Sept. 30, 2011

Match Guide l Live Stats l Live Video (All-Access)

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina soccer team will look rebound from a pair of Conference USA losses during the opening weekend of league action last weekend when they play hose to UAB Friday night at the ECU Soccer Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (ET).

The Pirates (5-3-1, 0-2 C-USA), who had a six-game unbeaten streak heading into last weekend's action, dropped their opening league game at Colorado College (2-0) before falling to UTEP (3-2) on Sunday. Junior Caty Butler scored both of ECU's goals against the Miners pushing her team and league-leading total to seven.

Senior Amanda Malkiewicz dished out one of the four assists and moved into sole possession of second place on the school's all-time assists charts with 19. Leah Bagonis was also credited with an assist, which came on Butler's first strike, pushing her total to six on the season. Currently she ranks 13th nationally in assists per game (0.67 apg) and 25th in total assists.

In goal, Christiane Cordero has posted a pair of shutouts on the season (four career) when the Pirates blanked Francis Marion, 2-0, on Sept. 18. The sophomore keeper has allowed 14 goals in nine starts, and has posted a 1.58 goals against average with a .702 save percentage. Nine of her 33 saves came against No. 21 William & Mary, a season-high for the Valencia, Calif. native.

UAB (3-7-0, 0-2 C-USA) enters Friday's action on a two-game skid as well dropping C-USA matches to Rice (4-0) and Houston (2-1). Emma Smith, who leads the Blazers with three goals and six points, netted the lone goal over the weekend against the Cougars. Freshman keeper Katie Getzinger has started 7 of 8 games allowing 21 goals and recording 56 saves, 11 coming against the Cougars.

ECU will continue its four-game home stand on Sunday when they welcome in the sixth-ranked Memphis Tigers (10-0-0, 2-0 C-USA) for a 2 p.m. tilt.

Inside the Series: UAB leads, 2-1-4
Sept. 29, 2002 - W, 2-1 (Home)
Oct. 9, 2005 - L, 2-1 (Home)
Oct. 1, 2006 - L, 1-0 (Away)
Nov. 2, 2007 - T, 0-0/2OT (Home)
Oct. 24, 2008 - T, 0-0/2OT (Away)
Oct. 23, 2009 - T, 1-1/2OT (Home)
Oct. 10, 2010 - T, 1-1/2OT (Away)

Against C-USA Members: 36-31-12
Colorado College: 2-4-1
Houston: 6-2-0
Marshall: 4-1-1
Memphis: 0-8-2
Rice: 4-2-0
SMU: 2-4-1
Southern Miss: 9-0-0
Tulsa: 5-0-0
UAB: 1-2-4
UCF: 0-6-2
UTEP: 3-2-1

Bulter Having Magical Year
Through the first nine games of the season, junior Caty Butler is on pace to tie former ECU standout Amanda Duffy's single-season records for goals (14) and points, which was set in 2001.

Butler, who leads the Pirates and C-USA in both statistical categories (7 Gs, 16 Pts), recorded her second career multi-goal game at UTEP in ECU's 3-2 loss. The Boerne, Texas native earned C-USA Offensive Player-of-the-Week honors (8/29) after scoring both strikes against UNCW, 2-0, in the new ECU Soccer Stadium. Currently she ranks among the national leaders in goals per game (35th/0.778 gpg) and points per game (40th/1.78 ppg).

In the first half of the season, her seven strikes are already the most by any other Pirate in the last four years. Here is a look at where she stands on the single-season charts in points and goals:

Single-Season Points
1. Amanda Duffy - 32 in 19 games (2001)
2. Amanda Duffy - 28 in 21 games (2002)
3. Kim Sandhoff - 27 in 19 games (2000)
4. Meghan McCallion - 26 in 21 games (2002)
5. Meghan McCallion - 25 in 19 games (2004)
** Caty Butler - 16 in 8 games (2011)

Single-Season Goals
1. Amanda Duffy - 14 in 19 games (2001)
2. Amanda Duffy - 11 in 21 games (2002)
t3. Kelly Gray - 10 in 19 games (2000)
t3. Meghan McCallion - 10 in 19 games (2003)
t3. Meghan McCallion - 10 in 19 games (2004)
t3. Kim Sandhoff - 10 in 17 games (1998) ** Caty Butler - 7 in 8 games (2011)

Bagonis Is Among NCAA's Best
Senior forward Leah Bagonis has dished out a team-best six assists through nine games, which ranks second in Conference USA and 25th nationally. The Wallingford, Pa. native also stands 13th in the nation in assists per game (0.67 apg) and is one shy of moving into a tie for fifth place on the school's single-season charts.

