Western Illinois Travels To No. 5 Denver For Summit League Match

The Leathernecks will face the Pioneers Saturday, Oct. 15

MACOMB, Ill.- The Fighting Leathernecks men's soccer program travels to No. 5 Denver this Saturday, Oct.15 at 8 p.m. for a Summit League match.

A LOOK AT THE LEATHERNECKS:
Western Illinois is 6-5-1 with an undefeated 2-0 mark in Summit League play. The Leathernecks most recently defeated fellow league member Oral Roberts 4-0 last Saturday (Oct. 8) at John MacKenzie Alumni Field.
In that match, Jacob Bjornsen scored his first goal of the season while Fernando Pacheco, Aziz Tahir and Armel Kouassi also added goals of their own. Daniel Collins also contributed two assists in the match.

Senior Jacob Bevan tops The Summit League with seven goals this season. He is also in a three-way tie for first in total points (16) this season. In net, Tim Hansen tops The Summit League in save percentage (.800) and is second in goals against (eight) and goals-against average (0.91).

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS:
Denver currently ranks No. 5 nationally in the NSCAA Coaches Poll and sits at 11-0-2 overall. Most recently, the Pioneers defeated then-No. 9 Butler 1-0 on the road. Denver is also undefeated in Summit League play with wins over Fort Wayne (4-3), Eastern Illinois (1-0) and IUPUI (1-0).

The Pioneers are led by Blake Elder, who is tied for second in The Summit League with six goals, and Sam Hamilton, who is tied for first in the conference in assists with six. Goalkeeper Nick Gardner tops The Summit League in goals against (seven) and goals against average (0.52), while ranking second in save percentage (.759). The Pioneers are led by head coach Jamie Franks, who is in his second season with the program.

SERIES HISTORY:
The Leathernecks will look for their first program win over Denver, as the Leathernecks trail the all-time series 7-0-0. Last year, Western Illinois fell 2-0 to the Pioneers in the regular season and 4-0 in the semifinal round of The Summit League Championships.

FOLLOW THE LEATHERNECKS:
All home Western Illinois men's soccer matches are scheduled to be streamed live on Goleathernecks.com through Fighting Leatherneck All-Access. Select games will be broadcasted live on ESPN3.

Fans can also follow the matches all season long via live stats and live updates on Twitter @WIUMensSoccer. Links for live video, live stats and social media for upcoming matches can be found under the "COVERAGE" portion of match previews on the right side of the page.

PROMOTION:
Fans can interact by using the hashtag "#WIUGAMEDAY" on days the Leathernecks have a match... Fans can also use the hashtag "#LeathernecksWIN" following a Western Illinois victory. Find all other promotional events, items and more for men's soccer all season long HERE.

#WIUGAMEDAY INFORMATION

Western Illinois (6-5-1, 2-0)
at
No. 5 Denver (11-0-2, 3-0)

WHEN AND WHERE:
Saturday, Oct. 15, 8 p.m. (CT)
Denver, Colo.

OPPONENT WEBSITE
d enverpioneers.com

COVERAGE

LIVE STATS:
H ERE

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER:
@WIU M ensSoccer
@WIUAthletics

FACEBOOK:
Western Illinois Athletics

INSTAGRAM:
Western Illinois Athletics

PRESEASON INFORMATION

2016 Preseason Quick Facts (.PDF)
2016-17 Preseason Record Book (.PDF)

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

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

#3 Jacob Bjornsen: MF; 5' 7"; Junior; CR Washington

#10 Fernando Pacheco: F; 5' 7"; Junior; Iowa City

#20 Aziz Tahir: D; 6' 0"; Junior; Park Center / Dubuque

#34 Tim Hansen: GK; 6' 5"; Freshman; Rheingauschule

#25 Daniel Collins: M; 5' 9"; Senior; Worthington School/Ashford

Players Mentioned

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

#3 Jacob Bjornsen
: 5' 7"; Junior; CR Washington
: MF

#10 Fernando Pacheco
: 5' 7"; Junior; Iowa City
: F

#20 Aziz Tahir
: 6' 0"; Junior; Park Center / Dubuque
: D

#34 Tim Hansen
: 6' 5"; Freshman; Rheingauschule
: GK

#25 Daniel Collins
: 5' 9"; Senior; Worthington School/Ashford
: M