Regular season champion Memphis swept the Player of the Week awards, along with USF senior Brandon Streicher who shared Defensive Player of the Week honors with Tiger goalie Sebastian Vecchio. With the field set for the 2004 Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament, six teams prepare for this weekend's championships in Louisville.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
John Reilly, Memphis
Senior, Midfielder, Dublin, Ireland
Reilly clinched the Tigers' first C-USA regular season title Saturday when he scored the game-winning goal against East Carolina. He also assisted on the game-winner and added another goal earlier in the week in a 5-0 non-conference victory against Belmont.

Co-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Brandon Streicher, USF
Senior, Defender, Odessa, Fla.
Streicher led the USF defense to back-to-back conference wins and a No. 4 seed in the C-USA Tournament. The Bulls clinched a tournament berth with a 4-1 win against East Carolina, holding the Pirates scoreless for 82 minutes. The USF defense then held Louisville's top two offensive threats scoreless for the evening in a 3-1 victory.

Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis
Senior, Goalkeeper, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Vecchio and the Tigers posted their fourth straight shutout with a 4-0 victory against East Carolina Saturday. The win also guaranteed Memphis its first regular season conference title. With a conference-best 0.64 goals against average, he is on pace to shatter the school record for GAA in a season and career.


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES

TEAM CAPSULES
Charlotte - In a Senior Day match with cross-county rival Davidson, the 49ers' two seniors each scored goals in a 4-2 loss. Senior Joel Wisdo netted his first career goal in his final home match. Senior forward Mira Mupier scored the other Charlotte goal on a penalty kick in the 50th minute. It was Mupier's 28th career goal, which ranks eighth on the school's all-time scoring chart. The 49ers finished their regular season with a 10-6-1 overall record, and 5-4 in C-USA play to earn a No. 6 seed in the 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates, PLLC Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament.

Cincinnati - The Bearcats outshot Marquette, 11-9, and took nine corner kicks to the Golden Eagles' six, but UC dropped a 2-1 decision in its regular season finale. UC tied the match in the second half when junior Jeff Hughes tapped in a loose ball in front of the Marquette net and senior Wiremu Patrick was credited with the assist. Four seniors were honored in their home finale, including Patrick, Jeremiah Gallegos, John Liersemann and Eddie Parkes.

DePaul - The Blue Demons finished their season with a 3-14-3 overall record and 1-7-1 mark in conference play after suffering a 4-0 defeat to UAB on Saturday night. Goalkeepers Michael Timlin and Lucas Zicher combined for 11 saves. Senior Patrick Vyncke finished the season as the Blue Demons' leading scorer with six goals and 12 points.

East Carolina - Senior forward Terron Amos, the Pirates and Conference USA leading scorer, netted the lone goal off an assist from Reed Avren in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to USF. Amos compiled 24 points this season and ranks nationally in points and goals per game. The Pirates also dropped their C-USA finale to No. 13 Memphis, 4-0, to finish the season at 6-12. Amos and Avren were honored for Senior Day at Bunting Field, along with teammates Rob Cann, Pat Cutler and Michael Logan.

Louisville - Senior Andy Damier headed in a corner kick from Ian Quattroucchi to tie the score up and one-all in the second half, but the Cardinals dropped their season final to USF, 2-1. U of L goalkeepers Charles Edwards and Tyler Wilcox ranked third and tenth, respectively, in the conference rankings for saves per game. Louisville finished the season with a 5-10-4 record, and 2-6-1 in conference play.

Marquette - The Golden Eagles won their second conference match of the season with a 2-1 victory against Cincinnati on Sunday. Senior Danny Mullin blasted a shot into the lower left corner of the net to give Marquette a 1-0 lead. Classmate Chris Lee headed in a crossing pass from junior Ryan Kohlmeyer to give the Golden Eagles the lead.