Record Watch (Top-5)

Career Goals
1. Meghan McCallion - 39 in 80 gms. (2002-05)
2. Amanda Duffy - 33 in 74 gms. (1998-02)
3. Kim Sandhoff - 27 in 71 gms. (1997-00)
4. Kelly Gray - 21 in 70 gms. (1998-01)
5. Jennifer Reiley - 19 in 54 gms. (1996-99)
6. Amanda Malkiewicz - 18 in 69 gms. (2008-pr.)
** Caty Butler - 13 in 47 gms. (2009-pr.)

** Kimmy Cummings - 11 in 68 gms. (2008-pr.)

Career Assists
1. Kim Sandhoff - 28 in 71 gms. (1997-00)
2. Amanda Malkiewicz - 19 in 69 gms. (2008-pr.)
3. Meghan McCallion - 18 in 80 gms (2002-05)
4. Amanda Duffy - 17 in 74 gms. (1998-02)
5. Krystel Pabey - 14 in 74 gms. (2001-04)
** Leah Bagonis - 13 in 66 gms. (2008-pr.)
** Jessica Abshire - 11 in 69 gms. (2008-pr.)

Career Points
1. Meghan McCallion - 96 in 80 gms. (2002-05)
2. Amanda Duffy - 83 in 74 gms. (1998-02)
3. Kim Sandhoff - 82 in 71 gms. (1997-00)
4. Amanda Malkiewicz - 55 in 69 gms. (2008-pr.)
5. Kelly Gray - 48 in 70 gms. (1998-00)

Streaks Extended
Jessica Abshire and Amanda Malkiewicz entered their senior seasons each with a 60-game starting streak intact ... Malkiewicz extended her streak to 69 games after picking up her latest start at UTEP (9/25), while Abshire's came to a halt in the season opener ... Below is a closer look at current double-digit starting streaks that are active heading into this weekend's matches:
69 Games - Amanda Malkiewicz (started 8/22/08)
29 Games -Hali Oughton (started 10/30/09)
28 Games - Christiane Cordero (started 8/20/10)
28 Games - Kimmy Cummings (started 8/20/10)
21 Games - Leah Bagonis (started 9/24/10)
17 Games - Maddie Maurer (started 10/3/10)
16 Games - Kendall Booth (started 10/8/10)

Cummings Record Hat Trick
Kimmy Cummings recorded her first career hat trick at Old Dominion (8/21) helping East Carolina to a 4-1 win. With the score knotted at one, Cummings received a through ball from freshman Beth Batchelor in the 41st minute breaking the tie and netting her first career game-winning goal.

In the 66th minute, Cummings was all-alone on the right side of the field and booted a ball past the Monarch keeper for a 3-1 lead. Just six minutes later, the senior forward capped off the magical afternoon with her third goal sending a shot to the right of the box past the keeper on another through ball, this time from fellow classmate Amanda Malkiewicz. For Cummings it was her second career multi-goal game and the first ECU hat trick since Meghan McCallion netted three goals against DePaul on Oct. 1, 2004.

Butler Named C-USA Offensive Player-of-the-Week
Caty Butler picked up her first career C-USA weekly honor on Aug. 29 after she helped the Pirates to a 2-0 win over instate rival UNC Wilmington on Aug. 25. The junior netted both goals marking her first career multi-goal game of her career. In the 10th minute she received a through ball from senior Leah Bagonis and scored from 21 yards out staking the Pirates to an early 1-0 lead, her third career game-winning goal. In the 61st minute she sealed the victory with another through ball from Bagonis and beat the Seahawk keeper one-on-one for her second strike of the night.

First Career Starts
Freshman Mackenzie Semerad recorded her first collegiate start in the season opener against South Carolina ... The Arizona native has logged 309 minutes on the pitch and scored her first collegiate goal at Davidson (9/2) and dished out her first collegiate assist at Charlotte (9/4) ... She is tied for third on the team in assists (2) and is fifth in points (4).

First Collegiate Goals
Along with Semerad, fellow classmates Kelly Johnson and Lexi Miller have also netted goals during their rookie seasons on the field ... Both Johnson and Miller's goals were against No. 21 William & Mary last week in the double-overtime tie ... Johnson scored in the 42nd minute off a pair of passes from Cummings and Miller inside the box to tie the game at one ... Miller capped off her best game in her young career with another Pirate equalizer in the 71st minute on a header.