Oct. 25, 2005

From the outside looking in, it may seem as if the UIC men's basketball team has some pretty big holes to fill heading into the 2005-06 campaign.

No longer will Head Coach Jimmy Collins be able to call upon four-time All-Horizon League honoree Cedrick Banks, the program's all-time leading scorer, to spark the Flames' offense. Collins will also not be able to count on the frontcourt presence and post defense of three-time team leader in rebounding Armond Williams.

Both Banks and Williams have graduated from UIC to professional basketball careers overseas, forcing the Flames to find new heroes to spark the team this season.

Collins is positive that with three starters and a veteran core returning to the lineup, added to another talented recruiting class, that 2005-06 will not be a rebuilding campaign as his squad is already reloaded and poised for a run at the Horizon League title.

Oct. 26, 2005

The future is now for Butler and head coach Beth Couture. After turning in the program's first .500 season in six years in 2004-05 and posting the 14th-best winning percentage improvement in NCAA Division I in 2003-04, the Bulldogs are poised to make a serious run at the 2006 Horizon League Championship. Butler's roster now solely includes players that have spent their entire Butler careers under Couture and the talent level is arguably the best since the program's postseason squads of the late 1990s.

"I see this team as being as good or better offensively than we were a year ago," said Couture. "We have more options on defense this season which should allow us to match up well depending on our opponent. That is something we haven't been able to do in years past. What we have to remember as a staff is that this team is incredibly young. We're going to improve as the season goes along as we gain experience."

BACKCOURT

The biggest question mark entering last season was at the point where "All-Horizon League" performer Nancy Bowden had been for four seasons. In stepped Jackie Closser. All she did was finish in the top 50 nationally in assists, three-point percentage and three-pointers made. Her 67 treys set a new Butler single-season mark. Her backcourt mate, Ellen Hamilton, avoided the sophomore slump after "All-Newcomer Team" honors in 2003-04 by finishing second on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and leading the Horizon League in free throw percentage (.867). The juniors combined for 22 points per game and 38-percent long-range shooting last season.

At 8:20 p.m. EST wtih 14 minutes remaining in the first half, Detroit holds a 1-0 lead over Loyola in the second semifinal match of the Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship. Sophomore Liz Hardy tallied the goal for the Titans at the 2:34 mark off assists from Nicole Gipson and Shelley Marick. The winner will face UW-Milwaukee in Sunday's championship match at 1 p.m. EST.

Nov. 4, 2005

Joe Sochacki, the second winningest coach in Butler men's soccer history, has resigned his position as head coach of the Bulldogs, effective at the end of the season. The fifth-year coach, who guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament just four years ago, will continue to lead the Bulldogs through the completion of 2005 post-season play.

"This is something I've thought about for a long time," said Sochacki. "It went through my mind last year that it might be the right time to step aside, but I ultimately decided to come back for another season. There are some other things I want to do, and I'm looking forward to a less hectic schedule and having the chance to spend more time at home."

"I know there's never a good time (to resign), but I wanted to do it now in fairness to the next coach and to our returning players. I told our players that I'll be their biggest fan next season, and I'm looking forward to watching them progress," continued the Butler coach.

Sochacki was named Butler's fourth men's soccer coach in the winter of 2001. He was the first former Butler assistant coach to step into the top coaching spot for the Bulldogs, and he became the youngest men's soccer coach in Butler history. It didn't take long for him to have a major impact on Butler soccer! In his first season, he guided the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish in the Horizon League regular season race, a championship at the league tournament and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Nov. 4, 2005

Box Score
Download Free Acrobat Reader

UWM 1, Butler 0, 2OT

GREEN BAY, Wis.--- After an offensive explosion in yesterday's quarterfinal match, it took 104 minutes for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers to defeat Butler, 1-0, and earn a spot in the title match of the Horizon League Women's Soccer Championship.

UW-Milwaukee senior Nicole Motl hit a one-timer of a Butler defender at the 104:01 mark to win the game for the Panthers. The goal was Motl's first of the season. Sophomore Claire Pignet picked up the assist.

Panther goalkeeper and First Team All-League selection Erin Kane recorded her 11th shutout of the season, tying the Horizon League record set by Michelle Lodyga of Notre Dame in 1991. Butler goalkeeper Kirby Zwickel had six saves on the match.