EVANSVILLE – As the Missouri Valley Conference regular season winds down, the University of Evansville men's soccer team will be entering its final stretch this weekend with the first of two crucial matches against league opponents, beginning on Saturday as the Purple Aces are set to square off at Missouri State.
UE at Missouri State (Saturday, 7 p.m.): Live Stats |
MSU website
The Aces (8-7-2, 3-2-1 MVC) are currently tied for third in the conference with the Bears (8-5-2, 3-2-1 MVC), and the team will be out for revenge after dropping a 1-0 decision to MSU earlier this season. Following the contest, the Aces will close out the year against SIUE, which sits second in the league standings with a 3-1-2 mark.
Loyola, which is ranked 11
th in the NSCAA poll, currently leads the Valley with a 5-0-1 league mark and 12-1-1 record overall.
UE will be looking to bounce back from a 2-1 non-conference setback against Lipscomb earlier this week.
The Aces are led this season by an impressive attack that has seen four different players score multiple goals and 10 different scorers overall. Ian McGrath, who did not appear in the Lipscomb match, leads the pack with eight goals on the year, and he's often been joined on the scoresheet by Jared Robinson, who's put together a fantastic senior campaign with six goals. The duo has also combined for five assists.
However, the team leader in helpers is Zac Blaydes, who is now up to eight on the season to go along with one goal. Jesse Stafford Lacey, a freshman, isn't far behind him with six assists, and the Irishman is coming off Lipscomb match that featured his first career goal.
Along the backline, the Aces have led by a centerback tandem of Chris Shuck and Trevor Baum that has combined to marshal the heart of UE's defense in nearly every match this season. Freshman goalkeeper Frederik Reimer has been the Aces goalkeeper in most matches, racking up five clean sheets in the process, which is the most for an Aces netminder since 2012.
Kickoff on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.
NOTES: MSU's match-winning goal on Oct. 1 was scored by Mitch Langton in the 83
rd minute … UE is 9-17-2 all-time against the Bears … Last season, the Aces fell 4-2 to the Bears at Arad McCutchan Stadium … UE came out on the losing end of a pair of 1-0 overtime matches in 2013 and 2014 … UE's last win in the series was a 2-0 decision in Springfield on Oct. 10, 2012 … UE is 33-31-8 all-time in matches against opponents from the state of Missouri … Since 1979, the Aces are 6-5-1 on Oct. 29, which includes a 2-1 win over then-No. 7 Creighton in 2004.
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