Men’s Soccer Travels To Dayton, Mount Mercy For Road Matchups

The Leathernecks continue their road slate at Dayton and Mount Mercy.

MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois Fighting Leatherneck men's soccer program prepares for back-to-back road contests at Dayton (Sept. 1 at 4:30 p.m. CT), and at Mount Mercy (Sept. 3 at 1 p.m.). This will be the Leathernecks' third and fourth-straight matches on the road.

LAST TIME OUT:
Western Illinois was able to find the back of the net, but fell to the Green Bay Phoenix in a 4-3 offensive shootout on the road (Aug. 27). The Leathernecks took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute after they were awarded a penalty kick. Fernando Pacheco did the honors and was able to net his first goal of the year and give Western a lead that carried into halftime. From there, Green Bay was able to respond and score in the 55th minute to tie the game up at 1-1 after a shot was deflected into the bottom corner of the goal.

Drew Whalen was able to give Western Illinois a 2-1 advantage just seven minutes later after he was able to dribble past the Phoenix' backline and lob the ball over the charging goalkeeper. That lead, however, did not stand long as Green Bay once again scored an equalizer in the 65th minute off a shot that went into the high, left-hand corner of the net. Penalties continued to plague Green Bay as the Leathernecks were awarded yet another penalty kick. This time, it was Ben Fiddes who kicked it in and put Western Illinois back on top 3-2 with just under 20 minutes to play.

The Phoenix, however, scored back-to-back goals in less than a minute's span ('81) for their first lead (4-3) of the match. The Leathernecks were unable to get an equalizer as time was not on their side, falling to 0-2-0 on the season. Fernando Pacheco, Drew Whalen and Ben Fiddes all scored their first goals of the season. Whalen also had three total shots while Pacheco recorded two. As a team, Western outshot Green Bay 14-10. In net, Tim Hansen totaled four saves.

BY THE NUMBERS:
Western Illinois currently averages 1.50 goals per game off 10.0 shots per game. The Leathernecks currently have a .500 shots on goal percentage, as they are 10-for-20. Thus far, the team is led by the trio of Drew Whalen, Fernando Pacheco and Ben Fiddes, who all have two points. Whalen also has a team-high five shots and two shots on goal, while Fernando Pacheco has all two of his shots on goal.

SCOUTING DAYTON:
Dayton is currently 0-1-1 on the season after tying East Tennessee State (1-1) at home and then falling at Fort Wayne (2-1) on the road Aug. 27. The team returns a veteran program that welcomes back two of its top three scorers and both goalkeeper from the previous year.

The Flyers currently average 1.00 goals per contest and is led by three players who currently have two points the season: Thor Helgason (one goal), Rok Taneski (two assists) and Trey Marchino (one goal). The Leathernecks are looking to take an all-time series lead over the Flyers, as they are tied 2-2-0. The last time both programs faced off was on Sept. 13, 2013, where Western fell 2-0.

SCOUTING MOUNT MERCY:
The Leathernecks will look to maintain its undefeated record against Mount Mercy, as both teams squared off for the first time last season, where Western Illinois came away with a 2-0 victory (Sept. 13).

The Mustangs compete at the NAIA level and are currently 1-0 on the season after defeating Hannibal-Lagrange on the road 2-1 (Aug. 30). Ljubisa Palic and Masine Zakaria led the way with a goal each.

LOOKING AHEAD:
The Leathernecks close out the six-game road slate with matches at Bowling Green (Sept. 9) and Kansas City (Sept. 16) before returning to John MacKenzie Alumni Field for the home opener Sept. 20 against Drake.

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#WIUGAMEDAY INFORMATION

Western Illinois
at
Dayton

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday, Sept. 1, 4:30 p.m. (CT)
Dayton, Ohio.

OPPONENT WEBSITE
daytonflyers.com

Western Illinois
at
Mount Mercy

WHEN AND WHERE:
Sunday, Sept. 3, 1 p.m. (CT)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

OPPONENT WEBSITE
mountmercymustangs.com

COVERAGE

LIVE STATS:
DAYTON
MOUNT MERCY

WATCH:
A10 Network (Dayton)
MountMercyMustangs.com

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER:
@WIU M ensSoccer
@WIUAthletics

FACEBOOK:
Western Illinois Athletics

INSTAGRAM:
Western Illinois Athletics

PRESEASON INFORMATION

2017 Quick Facts (.PDF)
2017-18 Record Book (.PDF)

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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