Men's soccer looks to stay hot against Milwaukee

The Leathernecks host the Panthers on Tuesday (Oct. 7) at 3 p.m. in Macomb.

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois men's soccer and head coach Dr. Eric Johnson are set to host the Milwaukee Panthers of the Horizon League on Tuesday, October 7 at 3 p.m. (CT) at John MacKenzie Alumni Field in Macomb, Illinois. Tuesday's match marks the Leathernecks' first midweek game of 2014 as the Purple and Gold look to extend their three game winning streak.

MATCH LOGISTICS

WHO: Western Illinois vs. Milwaukee
WHEN: Tuesday, October 7 at 3 p.m. (CT)
WHERE: John MacKenzie Alumni Field
LIVE STATS: HERE
SOCIAL MEDIA: @WIUMensSoccer

GAME NOTES:

A LOOK AT MILWAUKEE: The Panthers will enter Tuesday's match with an overall record of 3-6-2 (0-2-1) following a 3-0 Horizon League loss to Wright State on Saturday (Oct. 4)... Milwaukee is led by third year head coach Kris Kelderman... Kelderman boasts a 26-17-6 record during his tenure with the Panthers including an NCAA Tournament berth and first round win in 2013.... Milwaukee's 3-6-2 start is its slowest since Kelderman took over in 2012... On offense, the Panthers are led by freshman forward Reid Stevenson, who has scored four goals and notched one assist in 2014... Liam Anderson and Agustin Rey have split the time in net with Anderson taking a majority of the minutes... In eight games and 760 minutes, Anderson has allowed 16 goals and made 29 saves... As a team, Milwaukee has been outshot 154-144 and outscored 21-11.

LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois comes into the midweek tilt with an overall record of 5-4-1 (1-0) after opening Summit League play with a 1-0 win against Fort Wayne on a cold, windy Saturday afternoon, (Oct. 4)... The Leathernecks played with the wind in the first half and were awarded an early penalty kick following a Fort Wayne hand ball in the penalty area... Charlie Bales successfully converted the opportunity at the 9:14 mark for his third goal in two games... Both teams would go scoreless for the remaining 80 minutes as the Purple and Gold outshot IPFW 12-8... The homecoming win extends WIU's win streak to three.

SERIES HISTORY: Tuesday's match marks the 10th meeting between the two teams in program history... Western trails in the all-time series 3-5-2... The Leathernecks and Panthers last played on September 19, 2013 in Milwaukee, a meeting the Panthers won 1-0.

TAKING HOME THE HARDWARE: Western Illinois men's soccer captains Charlie Bales and Yves Dietrich were named The Summit League's 'Offensive Player of the Week' and 'Defensive Player of the Week' for the week of September 29 - October 5.... The two seniors represent the third and fourth Leathernecks to be honored by The Summit League this season as sophomore Jacob Bevan and senior Mario Alvarez earned back-to-back 'Offensive Player of the Week' awards for September 8 - September 21... This marks the first Leatherneck sweep of the weekly awards since 2009 when Jonathan Sandoval shared the offensive honor while Stephen Paterson claimed the defensive accolade.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY: In 2014 the Purple and Gold have been outshot by their opponents 143-101... Despite the discrepancy in attempts, Western has outscored their foes 13-9 with a shot percentage of .129 compared to .063 from the opposition.

A GAME OF TWO HALVES: The Leathernecks are 5-1-1 in 2014 when scoring first and leading at halftime... Western's only loss when scoring first came against regionally ranked (no. 4) Valparaiso on Sept. 19... WIU has not lost since Sept. 19... The Purple and Gold have outscored their foes 9-1 in the first 45 minutes in 2014... In the second half this season, opponents have outshot Western 91-41 but only outscored the Leathernecks 6-4... Western Illinois has not lost a match by more than one goal all season and has held opponents to an average of .90 goals per game.

IT'S THE GOALIE: Goalkeeper Yves Dietrich has recorded 49 saves in 2014 which ranks 14th in the country as of October 6... The senior notched his third consecutive shutout and fourth overall in 2014 against Fort Wayne on October 4... The shutout gives Dietrich eleven in his career and moves him into sole possession of fifth on Western's all-time list... The senior currently leads or is tied for first amongst Summit League goalkeepers in games played (9), games started (9), minutes played (846:18), saves (46), and shutouts (3)... Dietrich currently holds seven top 10 rankings in Western's record book.

DEFENSE IS THE BEST OFFENSE: Since starting the season with only four shots in three games, Leatherneck defender Charlie Bales has exploded for nine shots and three goals over the last four games including his first career multi-goal game against Northern Kentucky, scoring two goals on two penalty kicks... Bales' four goals rank him 75th in the nation and his two game-winners tie him for 34th in the country... Bales currently holds five top 10 rankings on Western's career lists... The senior captain is also in the nation's top 30 for the men's soccer Senior CLASS Award which honors accomplishments on and off the field for one NCAA Division I senior.

Tweet #W1U

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#1 Yves Dietrich: GK; 6' 1"; Senior; UW-Whitewater

#10 Mario Alvarez: MF; 5' 10"; Senior; Aurora West

#2 Charlie Bales: D; 5' 8"; Senior; Xavier

#14 Jacob Bevan: F; 6' 2"; Sophomore; Oak Park River Forest

Players Mentioned

#1 Yves Dietrich
: 6' 1"; Senior; UW-Whitewater
: GK

#10 Mario Alvarez
: 5' 10"; Senior; Aurora West
: MF

#2 Charlie Bales
: 5' 8"; Senior; Xavier
: D

#14 Jacob Bevan
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; Oak Park River Forest
: F