Sept. 7, 2002

CLEVELAND - Cleveland State (2-2-0) nearly had a three goal lead slip away in the final 15 minutes, but held on to defeat Cincinnati 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Krenzler Field. The Bearcats (1-1-0) out-shot the Vikings 24-10 and held a 16-2 advantage in corner kicks, but CSU led in the one category that matters in the end - goals scored.

Freshman Brian Fecke (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne) got the Vikings on board in the sixth minute when he took a pass from senior Joachim Walker (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) and slotted it into the back of the net for his first career goal. Just seven minutes later, sophomore Stephen Ademolu (Windsor, Ontario/Herman) made the score 2-0 on an assist from freshman Adrian Balc (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson).

CSU extended its lead in the 55th minute when Balc scored on a 35-yard free kick. Cincinnati got on board in the 75th minute when freshman Justin Lewis scored on a feed from freshman Jarrett Devereaux. The Bearcats made things interesting when sophomore Wiremu Patrick put the ball in the back of the net in the 88th minute, but the Vikings dodged any more bullets in the final two minutes to preserve the win.

Sophomore goalkeeper Amir Kettani (Kirtland, Ohio/Lake Catholic) made three saves in the opening stanza, while senior Josip Novkovic (Euclid, Ohio/Lake Catholic) stopped eight shots in the second half.

Junior goalie Sacha Nathu made six saves for Cincinnati.

The Vikings are in action again when they travel to Butler on Wednesday, Sept. 11 for a 3:00 p.m. contest. It is the Horizon League opener for both squads as well as CSU's first match on the road this season.