEK AHEAD
This week's Conference USA schedule is highlighted by Saturday's Marquette at Saint Louis match. The last four matches between the Billikens and Golden Eagles have been decided by one goal, and three of the last four matches have gone into overtime.

In other league action, Louisville visits Charlotte on Thursday, and UAB hosts TCU on Friday. Louisville has a three-match series winning streak on the 49ers, while this is the first-ever meeting between UAB and TCU.

BAUMSTARK ON
RECORD PACE
UAB freshman goalkeeper CLINT BAUMSTARK has ranked among the national leaders in goals against average all season. Through matches of Oct. 28, his GAA of 0.63 was on pace to break Conference USA's single-season GAA record. Former Saint Louis goalkeeper Casey Klipfel is the current record holder at 0.65, set in 1997.

C-USA TV NETWORK
The Conference USA Television Network will air the 2001 C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament Final on Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. EST at USF Soccer Stadium in Tampa. Jim Henderson, who also serves as an announcer for the Tampa Bay Mutiny of the MLS, will call the play-by-play, and former South Florida men's coach and current Bull women's soccer coach Logan Fleck will provide the color commentary. Here is the syndication and satellite information (as of Oct. 28)
Sunshine Network - tape delay (TBA)
Louisville (WFTE) - live
Memphis (WBII) - live
Cincinnati (WBQC) - tape delay (TBA)
Comcast Charter Southeast - tape delay
Telstar 6, Transponder 11, KU Band

CHARLOTTE
Charlotte won the Big Four Classic title in Durham, N.C. last weekend. The 49ers defeated N.C. State, 4-1 and Duke 1-0. The win over the Blue Devils was Charlotte's first in 12 meetings between the schools. CHRIS WARGIN scored two goals including the game winner against NC State. He scored the match's only goal against Duke. He scored goals against NC State and Duke on penalty kicks. Charlotte hosts Louisville on Thursday.

CINCINNATI
Cincinnati twice overcame one goal deficits to defeat No. 13 UAB, 3-2 on Oct. 28. This marks UC's first win over a nationally-ranked, top 25 program since Oct. 29, 2000, a 3-1 win at No. 23 Ohio State. This was also the Bearcats' third straight victory. Sophomore BRANDON DOBBS had the game-winning goal against the Blazers, the first goal of his collegiate career. He has been a key contributor to the Bearcats' defense over the last three matches and was named to the Collegesoccernews.com National Team of the Week.

DE PAUL
DePaul lost at South Florida (2-0 on Oct. 26) and Stetson (2-1 on Oct. 28). Senior ROBERT MARSHALL had the Blue Demons' goal at Stetson. It was his third goal of the season. Stetson outshot DePaul, 15-6. The Blue Demons visit Valparaiso on Friday and host Charlotte on Sunday.

EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates dropped their fifth straight match on Saturday, falling to Winthrop, 3-2. JOE ELLINGTON and ANDY TABOR netted goals for ECU. No. 2 Virginia dealt East Carolina a 2-0 defeat on Oct. 24 in Charlottesville, Va. Goalkeeper R.J. MARVINNEY, who ranks among the top 10 in the nation in saves, recorded three against the Cavaliers.

LOUISVILLE
No. 3 Saint Louis held off Louisville, 2-1 on Oct. 27. NATHAN STEVENS had the Cardinals' goal at the 62nd minute mark off an assist from COURTENAY COMMANDER. SLU had a 12-7 advantage in shots and 5-4 on corners. The Cardinals return to action on Thursday against Charlotte.

MARQUETTE
MATT DARBY's goal at the 78 minute mark proved to be the difference as Marquette defeated TCU, 1-0 on Oct. 26. The goal was Darby's first of the season. In Marquette's eight wins, eight different players have scored the game-winning goal. MU took advantage of nine offsides calls against TCU, holding the Horned Frogs to just six shots on goal.

MEMPHIS
South Florida defeated Memphis, 5-2 on Oct. 28. SEAN FRASER tallied both Tiger scores. Fraser has now produced 11 goals on the season and 38 for his career, moving the senior into second-place on the U of M's all-time scoring list. Memphis visits Louisville on Sunday.

SAINT LOUIS
JACK JEWSBURY's three points helped No. 3 Saint Louis past Louisville, 2-1 on Oct. 27. DIPSY SELOLWANE'S 35 points is the best single-season total since 1995 Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year Matt McKeon compiled 54 points Selolwane's 16 goals is the best mark since McKeon had 17 in '95. Saint Louis leads C-USA in goals (35), assists (35) and points (105) and has out-shot its last eight opponents 141-69 after being out-shot in its first three matches.

SOUTH FLORIDA
South Florida went 2-0 last week, defeating DePaul 2-0 and Memphis 5-2. GABRIEL SALGADO had both goals against the Blue Demons and a season-high four assists against Memphis. JEFF THWAITES had a hat trick against the Tigers, marking the seventh time this season that a Conference USA player has scored at least three goals in a match.

TCU
TCU bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Marquette (Oct. 26) with a 3-1 win over Drury on Oct. 28. Freshman JASON DEIFIK's first career goal proved to be the game-winner. J.J STRONG's first career goal and BOBBY MONTES' third goal of the season were insurance scores for the Horned Frogs, who visit UAB on Friday.

UAB
A Cincinnati goal at the 87:17 mark proved to be the difference as the Bearcats defeated No. 13 UAB on Oct. 28. The Blazers are currently second in the league in goals (33), points (94), goals per game (2.20), assists (28) and assists per game (1.87). CLINT BAUMSTARK's 0.63 GAA is on pace to break the Conference USA record.

C-USA ON THE WEB
For the latest Conference USA news, check out the league's official web site: www.c-usasports.com.

MEDIA TEAMLINK
Conference USA and its member institutions will offer media information via e-mail and fax through Pivotal Communications. The fax on demand system is intended for media use only. You may access the Fax On Demand directory from www.mediateamlink.com
TOURNAMENT TIME
The 2001 Conference USA Tournament will take place Nov. 15-18 at USF Soccer Stadium in Tampa. The top six finishers in the league advance to the tournament, with the top two finishers earning first round byes. The match times are 5:30 and 8 p.m. on Nov. 15 and Nov. 16 and 1 p.m. on Nov. 18. The championship will be televised by the Conference USA Television Network. Check your local listings for details.