Men's Soccer | 10/27/2010 3:14:14 PM
Match 16: McPherson (7-7-1, 4-3-0) vs Southwestern College (5-10-1, 1-5-1)
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010 | 8:00 p.m. | McPherson Stadium | McPherson, Kan.
Match 17: McPherson (7-7-1, 4-3-0) at #10 Kansas Wesleyan University (12-2-0, 7-0-0)
Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 | 8:00 p.m. | Salina Stadium | Salina, Kan.
Match Notes (PDF)
KCAC Standings
McPherson, Kan. - Following a frustrating 1-0 loss at Bethany College, the McPherson College men’s soccer team enters the final week of the regular season with a 7-7-1 overall record and a 4-3-0 mark in conference action. The Bulldogs return home for senior night against Southwestern College (5-10-1, 1-5-1), before the season finale against unbeaten No. 10 Kansas Wesleyan University. Both matches are set to begin at 8:00 p.m. Live stats will be available at www.macbulldogs.com for the game with Southwestern.
The Bulldogs are currently tied for fourth in the league with Bethany College at 4-3, with the top six conference school receiving a bid to the KCAC postseason tournament.
Senior forward
Brent Mulford (Topeka, Kan.) has made the most of his final season, as he ranks fifth in the conference with a team-best eight goals and sixth in points with 18. In just two seasons, the native of Topeka, Kan., is sixth all-time in goals with 20 and points with 45.
Junior goalkeeper
Blake Jett (Fort Worth, Texas)owns a 1.15 goals against average, second among KCAC goalkeepers, and a .761 save percentage in 15 games this season. He has tallied a 7-7-1 record, including three shutouts.
Looking to next week, the Bulldogs will likely continue action in the KCAC postseason tournament, which begins on Wednesday, Nov. 3. The site is still to be determined. The tournament champion receives the conference lone automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
Scouting Southwestern
Southwestern (5-10-1, 1-5-1) began the season with a pair of victories against Dallas Christian College and Southwestern Assemblies of God University, but have struggled with its consistency winning only three of its next 14. The Builders lone conference win came on Oct. 6 against Sterling College, 3-0. Padraig Poland netted two of SWC’s three goals, his only scores of the season.
Freshman midfielder Edgar Gonzaga has been the most consistent scorer for the Builders with three goals and two assists for eight points. Poland has put together a decent year for SWC with six points on two goals and two assists. Offensively, Southwestern has struggled. The Builders rank last in the KCAC in goals with 14 in 16 matches.
Junior Daniel Forsyth has started all 16 matches as the Builders goalkeeper, registering a 1.92 goals against average and .824 saves percentage. Forsyth ranks fourth nationally in total saves (111) and 16th in saves per game (6.75). The Southwestern defense is among one of the top in the KCAC, as the Builders rank third in goals allowed (1.44) and tied for second in shutouts (4).
Southwestern is coached by Ruben Sanchez and assisted by Joey Yeisley.
Scouting Kansas Wesleyan
Kansas Wesleyan (12-2-0, 7-0-0) has faced one of the toughest schedules in NAIA soccer this season by taking on California Baptist, Azusa Pacific, Bellevue and William Jewell in non-conference action away from Salina. Despite the difficulty, the Coyotes thrived through their non-conference schedule with three wins against ranked opponents (Azusa 2-1; Westminister 3-2; Bellevue 3-2) and a 5-2 record. Since beginning KCAC play, KWU is 7-0-0 and the lone undefeated team.
The Coyotes have outscored KCAC opponents 31-4 with a majority of the scoring coming from junior forward Alex Chavez. The transfer from LA Harbor College (Calif.), Chavez has been a force for the Coyotes. He leads the nation in total goals (23), goals per game (1.6), total points (53), points per game (3.79), shots per game (5.5) and shots on goal per game (3.43). Last week’s NAIA National Player of the Week, he owns eight multiple goal performances on the season, including four hat tricks. Classmate Jacob DeLeon has been a secondary threat for the Coyotes. DeLeon is second on the team with 19 points on nine goals and one assist.
Goalkeeper Diego Millan has started 13 of 14 matches on the season and owns a 1.04 goals against average and .769 save percentage. His goals against average leads the KCAC. On the season, the Coyotes lead the league in goals allowed (17) and second in goals allowed per game (1.31).
Mike Dibbini is in his sixth season as the head coach of the KWU men’s and women’s soccer programs and owns a combined 150-46-16 overall record.
