Sept. 17, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College men's soccer team will host two BIG EAST foes this weekend. On Friday, September 19, the Friars will battle Cincinnati at 3:00 p.m. and on Sunday, September 21, Providence will face No. 19/16 Louisville at 1:00 p.m.

The Friars (3-0-2, 1-0-0 BIG EAST), ranked No. 20 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Poll and No. 17 in the Soccer America Poll, are coming off a 0-0 overtime draw at Northeastern on Monday, September 16. Prior to that match, Providence defeated previously unbeaten and No. 20/23 Georgetown, 1-0, in the BIG EAST Conference opener on Saturday, September 13 at Glay Field. Sophomore Michael Pereira (London, Ontario) scored his first career goal to lead the Friars.

Junior Timothy Ritter (Weston, Mass.) leads the team in scoring with one goal and two assists for four points, while three other Friars have one goal each. Junior goalkeeper Timothy Murray (Haverhill, Mass.) has started all five matches and has yielded just one goal in 490:00 of action. He has posted a 0.18 goals against average.

For Cincinnati (2-2-1), it will mark its BIG EAST opener. The Bearcats are coming off a 4-1 loss against Kentucky on Saturday, September 13. Brad Simpson scored Cincinnati's goal in the 23rd minute, which evened the score at 1-1. The Bearcats finished with a 12-8 shot advantage. Branden Stelmak leads the team in scoring with two goals and one assist. In goal, Matt Williams has a 1.15 goals against average and three shutouts.

Providence is 2-1-1 all-time against the Bearcats, including a 0-0-1 mark in the regular season. The Friars' have defeated the Bearcats twice in the BIG EAST Championship, but last season Cincinnati posted a 2-0 victory over the Friars in the BIG EAST Championship First Round in Providence.

Before playing the Friars on Sunday, the Cardinals will face No. 7/4 Connecticut on Friday. The Cardinals improved to 5-0-1 as they defeated IUPUI, 2-1, on Sunday, September 14. Colin Rolfe scored in the 76th minute to secure the win for Louisville. Since their season-opening 1-1 overtime tie against Northeastern, the Cardinals have won five consecutive matches, while outscoring their opponents, 11-4. Rolfe and Ryan McDonald lead the team with three goals each. Goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux has posted a 0.78 goals against average and two clean sheets in six matches.

The Friars are 1-0-1 all-time against Louisville. The two teams faced each other for the first time ever in 2005 and played to a 1-1 overtime draw in a regular season match. In 2006, the Friars posted a 2-0 home victory over the Cardinals in the BIG EAST Championship First Round.