Fighting Leathernecks Set for Summit League Tournament Semifinal Rematch

Men's soccer is slated to face off against Oral Roberts at 1 p.m. (CT) on Thursday (Nov. 13) in Denver, Colo.

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois men's soccer and head coach Dr. Eric Johnson are set to travel to Denver, Colorado for the second time in less than seven days to take on number two seed Oral Roberts in The Summit League Tournament Semifinals on Thursday, November 13 at 1 p.m. (CT) on CIBER Field.

Thursday's game is a rematch from last years semifinal hosted in Macomb, Illinois where the hosting Leathernecks defeated the Golden Eagles 3-1. Following the game, number one seed Denver will take on number four seed Fort Wayne at 4 p.m. (CT). The winners of both games will advance to Saturday's final match, slated for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

Video streaming for Thursday's is available through Altitude Sports for a small fee while Saturday's final will be aired on Altitude as well as ESPN 3.

MATCH LOGISTICS

WHO: (3)Western Illinois vs. (2)Oral Roberts
WHEN: Thursday, November 13 at 1 p.m. (CT)
WHERE: CIBER Field, Denver, Colo.

VIDEO STREAM: HERE
LIVE STATS: HERE
SOCIAL MEDIA: @WIUMensSoccer

GAME NOTES:

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's game marks the 24th meeting between WIU and ORU in program history and the second this season... The Leathernecks lead in the series 13-8-2... In the programs first meeting earlier this season (Nov. 1), Oral Roberts defeated Western in Macomb, 2-0... A total of nine bookings came out of the regular season match, including three red cards and six yellows... ORU's two goals mark only the second time this season WIU has allowed more than one goal in regulation... The two teams met in the semifinals of the 2013 Summit League Tournament where Western eliminated the Golden Eagles 3-1... The Fighting Leathernecks have met the Golden Eagles in The Summit League Tournament four times and hold a record of 3-0-1 against ORU in postseason play.

LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois (8-6-3, 3-2-1) enters The Summit League Tournament after closing out the regular season at Denver in a 1-0 double overtime loss on Saturday (Nov. 8)... Denver's gamewinner came off the foot of Kosta Kordistos off of Kasey Esponda assist in the 104th minute... Prior to the Pioneer goal, the Leatherneck defense held off 25 shots with seven on goal... Despite the loss and closing the regular season on a two-game losing streak, Western still shared the Summit League crown in a four-way tie with Denver, Oral Roberts, and Omaha.

WESTERN AT THE SUMMIT: The 2014 Summit League Tournament marks WIU's 14th appearance in the postseason and head coach Dr. Eric Johnson's 13th appearance with the Purple and Gold... Western's last showing was in 2013 when it lost to Denver in the tournament final 1-0... The Leathernecks last won the tournament in 2012, as a three seed.

CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA: Senior goalkeeper Yves Dietrich was placed on the Capital One Academic All-America ballot after being named to the Capital One Academic All-District team on Thursday (Oct. 30)... The results of the voting are slated to be revealed Tuesday, Nov. 25.

SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS: On October 25 against IUPUI, senior midfielder Mario Alvarez tied Western Illinois' all-time record for shots in a game with 10... Five of Alvarez's shots went on goal in the match, but all failed to find the back of the net... In 2014, Alvarez has notched a career-high three goals.

ONE OF 'THE BEST AROUND': Team captain Yves Dietrich recorded a career high 11 saves against Drake on Tuesday (Oct. 21)... Dietrich's 11 saves tie the senior for 9th in Western history for saves in one game... The captain did not allow a goal in 586:18 minutes of play, which was previously the longest active shutout streak in NCAA Division I... Despite ending the streak against Drake, Dietrich still boasts a .778 goals against average which ranks 30th in the nation as of November 11... The German native also ranks 13th in the country in saves with 86 and fourth in the nation in save percentage at .860... He leads The Summit League in several statistical categories and is in WIU's career 'Top 10' in seven rankings as well.

HE'S GOT A GOLDEN TICKET: Senior defensemen Charlie Bales has scored a team leading six goals in 2014 and is tied for fourth in total points (14) in The Summit League... Since starting the season with eight shots and no points in the first four games, Bales has posted 39 shots, six goals and two assists over the last 13 games... In Western's game against Northern Kentucky the captain notched his first career multi-goal game, converting two penalty kick opportunities... He is currently ranked in WIU's career 'Top 10' in four statistical categories... Bales made it to the 'Final 30' for the men's soccer Senior CLASS award that is given to one NCAA Division I senior.

QUALITY NOT QUANTITY: In 2014 the Purple and Gold have been outshot by their opponents 218-251... Despite the discrepancy in attempts, Western has outscored their foes 19-14.

A GAME OF TWO HALVES: The Leathernecks are 8-1-2 in 2014 when scoring first and 6-1-2 when leading at halftime... Western's only loss when scoring first came against regionally ranked Valparaiso on Sept. 19... The Purple and Gold have outscored their foes 11-4 in the first 45 minutes in 2014... In the second half this season, opponents have outshot Western 140-98 but trail in scoring 7-8... Western Illinois has lost only one match by more than one goal all season and has held opponents to an average of .78 goals per game.

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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

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

Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Players Mentioned

#1 Yves Dietrich

#10 Mario Alvarez

#2 Charlie Bales

Players Mentioned

#1 Yves Dietrich

#10 Mario Alvarez

#2 Charlie Bales