MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois men's soccer team will return to Summit League action when it plays host to IPFW at John MacKenzie Alumni Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Fighting Leathernecks (2-5-4, 0-1-1 Summit) enter the weekend after playing Valparaiso to a 1-1 draw in non-league action on Wednesday. Western will look to pick up their first win in league play when the Mastodons come to town. The Leathernecks have won six of the previous eight meetings between the two teams.
The Mastodons (2-9, 0-1) enter Saturday's match on a five-match losing streak after falling to Bowling Green by a 2-1 decision in Fort Wayne on Wednesday. IPFW dropped its Summit League opener to Oakland by a 4-0 score and has not recorded a win since a 1-0 victory over Milwaukee on Sept. 14.
Series: Western leads 6-1-1
Last: Oct. 25, 2009: IPFW won 3-2 at Fort Wayne
Head Coach: Mike Harper
Alma Mater, Year: IPFW, '96
School record: 14-43-7 (4th season)
Career record: Same
Coverage
Live Stats • www.goleathernecks.com
Revenge Factor
Western Illinois will look to regain momentum in the all-time series between the Leathernecks and Mastodons. IPFW handed Western its only loss in series history with a 3-2 victory over the Leathernecks last October. The Mastodons used two second-half goals to pull away from the Leathernecks in last year's meeting.
The Leathernecks had compiled a 6-0-1 record in the first seven meetings between the two teams. IPFW and Centenary are the two teams that Western has dominated in league play, compiling a 16-1-2 record against both teams.
A Diverse Attack
Western Illinois has featured a diverse offensive attack this season. The Leathernecks have gotten significant contributions across the board as nine different players have scored a goal and seven different players have notched an assist. No other team in The Summit League has seen as many players score this season.
During the entire 2009 season, the Leathernecks saw ten different players score and ten different players pick up an assist. As a team, Western has recorded 11 goals and picked up 11 assists in 2010. Husref Jupic leads the team with six points on two goals and two assists while Nathan Bruinsma has recorded five points on two goals and one assist. Charlie Bales and Darryl Odom have each notched four points on a goal and an assist.