Memphis - The Tigers moved up the rankings to No. 13 in the NSCAA poll, posting a 4-0 win at East Carolina in their C-USA regular season finale. Memphis won its first conference title with an 8-1 league record. Senior keeper Sebastian Vecchio and the Tiger defense improved their shutout streak to four with the ECU win and a 5-0 victory against non-conference foe Belmont. Senior John Reilly earned his first Offensive Player of the Week honor with two goals and an assist this week. Junior Dayton O'Brien became the Tigers' all-time assist leader with two in the ECU match.

Saint Louis - The Billikens will defend their four consecutive C-USA tournament titles as they take a No. 5 seed into the 2004 post-season. In Saint Louis' regular season finale against non-conference foe and fifth-ranked Indiana last Sunday, Oct. 31, freshman Brandon Gasparovic scored with eight seconds remaining in regulation to send SLU's match into overtime. The Hoosiers won 2-1.

UAB - Junior Sandy Gbandi had a big week on both sides of the field. Gbandi had the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Louisville and an assist from a corner kick in the 4-0 win over DePaul. He also captains the Blazer defense, which held DePaul scoreless for UAB's seventh shutout of the season. The two wins guaranteed the Blazers a first-round bye in the 2004 C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament.

USF - Senior defender Brandon Streicher earned his first C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor in the final week of the regular season. Streicher has played 74 consecutive matches for the Bulls, never missing a match during his USF career and tying the school record. In Wednesday's 4-1 victory against East Carolina, Nov. 3 birthday boys Christian Jiminez and Chris Raye hooked up on the final scoring play of the game. Raye assisted on a goal from Jiminez in the 88th minute.

Tenth Annual Championship - The 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates, PLLC Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament will be played at Louisville's Cardinal Park on November 11-14. This will be the first time the Championship will be held in Louisville and the Derby City becomes the sixth site in 10 seasons. The championship match on Sunday, Nov. 14, will be televised by affiliates of the Conference USA Television Network.

C-USA 10th ANNIVERSARY

Conference USA celebrates its 10th anniversary during the 2004-05 season. The league kicked off its 10th year with the introduction of "Conference USA: Top 10 Moments in History." There will also be a 10th Anniversary C-USA men's soccer team selected by a panel of the league's coaches and select media members. For more information about C-USA's 10th anniversary, please log onto www.ConferenceUSA.com.

ACHIEVEMENTS
* The league has produced 20 NCAA Tournament appearances in its nine-year history, with two teams advancing to the Final Four and six playing in the final eight.

* Twice Conference USA has advanced a team to the College Cup (Saint Louis in 1997 and Charlotte in 1996).

* C-USA has advanced four different schools (Charlotte, Saint Louis, South Florida and UAB) to the final eight of the NCAA championship over the last five years.

* The teams that comprise C-USA have combined to make 64 NCAA Tournament appearances all-time.

* Six different schools (Charlotte, Cincinnati, Marquette, Saint Louis, UAB and USF) have won at least a share of the regular season championship in the league's first nine seasons.

* Thirty C-USA players have earned All-American honors in the league's nine seasons. Nine players have earned Academic All-American honors during that time.

* Conference USA has placed 74 players on Soccer America's Team of the Week since 1995.

POLLING PLACE
Here's a look at the 2004 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America, Soccer Times and College Soccer News men's polls.
NSCAA (Nov. 1)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. UCLA
3. SMU
4. Notre Dame
5. UC-Santa Barbara
6. Maryland
7. Indiana
8. Boston College
9. Wake Forest
10. Virginia
11. St. John's
12. New Mexico
13. MEMPHIS
14. Penn State
15. Hartwick
16. Va. Commonwealth
17. Washington
18. Creighton
19. Kentucky
20. Boston U.
21. Seton Hall
22. Charleston
23. Binghamton
24. California
25. South Carolina

