Men’s Soccer Plays Host To Denver In Regular Season Championship

The Leathernecks and Denver vie for the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.

MATCH FIFTEEN
SUMMIT LEAGUE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP
MEN'S SOCCER: WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS VS DENVER PIONEERS
Nov. 4, 2017 • 12:00 p.m. (CT) • Macomb, Ill. • John MacKenzie Alumni Field

LIVE STATS: HERE
LIVE STREAM: HERE
2017 QUICK FACTS
2017 RECORD BOOK
GAME NOTES

MACOMB, Ill.— Western Illinois men's soccer concludes the regular season with a league match against Denver on Senior Day (Nov. 4 at noon). The match is for The 2017 Summit League Regular Season Championship.

WHAT'S AT STAKE:
With Denver currently sitting in first place with a 4-0-0 Summit League record, and the Leathernecks with a 3-1-0 record, a win for Western would tie the Pioneers'. If the Purple and Gold are victorious, the win would give the Leathernecks the tiebreaker, which means the regular season crown, a No. 1 seed in the 2017 Summit League Tournament and hosting rights for the 2018 tournament.

A loss will put Western Illinois as the No. 2 seed next week's tournament.

The last time the Leathernecks earned the regular season title was during the 2014 season, when they tied for first. Western Illinois last claimed the outright regular season title in 2011, where they also captured the tournament championship.

Director of Soccer Dr. Eric Johnson is looking for his fifth-career regular season crown at the helm of the men's team.

A LOOK AT YOUR LEATHERNECKS:
Western Illinois is 5-8-0 overall with a 3-1-0 mark in league play. The last time out, WIU played in-state rival Bradley to a 0-0 tie in non-league action Tuesday (Oct. 31). Western Illinois has wins over Fort Wayne (3-1), Eastern Illinois (2-0) and Oral Roberts (1-0) with the lone loss coming at the hands of Omaha (2-0).

Drew Whalen currently ranks tied second in the league with eight goals this season, and is third with 16 points. Senior Fernando Pacheco also ranks in the top-5, sitting at tied for third in the league statistics with seven goals this season. His 15 points are also tied for fourth. Both Whalen and Pacheco have earned Summit League 'Offensive Player of the Week' honors this season.

In net, two-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Week and goalkeeper Tim Trilk has only allowed 10 goals this season, the fewest of any keeper in The Summit League. His goals-against-average is 1.15, which ranks fourth in the league.

SCOUTING DENVER:
Denver currently sits at 9-6-1 and 4-0-0 in The Summit League. The Pioneers are coming off a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Omaha on Oct. 28. Denver has a multitude of players that rank in the top-5 of different categories. Andre Shinyashiki ranks first in the league with nine goals and 22 points this season, while Nick Gardner ranks second in the league in goals against with 13, and has the fewest goals-against-average with .085. Graham Smith is tied for second in the league with four assists.

SERIES HISTORY:
The Leathernecks are looking for their first win in program history over Denver, as they trail 9-0-0 in the all-time series. In 2016, the Leathernecks dropped both meetings. The first was a 2-0 defeat on Oct. 15 during the regular season, and then a 1-0 loss off an 81^st minute penalty kick goal at the 2016 Summit League Tournament Semifinal.

SENIOR DAY:
The match will also mark Senior Day for Western Illinois, as Amadeo Carbo, Fernando Pacheco, Ben Fiddes, Ayo Makinde, Alejandro Pacheco, Aziz Tahir and Armel Kouassi will all be honored for their careers.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR SUMMIT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT:
Tickets are on sale for the 2017 Summit League Tournament, which takes place in Omaha, Neb. from Nov. 9-11.

All Session Pass: The all-session pass will cover both
Price - $16 per ticket
https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/uno/EN/buy/details/17SLCT

Day Pass:
Price - $10 per ticket; $5 per ticket for youth (available in-person only)

Nov. 9: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/uno/EN/buy/details/17SLCT1

Nov. 11: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/uno/EN/buy/details/17SLCT2

Please note that all seats for the tournament will be general admission. Students of all Summit League schools will gain free admission with their university ID.

To go along with tickets for the tournament, Sheraton Omaha is offering a limited number of rooms for fans at a base room rate of $119 per day. Fans can call the Sheraton Omaha and ask for the "Summit League Men's Soccer Championship Fan Block Rate," or book rooms by going to https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/SummitLeagueFanBlock.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Amadeo Carbo: M; 6' 1"; Senior; Hamelin International Laie / New York Institute of Technology

#11 Ben Fiddes: M; 6' 0"; Senior; Peoria Notre Dame

#28 Armel Kouassi: F; 5' 11"; Senior; Homewood-Flossmoor

#12 Ayo Makinde: D; 6' 0"; Senior; Hampshire/Oakton CC

#16 Alejandro Pacheco: M/F; 5' 9"; Senior; Iowa City

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

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

#33 Tim Trilk: GK; 6' 2"; Sophomore; Boylan Catholic

#7 Drew Whalen: F/M; 6' 1"; Junior; Peoria Notre Dame

Players Mentioned

#6 Amadeo Carbo
: 6' 1"; Senior; Hamelin International Laie / New York Institute of Technology
: M

#11 Ben Fiddes
: 6' 0"; Senior; Peoria Notre Dame
: M

#28 Armel Kouassi
: 5' 11"; Senior; Homewood-Flossmoor
: F

#12 Ayo Makinde
: 6' 0"; Senior; Hampshire/Oakton CC
: D

#16 Alejandro Pacheco
: 5' 9"; Senior; Iowa City
: M/F

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

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

#33 Tim Trilk
: 6' 2"; Sophomore; Boylan Catholic
: GK

#7 Drew Whalen
: 6' 1"; Junior; Peoria Notre Dame
: F/M