Nov. 3, 2009

Providence Game Notes in PDF Format | 2009 BIG EAST Championship Men's Soccer Bracket in PDF Format

PROVIDENCE TO FACE VILLANOVA IN THE FIRST ROUND... Providence and Villanova will square off in the BIG EAST Championship First Round on Wednesday, November 4 at 1:00 p.m. at the VU Soccer Complex in Villanova, Pa. It will mark the second consecutive season that the Friars and Wildcats will meet in the first round. In 2008, Providence defeated Villanova, 2-1, as Bryan Minogue scored with 1:23 remaining in the second half.

WHAT'S NEXT... The winner of Wednesday's Providence/Villanova match will travel to Storrs, Conn. to face No. 1 seed Connecticut on Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m.

FRIARS ALL-TIME IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP... The Friars are making their 11th appearance all-time in the BIG EAST Championship, including five consecutive seasons. The Friars have posted a 5-9-3 all-time mark in the BIG EAST Championship. Last season, the Friars defeated Villanova, 2-1, in the first round before falling 1-0 in overtime at St. John's in the quarterfinals. Providence is 2-0 all-time against Villanova in the BIG EAST Championship, including a 2-1 victory in 1984 semifinals.

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS VILLANOVA... In 19 all-time meetings between the two teams, Villanova leads the all-time series, 10-7-2. The two teams met earlier this season in Villanova, Pa. on September 20 and the Wildcats prevailed, 1-0. Kyle Soroka scored in the fourth minute and Chris Bresnahan made four saves to lead the way for the Wildcats.

PROVIDENCE QUICK NOTES... • Providence is making its fifth consecutive BIG EAST Championship appearance ... Providence has won three consecutive matches, including two overtime victories on the road ... Senior Timothy Ritter (Weston, Mass.) scored both overtime goals in Providence's wins at West Virginia (1-0 on 10/28) and at Georgetown (2-1 on 10/31) ... The Friars' win at West Virginia on Wednesday, October 28 marked their first win in Morgantown since 2003 ... The Friars finished the BIG EAST schedule with a 5-4-2 record, marking the third time in four seasons that PC posted a winning record in conference play. Last season, PC had a 5-5-1 league mark.

SCOUTING VILLANOVA... The Wildcats are coming off a 5-0 loss against fifth-ranked Louisville on Saturday, October 31 in the regular season finale. Prior to that match, Villanova defeated Rutgers, 3-0, on Wednesday, October 28 in Piscataway, N.J. Anthony Griffith, Sean Mergenthal and Chris Christian each scored one goal, while Chris Bresnahan stopped two shots to earn the shutout. Mike Seamon leads the team in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 17 points. Kyle Soroka is second with five goals and two assists for 12 points. Bresnahan has played in all 18 matches and has posted four shutouts and a 1.24 goals against average.

LAST TIME OUT... The Friars earned their third straight win as they defeated Georgetown, 2-1, in overtime on October 31 in Washington, D.C. Junior Andrew Sousa (Fall River, Mass.) gave PC a 1-0 halftime lead with a 30-yard strike. The Hoyas evened the score early in the second half, but Tim Ritter sealed PC's second overtime win of the week as he scored his team leading fifth goal of the season 2:56 into the extra session. Sousa assisted on the goal.

RITTER EARNS WEEKLY HONOR... Senior forward Tim Ritter was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. On Tuesday, November 3, he also was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. Ritter scored two overtime goals as Providence recorded two wins last week. He scored 2:31 into overtime as the Friars defeated West Virginia, 1-0, on Wednesday, October 28. He also scored 2:56 into overtime in PC's 2-1 victory at Georgetown on Saturday, October 31. Ritter leads the team with five goals and 10 points.

WORKING OVERTIME... The Friars have played in eight overtime matches, including six double overtime contests this season. Providence has posted a 3-2-3 record in overtime games, including two road overtime wins at West Virginia (1-0 on October 28) and at Georgetown (2-1 on October 31) to complete the regular season schedule. Last season, the Friars recorded a 0-2-3 mark in five overtime matches.

IRON MAN... Providence senior defender Justin Kahle (Oceanport, N.J.) has played in every minute of every match at Providence College. Kahle, a tri-captain this season, has been a mainstay in the Friar lineup as he has played in 75 consecutive games.

MURRAY RACKING UP THE SHUTOUTS... Providence goalkeeper Tim Murray (Haverhill, Mass.) has recorded eight shutouts in 16 games in 2009. He has allowed 15 goals in 16 games this season and has a 0.89 goals against average. The eight clean sheets rank him fourth in the BIG EAST. In addition, Murray has 26 career shutouts, which is a Providence College record.

FRIARS ON THE ROAD... The Friars, who closed out the regular season with two overtime road wins, have posted a 4-4 record on the road this season, including a 3-3 mark in BIG EAST Conference games away from home. The Friars opened the regular season with a 1-0 double overtime victory at Sacred Heart. Providence then was defeated in its next three road matches, including a 3-0 loss at No. 14 Boston University on September 7. PC captured its first BIG EAST road win on October 3 with a 3-0 triumph at Pittsburgh, but was then defeated at No. 13 UConn, 4-0, on October 6.

RITTER MOVING UP THE PROVIDENCE SCORING CHART... Tim Ritter has 19 goals and 14 assists for 52 career points at Providence College. The 52 points ranks tied for seventh all-time at Providence, while the 19 goals is the ninth best mark in PC soccer history. This season, Ritter leads the team in scoring with five goals, all of which have been game winners, including one in each of the last two overtime wins.

PROVIDENCE AGAINST RANKED TEAMS... Providence has posted a 0-3-1 record against ranked teams this season. On September 7, the Friars were defeated at No. 14 Boston University, 3-0. The Friars also tied No. 18 St. John's on September 27. In addition, PC has played No. 13 UConn and No. 11 Harvard. Last season, the Friars posted a 3-5 record against ranked teams, including a 1-0 victory against fourth-ranked Boston College.

RECAP OF LAST YEAR'S FIRST ROUND MATCH... The Friars posted a 2-1 win over Villanova on November 5, 2008 at Glay Field. PC took a 1-0 lead at the 38:31 mark on a goal by Tim Ritter. The Wildcats' Michael Seamon then scored at the 44:08 mark as the game was tied, 1-1, at the halftime whistle. With 1:23 remaining in the second half, Bryan Minogue scored off a corner kick to seal the win for the Friars. It marked Minogue's first career goal. Tim Murray finished with three saves for Providence, while Chris Bresnahan stopped five shots for Villanova.

WEEKLY HONORS... Three Friars have earned BIG EAST weekly honors this season. On September 7, Tim Ritter was named Offensive Player of the Week, while Tim Murray was named to the honor roll. Murray also was named to the honor roll on September 28. Sophomore Daniel Fabian (Southbury, Conn.) was named to the honor roll on October 5. Most recently, Ritter was named College Soccer News National team of the Week on November 2 and BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on November 3.