The six-team field is set for the 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates, PLLC Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament as USF earned the final bid Wednesday with a 4-1 victory against East Carolina. In other C-USA play, UAB's Sandy Gbandi scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Louisville. Seeding for the tournament will be determined as the conference regular season wraps up this weekend.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Adam Ruud, Charlotte
Junior, Forward, Hanover Park, Ill.
Ruud scored two goals and had an assist in a pair of Charlotte home wins over N.C. State and DePaul last week. The junior assisted on the 49ers' first goal in a 2-1 victory over the Wolfpack, while adding a pair of goals, including the game-winner in a 4-1 victory over DePaul. Ruud's 11 goals this season are the most by a 49er since All C-USA performer Matthys Barker netted 11 during the 1996 campaign.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis
Senior, Goalkeeper, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Vecchio came up with seven saves and recorded his fifth shutout of the season as the Tigers' captured at least a share of the C-USA regular season title with a 2-0 defeat of UAB. The 1-0 blanking was the second shutout in five days over a nationall-ranked opponent for Vecchio.


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES

TEAM CAPSULES
Charlotte - The 49ers concluded their conference regular season with a 4-1 victory against DePaul on Saturday. Junior Adam Ruud scored two goals in the match, including the game-winner on his way to his second C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honor. Ruud moved into first place on the conference scoring chart and became the first 49er to tally 11 goals in a season since Matthys Barker in 1996. Earlier in the week, Charlotte defeated North Carolina State, 2-1. Ruud assisted junior Floyd Franks on the first goal and sophomore Michael Rose netted the game-winner.

Cincinnati - Despite having their six-match undefeated streak snapped by Kentucky on Wednesday, the Bearcats got back in the saddle and shut out Louisville, 5-0, on Sunday. It was sophomore goalie Mike Vessells' fourth shutout of the season. Senior Jeremiah Gallegos scored the game-winner in the fifth minute. Classmate Wiremu Patrick added a goal, then freshman Amir Ikner netted his first collegiate goal. Junior Jeff Hughes finished things off with two goals in the final seven minutes of regulation.

DePaul - The Blue Demons have lost two in a row since their 2-1 overtime victory against Marquette on Senior Day. Senior Patrick Vyncke scored his sixth goal of the season in a 4-1 loss at Charlotte on Saturday. It was also the final home game for seniors Brian Allen, Claudio Ferre, Kyle Ingram, Kellen Lawler and Luke Rojo. The Blue Demons face UAB on the road in their regular season finale Saturday.

East Carolina - The Pirates lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Saint Louis on Friday, then dropped a 4-1 decision to USF on Wednesday. Senior Terron Amos put the Pirates on the board first when he scored off an assist from Reed Avren. Amos leads the team in scoring with 22 points and ranks nationally in points and goals per game.

Louisville - The Cardinals were 90 seconds from remaining in the hunt for a berth to the 2004 C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament, but suffered a 2-1 defeat to a visiting UAB squad. Senior Justin Pierre scored off a pass from junior Tim Velten to tie the game in the 78th minute. Ten minutes later, an intentional handball was called on the Cards and UAB converted on the penalty kick. It was the home finale for Pierre, Andy Damier, Devin Matthews, Ian Quattroucchi, Matt Rose and Nathan Stephens.

Marquette - Seniors Chris Lee, Danny Mullin and Kellan Walsh played their final home match of the season against instrastate rival Wisconsin on Wednesday. Matt Blouin scored the first goal for the Golden Eagles, but Wsconsin responded with five unanswered goals. Blair Kohlmeyer and Alex Biel each added a goal to make the final score 5-3.

Memphis - The Tigers moved up the rankings to No. 18 in the NSCAA poll, posting a 2-0 win against No. 23 UAB last week. Memphis followed up with a 5-0 shutout of non-conference foe Belmont on Tuesday. Freshman Adam Montgomery was credited with the game-winner and his first collegiate goal. Senior goalkeeper Sebastian Vecchio, the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week, shared the shutout with Gavin McInerney. Senior John Reilly scored a goal in his home field finale and shared Senior Day honors with Vecchio, midfielder Daniel Dobson and defender Justin Dyer.

Saint Louis - Sophomore Will John scored the game-winner in a 1-0 victory against East Carolina Friday to clinch a spot in the C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament. The Billikens have won the tournament title the last four seasons in a row. In a non-conference match on Sunday, freshman Brandon Gasparovic scored with eight seconds remaining in regulation to send SLU's match with No. 5 Indiana into overtime. The Hoosiers won 2-1.

