Men's Soccer | 10/6/2010 8:35:06 AM
Game Notes (PDF)
Live Stats (Tabor)
Live Stats (Ottawa)
The Matchup
The Bulldogs wrap up a five match road trip as the McPherson men’s soccer team travels east to Tabor College (2-7-1, 1-0-0) before returning home for a Homecoming match against Ottawa University (2-7-1, 1-0-0). McPherson will face the Blue Jays in Hillsboro this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. and the Braves on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Live stats will be available for both of McPherson’s matches.
McPherson is 4-4-1 overall with a 1-0-0 record in KCAC play following last Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth. With quite possibly their best performance of the season, the Bulldogs peppered the Spire goal with 38 shots, including 19 on frame. Senior forward Brent Mulford notched two goals, including the eventual game winner in the 35th minute. His performance earned him KCAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Defensively, junior goalkeeper Blake Jett tallied his third shutout of the season. Jett also garnered the conference’s weekly honor.
Both of this week’s opponents have had their struggles this season, but are coming off wins in the opening weekend of KCAC play. Last Saturday, Tabor edged Sterling College, 1-0, with a goal in the 85th minute. Ottawa snapped an eight-match losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Bethel College.
Senior forward Brent Mulford continues to maintain his spot amongst the KCAC’s top scorers. He currently is in a tie for third place with five goals and fourth place with 10 points. His two goals against the University of Saint Mary have moved him up to sixth place on the all-time goals scored list (17).
Following the week, the Bulldogs have a pair of home matches against Bethel College on Oct. 13 and Friends University on Oct. 16. Both contests are set to start at 8:00 p.m. at McPherson Stadium.
Last week for the Bulldogs
McPherson opened KCAC play with a weekend matchup at the University of Saint Mary. The Bulldogs defeated the Spires, 4-0, to snap a three match winless streak.
Senior forward Brent Mulford opened the scoring in the 36th minute with the matches’ eventual game winning goal. Mulford would strike again in the second half to put McPherson up 2-0. A third goal was added less than a minute later when a USM handball in the penalty area awarded the Bulldogs a penalty kick, which was netted by sophomore Geverton Ost.
An own goal would complete the scoring and give McPherson the 4-0 shutout win.
With the win, McPherson improves to 4-4-1 overall and 1-0-0 in conference action.
Scouting Tabor
Tabor (2-7-1, 1-0-0) enters the week off a 1-0 victory against KCAC rival Sterling College. The match remained tied until the 85th minute when forward Sergio Torres netted the game winning goal from just outside the 18-yard box. The Blue Jays only other victory came on Sept. 28 as TC defeated Manhattan Christian College, 3-0.
Junior midfielder Robert Masson is among the league’s best scorers as he leads the team with five goals for 10 points. He is currently tied for fourth in points and third in goals. Masson’s teammate, David Simmet has been the other steady scorer for the Blue Jays. Simmet ranks second on the team with six points off two goals and a team-best two assists.
Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Dalton Burkhard has made six starts for the Blue Jays. On the season, Burkhard has a 2.57 goals against average and .581 save percentage.
TC’s primary struggle has been on the defensive end. The Jays have been outshot by their opponents 200-94, which in turn has led to Tabor being outscored 38-11.
Scouting Ottawa
Much like McPherson’s midweek opponent, Ottawa enters the week with a 2-7-1 overall record and a 1-0-0 mark in conference action after a 3-1 win against Bethel College. Prior to Bethel, Ottawa was riding an eightmatch losing streak, including three shutout losses and a scoreless draw against Central Methodist University.
Junior midfielder Phillip Nguyen acts as the Braves primary scoring threat. On the year, Nguyen has scored three goals, while assisting on two others. His eight points rank him first on the team and put him in a tie for eighth in the KCAC. He has posted a team-high 40 shots, 21 more than any other Brave player and is one of just two players to start all 10 matches.
Ottawa has split time at goalkeeper between sophomore Derick Allen and freshman Drinnan Sante. Sante, who played all 90 minutes in the Braves 3-1 win against Bethel, owns a 2.30 goals against average and .765 save percentage, while Allen’s tallied a .761 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average.
As a team, OU has been outscored by its opponents, 23-10 and outshot by the opposition, 226-126. The Braves rank eight nationally in total saves (76) and 13th in saves per game (7.6).
