MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois men's soccer team closes out the regular season on Sunday, November 1, as the Leathernecks host IUPUI in Summit League action. Seniors Austin Gochneaur, Kyle Walton, Ephraim Okeke, Tyler Chavez, Maclean Johnson, Erick Bloom, Ken Tryggestad, and Sammuel Worsley will be honored prior to the start of the match which is scheduled to kickoff on John MacKenzie Alumni Field at 1:30 p.m. Sunday's contest between the Leathernecks (5-10-1, 2-3 SL) and Jaguars (1-8-5, 1-1-2 SL) is part of a soccer doubleheader, as the WIU women's team faces North Dakota State at 11 a.m.
FREE PIZZA: Free pizza will be provided for all Western Illinois students during Sunday's match. Students and fans alike are encouraged to arrive early and cheer on the women's team as they face North Dakota State at 11 a.m. Free pizza will be available at both matches.
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS: The Jaguars enter Saturday's matchup owning a 1-1-1 record over its last three contests. IUPUI knocked off Fort Wayne, 3-0, before dropping a 1-0 decision at Eastern Illniois. Last time out, the Jaguars played to a 2-2 draw at Northern Kentucky. IUPUI is led offensively by Clint Hoffar who has a team-best five goals on the year. Nick Anderson has tallied three assists and Eduardo Cortes has 87 saves in net for IUPUI. Entering play Sunday, IUPUI owns a 1-1-2 mark to sit in sixth place in the league standings with five points.
SERIES HISTORIES: Western Illinois and IUPUI have met 20 times previously, with the Leathernecks trailing the series, 8-10-2. The teams last met on October 25 of 2014, with Western playing to a 1-1 draw. Austin Gochneaur netted his third goal of the season in the 58th minute to even the scoring at 1-all. The team fired off 30 shots in the contest, the third most in program history.
LAST TIME OUT: The Western Illinois men's soccer team took to a rain-soaked field Tuesday (Oct. 27) evening, as the Leathernecks faced Milwaukee in their final non-league contest of the season. The conditions put a damper on the Western offense, as the team dropped a 2-0 decision. It would take until the 79th minute for Western to put a shot on frame. The attempt, which came off the foot of Alejandro Pacheco, was corralled by Milwaukee's Agustin Rey. Rey would be called upon again in the 87th minute, as Armel Kouassi looked to bring Western back into the game. The shot was saved as Agustin collected the clean sheet.
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. |
