SAN ANTONIO, Texas. – The University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team will look to stay in the win column with a pair of Western Athletic Conference games, as they host Seattle University on Friday at 7 p.m. and then travel to Grand Canyon on Sunday for a 9 p.m. start.
OPENING KICK
The Cardinals (4-6-2, 2-2-1 WAC) are coming off of one of their best offensive performances of the season. They beat San Jose State 4-1 on the road and have now won two of their last three games in the WAC. UIW's seven points in the conference put them at fourth place, five points behind Utah Valley and Air Force, who are tied for second place with 12 points.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
2016: 9-4-1, 5-0-1 WAC
Last Game: W, 2-1 vs Grand Canyon
Head Coach: Pete Fewing
Key Offensive Players:
#23 Alex Roldan, 5 goals, 3 assists, 27 shots
#17 David Olsen, 4 goals, 3 assists, 27 shots
#7 Sergio Rivas, 3 goals, 4 assists, 39 shots
#10 Jeff Rose, 3 goals, 4 assists, 19 shots
Goalkeeper:
#1 Jordan Hadden, 7 games, 3 goals allowed, 20 saves, 2 shutouts
Summary:
The Redhawks sit atop the WAC standings with five wins, no losses and one tie to UMKC. They haven't lost since Sept 25 when a PAC-12 team—Washington—beat them 2-1, and they are outscoring their opponents 27-13. All four of their losses in 2016 have come on the road, which is where they'll face the Cardinals Friday night. They are first in the conference in shots per game, 15.2, and rank second in goals, 1.93 per game, and goals allowed, 0.93. per game.
SCOUTING THE LOPES
2016: 4-7-3, 1-2-3 WAC
Last Game: L, 2-1 at Seattle U
Head Coach: Schellas Hyndman
Key Offensive Players:
#9 Niki Jackson, 11 goals, 1 assist, 53 shots
#11 Damian German, 2 goals, 3 assists, 25 shots
#10 Alexandros Halis, 1 goal, 4 assists, 29 shots
Goalkeeper:
#1 Kendyl Day, 14 games, 18 goals allowed, 40 saves
Summary:
The Lopes are only a point behind the Cardinals in the WAC and are looking to gain some ground this weekend. They will host UMKC on Friday before hosting UIW on Sunday. Niki Jackson leads the conference in shots, 53, points, 23, and goals, 11. He has scored five goals in the Lopes' last three games.
THE CARDINAL FILE
2016: 4-6-2, 2-2-1 WAC
Last Game: W, 4-1 vs. San Jose State
Head Coach: Vince Martinez
Key Offensive Players:
#9
Ben Conway, 3 goal, 4 assists, 42 shots
#4
Wouter Peters, 3 goals on 5 shots.
#11
O'Neal Moore, 2 goals, 2 assist, 15 shots
#17
Ryan Osborne, 2 goals, 1 assist, 9 shots
#19
Daniel Nevarez, 2 goals, 2 assists, 11 shots
Goalkeeper:
#0
Jorge Guzman, 10 games, 14 goals allowed, 32 saves
Summary:
The Cardinals have been improving as the season has gone on.
Ben Conway and
Wouter Peters lead the offense with three goals apiece, and Conway's 42 shots rank third in the conference. The Cardinals only have five games remaining on the schedule, and only two of them will be at home.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals and Redhawks have played twice before, and Seattle U owns the series 2-0. Last game, SU beat UIW 4-2 at Championship Field in Seattle.
The Cardinals and Lopes have split the series 2-2. Their last meeting was at Benson Stadium in 2015, and UIW won 4-2 with a hat trick from former Cardinal
Dylan Kelly, and another goal from
O'Neal Moore.
UP NEXT
After this weekend, the Cardinals will play two road WAC games against UTRGV on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. and Houston Baptist on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
STAY TUNED
The Cardinals will close out the season with a conference home game against Utah Valley on Nov. 5 at 8 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Incarnate Word Athletics visit uiwcardinals.com. Be sure to follow Incarnate Word Athletics on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like Incarnate Word Athletics on Facebook at UIW Athletics
