Nov. 4, 2007

2007 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship Bracket in PDF Format

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College men's soccer team will host Cincinnati on Wednesday, November 7 at Glay Field in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship. The match will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. It marks the second consecutive season that Providence will host a BIG EAST Championship match. The Friars (9-6-2, 5-4-2 BIG EAST) finished fourth in the BIG EAST Blue Division to earn home field advantage in the first round. Cincinnati (8-9-1, 5-5-1 BIG EAST) finished in fifth-place of the BIG EAST Red Division. The top two teams in each division earned a first round bye.

The Friars and the Bearcats have met in the BIG EAST Championship during the last two seasons and Providence has prevailed both times, including last season's 2-0 win in Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. In 2005, the two teams also faced each other in the first round and Providence earned a 2-1 road victory. The Friars are 2-0-1 all-time against the Bearcats.

The Friars will be making their ninth appearance in the BIG EAST Championship, including their third consecutive trip. Providence, which finished the regular season with an 9-6-2 overall mark, is in the midst of its third consecutive winning season, a feat that had not been accomplished since 1985-87. Additionally, the Friars' 5-4-2 BIG EAST record marked their first ever back-to-back winning seasons in the league. Providence completed the regular season on Saturday, November 3 with a 3-0 loss at No. 20 West Virginia. Prior to the setback, the Friars had gone five consecutive games without a loss (4-0-1). Senior All-American Ryan Maduro (Bristol, R.I.) leads the team in scoring with five goals and six assists, while junior goalkeeper Timothy Murray (Haverhill, Mass.) has played in all 17 matches and has recorded seven shutouts.

The Bearcats, who have won their last three matches, clinched a BIG EAST Championship berth with a 1-0 win over Rutgers on November 3 in Piscataway, N.J. Senior Noah Davidson converted a penalty kick in the 61st minute and freshman Miguel Rosales made three saves to lead the Bearcats to the victory. Senior Kenny Anaba leads the team in scoring with nine goals and two assists, while Davidson is second with five goals and one assist. Rosales has started 17 of the 18 games and has six shutouts this season.

The winner of Wednesday's match will advance to the BIG EAST Quarterfinals to take on the top seed in the Red Division, DePaul, on Saturday, November 10 in Chicago, Ill. The semifinals and the final will be held on November 16 and 18 at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn.