Men's Soccer Conference Season in Full Swing
Four conference matches this weekend promise to shake up the Horizon League standings, as the second weekend of Horizon League play has some key matchups.
Detroit at Valparaiso - Friday, Sept. 30 - 8:30 p.m.
Coming off a critical 3-2 victory in a midweek non-conference match against Western Michigan, Detroit (3-5-0, 0-1-0 Horizon) looks to continue on the winning path when they head to Brown Field for a match with Valparaiso (3-3-2, 0-0-1 Horizon).
The Titans' win on Wednesday snapped a four-match losing streak, one that had sapped some of the momentum from a 3-1-0 start to Detroit's season. Injuries have plagued Detroit over the last few weeks, and Wednesday's match was no different, as leading scorer Otieno Victor was not able to play. In his absence, Pat Lepera delivered two goals and an assist.
Detroit's offense will be challenged by one of the top keepers in the League. Kyle Zobeck turned in his third shutout in four matches in Valparaiso's home opener, blanking Cleveland State in a 0-0 draw. Zobeck now has 11 career shutouts, just one behind Aaron Rhame for third on Valpo’s all-time chart. Zobeck’s shutout of the Vikings also lowered his GAA to 0.71, best in the Horizon League and 30th nationally.
Butler at Loyola - Saturday, Oct. 1 - 8 p.m., HLN
Both Butler (4-3-1, 0-0-1 Horizon) and Loyola (1-6-1, 0-0-1 Horizon) will be looking to pick up a valuable three points on Saturday night, when the Bulldogs head to Loyola Soccer Park. Fans can watch the game live on the Horizon League Network.
With a 10-match League unbeaten streak snapped last weekend, the Bulldogs will look to get off on the right foot in their first conference road match. Austin Oldham (5 goals) and Zack Steinburger (4 assists) will be counted on to control the pace of play against a Loyola team that values possession. Last year, Butler got out to a 2-0 lead on the Ramblers before holding on for a 2-1 victory.
The slow start to Loyola's season is not new; last year, the Ramblers went 0-7-1 in non-conference play before claiming the No. 3 seed in the Horizon League Tournament with a 4-3-1 conference mark. Head coach Brendan Eitz has been sharing playing time with his keepers, senior Peter McKeown and junior Christian Krueger. McKeown, who recorded 45 saves and five shutouts last season, has tallied 28 saves in 520:36 minutes of playing time for a .718 percentage. Krueger has collected 13 saves so far this season and owns the Ramblers only shutout after starting against Portland.
Green Bay at UIC - Saturday, Oct. 1 - 8 p.m.
Both looking to rebound from difficult midweek losses, Green Bay (4-3-1, 1-1-0 Horizon) heads to UIC (5-2-2, 0-0-0 Horizon) in the Flames' league-opener.
The Phoenix fell, 3-2, at Milwaukee on Wednesday, losing with seven seconds remaining in double overtime. Meanwhile, UIC jumped out to a 1-0 lead at Michigan State before surrendering the last two goals in the match.
Freshman Kirby Allen seems to have found his scoring touch for Green Bay, as his goal at Milwaukee was his second in three matches and temporarily gave the Phoenix a 2-1 lead in the contest. Ryan Wehking has been strong in net, turning in a League-best 39 saves in eight contests.
UIC's offense has been humming along, recording 137 shots in just nine matches. Three Flames - Ivan Stanisavljevic (4 goals, 5 assists, 13 points), Eric Frazier (6 goals, 12 points) and Jesus Torres (3 goals, 2 assists, 8 points) - all rank in the top 10 of the Horizon League in scoring.
Cleveland State at Milwaukee - Saturday, Oct. 1 - 8 p.m., HLN
Cleveland State (2-6-1, 0-1-1 Horizon) will be looking to right the ship against a Milwaukee (5-4-0, 2-0-0 Horizon) squad that is bursting with confidence on Saturday night. Fans not able to make it to Engelmann Stadium can watch the match live on the Horizon League Network.
The Vikings are 0-4-1 in their last five matches, after dropping a 2-1 overtime contest on penalty kick at Wright State. Admir Suljevic has been Cleveland State's primary scorer, posting four goals on the year. In net, Brad Stuver has been solid since a season-opening loss at Akron. Since that five-goal evening, Stuver has allowed just nine shots to get past him in six matches.
After dropping two matches in the dying stages, Milwaukee could have sulked. Instead, the Panthers have reeled off consecutive wins against the two teams that played for the Horizon League championship in 2010. The Panthers came to the Butler Bowl and knocked off Butler, 3-1, handing the Bulldogs its first League loss at the Butler Bowl since 2007. On Wednesday, Milwaukee overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to post a thrilling 3-2 double overtime win against Green Bay, claiming the Chancellor's Cup with seven ticks left on the clock. Freshman Gerardo Saavedra is tied for second in the League in points, recording 12 on the strength of four goals and four assists.
Non-Conference:
Regionally ranked Wright State (6-2-1) hosts Xavier at Alumni Field on Saturday. Fans can watch the match live on HLN. The Radiers' defense has keyed the remarkable turnaround by the squad, which went 4-12-1 in 2010. To that end, Seth Petrey was recognized as one of the 25 lynchpins around the country by College Soccer News.
Valpo will wrap up the week on the road, when they travel to former Mid-Continent Conference foe Western Illinois for a 2 p.m. ET match on Sunday.
