Men's Soccer Ohio-Bound This Weekend

Syracuse (2-2-0) vs. Cal Poly (2-1-2); Syracuse (2-2-0) vs. New Mexico (4-0-1)
Game Details	Friday, Sept. 16 \| Akron, Ohio \| 5 p.m. First Energy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field \| Weather \| Tickets Sunday, Sept. 18 \| Akron, Ohio \| 12 p.m. First Energy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field \| Weather
Game Coverage	TV: None \| Radio: None Live Stats
Syracuse Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes
Cal Poly Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes
New Mexico Links	News \| Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Notes

AKRON, Ohio – Syracuse (2-2-0) will play two games this weekend at Akron's First Energy Stadium - Cub Cadet Field as part of the University of Akron Tournament. The Orange will face Cal Poly (2-1-2) in the tournament's opening match on Friday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. and square off against New Mexico (4-0-1) on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 12 p.m.

This will mark the second trip in program history to Akron. In its previous visit, Syracuse lost a 2-1 decision to the host Zips on Sept. 3, 1987.

SU is coming off its second victory of the season, a 2-1 overtime win against American. Cal Poly recently went 1-0-1 against BIG EAST members Villanova and West Virginia. The Mustangs defeated Villanova, 1-0, on Sept. 9 and played to a scoreless draw with West Virginia on Sept. 11. New Mexico won the TLC Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Lobo Invitational with victories against Cal State Northridge and Columbia. The Lobos will play defending national champion Akron Friday before facing Syracuse Sunday afternoon.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON TOURNAMENT
The University of Akron Tournament started in 2007 and was originally called the Westfield Cup. Among the teams that have made the trip to Akron for the event are: Cal State Northridge, Cincinnati, Florida International, Illinois-Chicago, Indiana, New Mexico, St. Louis, UAB, West Virginia, and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

This year marks the fifth University of Akron Tournament. The host Zips have won the tournament title every year. This is Syracuse's first appearance at the event.

SU OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2008
With victories against Canisius and American, the Orange is off to its best start since the team went 3-1 in its first four games of the 2008 season. The past two years, the team has started off with 1-3 records. Through four games, the team has already matched its win total from last season.

Syracuse also has won its first two home games of the season for the first time since 2007.

ORANGE REWIND
In its last match, Syracuse recorded a 2-1 overtime victory against American on Sunday, Sept. 11 at the SU Soccer Stadium. Senior Nick Roydhouse converted on a free kick just outside the box in the 94th minute to lift the Orange to victory.

The Orange came out of the gate fast as junior Louis Clark put a rebound past American keeper Matt Makowski to give SU a 1-0 advantage.

It remained a one-goal game until the 84th minute when American equalized the match. After a failed clear attempt by the Orange defense, Eagles senior Jack Scott fired a shot past SU senior goalkeeper Phil Boerger to knot the game at 1-1.

Scott's goal set the stage for Roydhouse. After senior Dan Summers was taken down near the penalty area, Roydhouse bent the ensuing free kick around the American wall for the winner.

The Orange dominated the pace of play, outshooting the Eagles, 23-8. Boerger tied his season high with six saves in the contest. A season-best home crowd of 1,017 was on hand to witness the match.

CRIBLEY AMONG BIG EAST LEADERS
Through the first four games of the 2011 season, junior Ted Cribley is tied for fifth in the BIG EAST in assists with two.

Cribley tallied his first assist in Syracuse's 2-1 win against Canisius. The assist marked Cribley's first point as a member of the Orange. He was credited with his second helper at Siena on Sept. 4.

Cribley came to Syracuse after attending Herkimer County Community College (HCCC) for the past two years. He was a two-time NJCAA Division III All-American.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Through five games, Cal Poly has put together a record of 2-1-2, scoring wins against UNLV and Villanova. In the most recent NSCAA/adidas Regional Poll the team was ranked No. 10 in the Far West Region.

This past weekend, the Mustangs faced two BIG EAST opponents in Villanova and West Virginia. After recording a victory against the Wildcats, the team held the Mountaineers scoreless in a 0-0 draw. Senior goalkeeper Patrick McLain earned Big West Conference Player of the Week honors for his two clean sheets.

Junior Dakota Collins leads the team in scoring with four points (two goals) on the season. McLain has started in goal for the Mustangs every game this season. He has made 10 saves and holds a 0.35 goals-against average. In addition, he has four shutouts in five outings, which leads the Big West Conference.

Head coach Paul Holocher in his sixth season at the helm of the Panthers' program. Prior to Cal Poly, Holocher coached seven years at UC Santa Cruz. Holocher holds a 156-60-27 overall record.

THE SERIES AGAINST CAL POLY
Friday's game will mark the first meeting between Syracuse and Cal Poly.

The Orange is 0-3 against teams from the state of California. SU is 0-1 against Cal State Fullerton and 0-2 against UCLA. Syracuse played both teams in the FILA Classic in Fullerton, Calif. during the 1999 season. The team lost 1-0 in overtime to #13 Cal State Fullerton and 2-1 to #3 UCLA.

SCOUTING THE LOBOS
New Mexico has yet to lose a game through its first five matches of the season. The Lobos have a record of 4-0-1 and have climbed to the No. 16 ranking in the latest NSCAA/adidas National Poll and No. 23 in the Soccer America rankings. The team was ranked No. 3 in the Far West Region in the most recent NSCAA/adidas Regional Poll.

The Lobos won the TLC Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Lobo Invitational this past weekend. The tournament, hosted by New Mexico, included Cal State Northridge, Columbia, and Missouri State. The host Lobos picked up wins over Cal State Northridge and Columbia to take the tournament title. Junior Devon Sandoval earned tournament offensive MVP honors, scoring once in each match.

Freshman James Rogers leads New Mexico in scoring with eight points (two goals, four assists) on the year. Junior Blake Smith leads the team in goals scored with three. Junior Victor Rodriguez has been the starting goalkeeper for the Lobos in every game this season. Rodrgiuez has made nine saves and holds a 0.41 goals-against average.

Jeremy Fishbein enters his 10th season as the head coach of New Mexico. Prior to his stint with the Lobos, Fishbein coached at Division II schools Incarnate Word and Fort Lewis. Fishbein holds an overall record of 219-104-32 in his 19-year coaching career.

THE SERIES AGAINST NEW MEXICO
Syracuse and New Mexico will meet for the first time on Sunday.

UP NEXT
The Orange will host Marquette on Saturday, Sept. 24 in its BIG EAST opener at the SU Soccer Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Syracuse University Athletics

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