UAB - Junior Sandy Gbandi converted on a penalty kick with 90 seconds left in regulation to lead the Blazers to a 2-1 victory against host Louisville on Wednesday night. Jason McLaughlin scored the first goal of the match. With a win against visiting DePaul on Saturday (and a Memphis loss), the Blazers could still share the 2004 C-USA Regular Season title.

USF - The Bulls clinched the final spot in the 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates, PLLC Conference USA Men's Soccer Championship with a 4-1 victory against visiting East Carolina. Sophomore Keeron Benito scored his second and third goals of the season, while Hunter West and Christian Jiminez each added a goal in the Bull victory. Freshman goalkeeper Freddy Hall earned his first win in the net.

Tenth Annual Championship - Louisville will host the 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates, PLLC Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament 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 (Nov. 1)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. UCLA
3. SMU
4. Notre Dame
5. UC-Santa Barbara
6. Maryland
7. Indiana
8. Boston College
9. Wake Forest
10. Virginia
11. St. John's
12. New Mexico
13. MEMPHIS
14. Penn State
15. Hartwick
16. Va. Commonwealth
17. Washington
18. Creighton
19. Kentucky
20. Boston U.
21. Seton Hall
22. Charleston
23. Binghamton
24. California
25. South Carolina

ARV - UAB

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


College Soccer News (Oct. 31)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. SMU
3. Indiana
4. Notre Dame
5. UCLA
6. Wake Forest
7. UC-Santa Barbara
8. New Mexico
9. Virginia
10. Maryland
11. Boston College
12. Creighton
13. Washington
14. California
15. Va. Commonwealth
16. St. John's
17. James Madison
18. Hartwick
19. San Francisco
20. MEMPHIS
21. Santa Clara
22. Kentucky
23. Penn State
24. Loyola Marymount
25. Old Dominion
26. Ohio State
27. Duke
28. Cal State Northridge
29. Northwestern
30. Wisconsin-Milwaukee

ARV - UAB, USF

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

ARV - CHARLOTTE, UAB, USF

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 Adam Ruud, Charlotte
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 Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis
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
O31 Daniel Dobson, Memphis

Soccer America Team of the Week
S7 Will John, Saint Louis
S20 Simon Schoendorf, USF
O5 Andy Metcalf, Memphis
O12 Will John, Saint Louis
O24 Leandro de Oliveira, UAB


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 5-1-1
Cincinnati 2-6-0
DePaul 2-7-2
East Carolina 4-3-0
Louisville 3-4-3
Marquette 4-5-0
Memphis 5-2-1
Saint Louis 3-4-0
UAB 4-4-0
USF 5-1-1
Total 37-39-9 (.488)

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

Conference Record
ACC 2-2-0
America East 0-0-0
Atlantic Soccer 0-0-0
Atlantic Sun 4-0-1
Atlantic 10 0-1-0
Big East 0-2-0
Big South 4-2-1
Big Ten 0-4-2
Big West 0-1-0
Colonial 0-2-0
Horizon 7-4-3
Independent 3-1-0
Ivy 0-0-0
Metro Atlantic 0-0-0
Mid-American 1-3-0
Mid-Continent 2-4-1
Missouri Valley 7-6-0
Northeast 1-0-0
Pac-10 0-0-0
Patriot 0-0-0
Southern 3-5-1
WCC 1-1-0
Non-Division I 2-0-0
TOTAL 37-39-9

NCAA STAT LEADERS
Here is where Conference USA schools and players stand in the national rankings following matches through October 31:
Points Per Game
21t. Terron Amos, ECU 12gms/20pts/1.67pg
29t. Dayton O'Brien, MEM 15gms/24pts/1.60pg

Goals Per Game
16t. Terron Amos, ECU 12gms/ 9gls/0.75pg
27t. Adam Ruud, CHA 16gms/11gls/0.69pg

Assists Per Game
3. Dayton O'Brien, MEM 15gms/10ast/.67pg
20t. Simon Schoendorf, USF 14gms/ 7ast/.50pg

Goals Against Average
14. Sebastian Vecchio, MEM
13gms/1159min/9ga/0.699gaa

Team Goals Against Average
17. Memphis 15gms 0.78gaa


C-USA SUCCESS
Here's a look at each school's records since the league began play in 1995:
Charlotte 101-77-19
Cincinnati 80-84-26
DePaul 56-114-8
East Carolina 23-42-5
Louisville 78-106-16
Marquette 98-84-15
Memphis 74-107-10
Saint Louis 126-50-20
UAB 122-58-12
USF 109-66-9


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.