ARV - UAB

Soccer America (Nov. 1)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. New Mexico
3. SMU
4. UCLA
5. Wake Forest
6. California
7. Washington
8. UC-Santa Barbara
9. Virginia
10. Indiana
11. Notre Dame
12. Maryland
13. Boston College
14. Creighton
15. Santa Clara
16. James Madison
17. Penn State
18. Stanford
19. Duke
20. St. John's
21. Va. Commonwealth
22. MEMPHIS
23. Florida International
24. South Carolina
25. San Francisco


College Soccer News (Nov. 7)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. SMU
3. Indiana
4. Notre Dame
5. UC-Santa Barbara
6. New Mexico
7. Maryland
8. UCLA
9. Wake Forest
10. Creighton
11. Virginia
12. Va. Commonwealth
13. Washington
14. California
15. James Madison
16. MEMPHIS
17. Hartwick
18. Boston College
19. St. John's
20. Ohio State
21. Duke
22. Kentucky
23. San Francisco
24. Penn State
25. Florida International
26. Loyola Marymount
27. Cal State Northridge
28. Northwestern
29. Santa Clara
30. Wisconsin-Milwaukee

ARV - UAB, USF

Soccer Times (Nov. 1)
1. UNC-Greensboro
2. Notre Dame
3. Indiana
4. UCLA
5. SMU
6. UC-Santa Barbara
7. New Mexico
8. Wake Forest
9. Virginia
10. Maryland
11. Washington
12. California
13. Boston College
14. Creighton
15. St. John's
16. Va. Commonwealth
17. Santa Clara
18. MEMPHIS
19. Duke
20. Penn State
21. James Madison
22. South Carolina
23. Kent
24. San Francisco
25. Stanford

ARV - CHARLOTTE, UAB, USF


PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
C-USA names an Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week during the 2004 season. The awards are announced on Mondays throughout the season. Players of the Week are selected by the conference office.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
S7 Will John, Saint Louis
S13 Will John, Saint Louis
S20 Maurice Hughes, UAB
Hunter West, USF
S27 Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
O4 Adam Ruud, Charlotte
Andy Metcalf, Memphis
O11 Will John, Saint Louis
O18 Mira Mupier, Charlotte
O25 Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
Leandro de Oliveira, UAB
N1 Adam Ruud, Charlotte
N8 John Reilly, Memphis

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
S7 A.J. Robles, UAB
S13 Dane Brenner, USF
S20 Dane Brenner, USF
S27 Kareem Smith, USF
Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis
O4 Josh Beachem, Charlotte
O11 Kareem Smith, USF
O18 Mike Vessells, Cincinnati
O25 Mike Vessells, Cincinnati
N1 Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis
N8 Brandon Streicher, USF
Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis

NATIONAL TEAMS
In addition to the C-USA Players of the Week, league players are honored for their superior performances on a national level throughout the season by Soccer America and College Soccer News.

College Soccer News Team of the Week
S7 John DiRaimondo, Saint Louis
S19 Hunter West, USF
S26 Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
O3 Adam Ruud, Charlotte
O10 Ryan Wileman, Saint Louis
O31 Daniel Dobson, Memphis

Soccer America Team of the Week
S7 Will John, Saint Louis
S20 Simon Schoendorf, USF
O5 Andy Metcalf, Memphis
O12 Will John, Saint Louis
O24 Leandro de Oliveira, UAB


CONFERENCE USA MEN'S SOCCER NOTES

2004 C-USA TOURNAMENT
The Memphis Tigers (13-3-1, 8-1-0) earned their first regular season title in the 10-year history of Conference USA and will hold the No. 1 seed in the 2004 C-USA Men's Soccer Tournament, played Nov. 11-14 at Louisville's Cardinal Park.

Six of the 10 C-USA teams advanced to the league tournament, which begins Thursday with first round matches at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Memphis and second-seeded UAB (11-6-0, 7-2-0) both receive a first-round bye to the tournament semifinals. The semifinals are Friday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the final set for Sunday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. (EST). The final will be aired on the Conference USA Television Network. Don Russell will call the play-by-play, and Bill McDermott provides the color commentary. Conference USA's official website, www.ConferenceUSA.com, will provide updates, box scores, recaps and photos.

