Oct. 20, 2005
NORFOLK, VA--The 2nd-ranked Old Dominion University men's soccer team is riding an eight match unbeaten streak into Friday night's CAA contest against Virginia Commonwealth. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Stadium. ODU is in first place in the conference with a 10-1-2 (5-0-1) mark, while VCU is currently sitting in 3rd place with a 5-7-1 (3-1-1) season record.
ODU holds a 17-7-4 all-time record against the Rams, last defeating them 2-1 in 2003. VCU enters this match sporting a three game winning streak, defeating Georgia State, Delaware, and Drexel. Currently entrenched in a three-way tie for third place in the CAA, VCU is six points behind the conference leading Monarchs. VCU's offensive attack has been spearheaded by sophomore Pat Viray and senior Brian Morris, who are tied for the team lead with five goals and ten points scored. Senior Dominic Oduro, last season's CAA Player of the Year and leading scorer, has seen his scoring numbers drop but has remained an active force on the front line with 47 shots taken on the year. Freshman goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra was named CAA Rookie of the Week for his performances against Delaware and Drexel.
Old Dominion is ranked #2 by the NSCAA/Adidas coaches poll, #6 by Soccer Times, and #7 by Soccer America and College Soccer News after running off an eight-game unbeaten streak that has featured seven shutouts and only one goal given up. ODU's shutout victories over Northeastern and Hofstra also extended their regular season home-unbeaten streak to 31 matches dating back to September 2002. Senior goalkeeper John Connelly (Rockville, MD) earned College Soccer News National Team of the Week honors for his effort in the shutout wins last weekend. Connelly has earned eight shutouts this year, shared a ninth, and leads the conference in that category.
Senior forward Brian Cvilikas (Highlands Ranch, CO) scored his 10th goal of the season against Hofstra and has moved into 7th place on ODU's all-time goals scored list with 27. He currently is tied for the conference lead in goals, and is 1st in goals per game, shots, and shots per game. Senior defender Trevor McEachron (Woodbridge, VA) and sophomore defender David Horst (Pine Grove, PA) have anchored a Monarch defensive unit that has only allowed 7 goals through 13 contests this season.
The men's soccer team is back in action Sunday afternoon as they host James Madison in another crucial CAA contest. Game time is 1:00 p.m. ODU will honor their departing seniors prior to kickoff for their annual Senior Day.