MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois men's soccer team looks to continue its run to a Summit League Tournament berth this Saturday, October 24, as the Leathernecks head to Fort Wayne to take on the Mastodons in league action. Kickoff at the Hefner Soccer Complex will take place at 6 p.m. (CT). Western sits in third place in the league standings with a 2-2-0 mark and 6 points (5-8-1 overall) while Fort Wayne is 1-1-0 in the league (3 points) and 4-8-0 overall. Following Saturday's contest, the Leathernecks will face their final nonconference opponent of the season on Tuesday, October 27, as WIU stays on the road to face Milwaukee. The contest against the Panthers (3-9-2, 1-4-2 Horizon League) will take place at 7 p.m. at Engelmann Stadium. Western's contest against Milwaukee will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS: The Mastodons enter Saturday's matchup having dropped its previous two matches. Fort Wayne fell by a 2-1 final to Cincinnati in non-league play before being defeated, 3-0, by IUPUI its last time out. Zach Tom and Austin West lead the 'Dons into Saturday, as the pair share the team lead in points with eight each. West has tallied four goals while Tom has three goals and two assists. Raphael Kotzock will handle the netminding duties, having tallied 40 saves on the year. The Panthers have lost four straight contests, including three consecutive home matches entering Tuesday's game. Dedan Rodriguez and Francesco Saporito each have eight points on the season. Rodriguez has tallied three goals and two assists while Sapority has two goals and four assists.Agustin Rey has played every minute in net for the Panthers, having tallied 45 saves.
SERIES HISTORIES: Western Illinois leads the all-time series against the 'Dons, 9-2-2, with the two teams meeting last year during the regular season. Charlie Bales netted the only goal of the game, a penalty kick goal, in the 10th minute to send Western past Fort Wayne, 1-0. Yves Dietrich made three saves in net for the Purple and Gold. Milwaukee holds the slim advantage over Western in the all-time series, as Western trails 4-5-1 all-time against Milwaukee. Western recorded a 2-0 shutout over the Panthers last year in Macomb. Bales tallied his second penalty kick goal in as many games, and Jacob Bevan scored with less than a minute left to send Western past Milwaukee.
LAST TIME OUT: Drew Whalen netted his first-career hat trick and the Leatherneck offense poured in the fifth most goals in the program's Division I history Saturday (Oct. 17) afternoon, as Western Illinois blanked instate foe Eastern Illinois by a final score of 6-0. Whalen netted goals in the 27th, 34th, and 52nd minuets to tally the first WIU hat trick since 2006, and the first hat trick in Summit League competition since Denver accomplished the feat in 2013. Sammuel Worsley, Jacob Bevan, and Fernando Pacheco would each tally goals late to give Western the six goal defeat, and provide freshman goalie Bruce Corrie with his second clean sheet of the season.
RETURNERS: Western Illinois returns a solid core from the 2014 team that made it to The Summit League championship game. Senior Erick Bloom, a First Team All-Summit League selection in 2014 anchors the back line while senior Austin Gochneaur, a Second Team honoree, leads the attack. Sophomore midfielders Jacob Bjornsen and Alejandro Pacheco were named to the All-Newcomer Team following the 2014 campaign.
FRESH FACES: The Leathernecks welcome nine new members to the 2015 roster. Freshmen Sam Copp, Bruce Corrie, Jamison Kozar, Nathan Bergstrom, and Josh Illana come off of standout prep careers. Sophomores Amadeo Carbo and Aziz Tahir join the program, as do juniors Nick Arnold and Johnathan Goliday.
WINNING LEGACY: Dr. Eric Johnson is the Summit League's all-time winningest coach, totaling 151 wins through his 18 years at the helm at Western Illinois. 2015 will mark Johnson's 19th season leading the Purple and Gold. He has earned the conference's 'Coach of the Year' award four times. |