The Tigers will host the winner of Thursday's 5 p.m. match, pitting No. 4 seed USF (10-4-2, 5-3-1) against No. 5 Saint Louis (8-7-1, 5-3-1). The two teams posted identical records and tied during the regular season. USF earned the higher seed based on the tie-breaker that the Bulls were the only team to defeat top-seeded Memphis this season. USF and Saint Louis have not met in tournament play since the 1997 Final, which the Billikens won, 3-1, in overtime.

UAB will face the winner of Thursday's 7:30 nightcap, which matches No. 3 Cincinnati (7-9-2, 5-3-1) against No. 6 Charlotte (10-6-1, 5-4-0). The Bearcats will be looking for some revenge as the 49ers upset the 2003 regular season champs, 1-0, in last season's tournament semifinal. Cincinnati finished in a three-way tie with USF and Saint Louis, but defeated both of them in head-to-head competition to slot into the No. 3 seed. The 49ers won their final three conference matches to guarantee their spot in the tournament.

MATCH SCHEDULE

Thursday, November 11
Match 1 - (4) USF vs. (5) Saint Louis, 5pm
Match 2 - (3) Cincinnati vs. (6) Charlotte, 7:30p

Friday, November 12 (Semifinals)
Match 1 - (1) Memphis vs. Match 1 winner, 5pm
Match 2 - (2) UAB vs. Match 2 winner, 7:30p

Sunday, November 14 (Final)
Match 1 - Semifinal winners, 2pm
(C-USA Television Network)

OUT OF LEAGUE
Here's a summary of the non-conference records of Conference USA teams in 2004:
Charlotte 5-2-1
Cincinnati 2-6-0
DePaul 2-7-2
East Carolina 4-3-0
Louisville 3-4-3
Marquette 4-5-0
Memphis 5-2-1
Saint Louis 3-4-0
UAB 4-4-0
USF 5-1-1
Total 37-40-9 (.483)

CONFERENCE SUMMARY
Here's a summary of C-USA's record vs. other conferences in non-conference play in 2004:

Conference Record
ACC 2-2-0
America East 0-0-0
Atlantic Soccer 0-0-0
Atlantic Sun 4-0-1
Atlantic 10 0-1-0
Big East 0-2-0
Big South 4-2-1
Big Ten 0-4-2
Big West 0-1-0
Colonial 0-2-0
Horizon 7-4-3
Independent 3-1-0
Ivy 0-0-0
Metro Atlantic 0-0-0
Mid-American 1-3-0
Mid-Continent 2-4-1
Missouri Valley 7-6-0
Northeast 1-0-0
Pac-10 0-0-0
Patriot 0-0-0
Southern 3-6-1
WCC 1-1-0
Non-Division I 2-0-0
TOTAL 37-40-9


NCAA STAT LEADERS
Here is where Conference USA schools and players stand in the national rankings following matches through October 31:
Points Per Game
21t. Terron Amos, ECU 12gms/20pts/1.67pg
29t. Dayton O'Brien, MEM 15gms/24pts/1.60pg

Goals Per Game
16t. Terron Amos, ECU 12gms/ 9gls/0.75pg
27t. Adam Ruud, CHA 16gms/11gls/0.69pg

Assists Per Game
3. Dayton O'Brien, MEM 15gms/10ast/.67pg
20t. Simon Schoendorf, USF 14gms/ 7ast/.50pg

Goals Against Average
14. Sebastian Vecchio, MEM
13gms/1159min/9ga/0.699gaa

Team Goals Against Average
17. Memphis 15gms 0.78gaa

C-USA SUCCESS
Here's a look at each school's records since the league began play in 1995:
Charlotte 101-78-19
Cincinnati 80-85-26
DePaul 56-115-8
East Carolina 23-43-5
Louisville 78-107-16
Marquette 99-84-15
Memphis 75-107-10
Saint Louis 126-50-20
UAB 123-58-12
USF 110-66-9