Oct. 14, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College men's soccer team will seek its third consecutive victory when it hosts Bryant University on Wednesday, October 15 at 3:00 p.m at PC's Glay Field. It will mark the first meeting between the neighboring schools since 1982.

The Friars (5-4-3) posted two BIG EAST Conference wins last week and catapulted into a second-place tie in the BIG EAST Blue Division. On Wednesday, October 8, the Friars defeated No. 13/11 Connecticut, 1-0, marking PC's first win over the Huskies since 1997. Sophomore Matt Marcin (Wilmington, Del.) scored his second goal of the season in the 35th minute as senior Ryan Maduro (Bristol, R.I.) was credited with his third assist. On Saturday, October 11, the Friars defeated West Virginia, 1-0, at Glay Field. Freshman Chris Stoker (Holden, Mass.) scored his first goal of the season late in the first half as junior A.J. Brown (Fort Myers, Fla.) assisted on the goal. Junior goalkeeper Timothy Murray (Haverhill, Mass.) made a season-high six saves and earned his seventh shutout of the season. Murray was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, while Stoker garnered the league's Rookie of the Week accolades.

Bryant University (1-12-1) is coming off a hard-fought 1-0 loss at Brown University on Tuesday, October 7 as goalkeeper Andrew Snell made five saves. The Bulldogs have played a grueling schedule, which has included three matches against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season (Brown, Central Connecticut and Old Dominion) and two games versus BIG EAST Conference squads (Pittsburgh and Marquette). Manny Rodriguez and Ben Mello lead the team in scoring with two goals each. Bryant is coached by former Friar great Seamus Purcell `89. Purcell is the first Friar to earn First Team All-America accolades as he earned the honor in 1987. He was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame on February 16, 2008 and became the first ever soccer player to be inducted into the PC Hall of Fame.

The Friars are 12-3 all-time against the Bulldogs. In the last meeting between the two teams, Providence earned a 5-0 win in Providence in 1982. Bryant's last