EVANSVILLE – After extending the current unbeaten streak out to four matches this past weekend, the University of Evansville men's soccer team will face its stiffest test of the season on Tuesday as the Purple Aces are set to take on 10
th-ranked Butler.
UE at No. 10 Butler (Tuesday, 6 p.m.): Live Stats |
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The Aces (4-2-1) have been buoyed by success on both ends of the pitch this season. Offensively, Jared Robinson, who was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday, has more than doubled his career goal tally to lead the way. The senior out of Powell, Ohio, has found the back of the net four times this season, and that's due in large part to the quality of service coming from the Aces midfield, which features Zac Blaydes, who leads the conference with five assists, and Jesse Stafford Lacey, who has recorded an assist in four consecutive matches.
In all, seven different Aces have scored a goal this season, with Ian McGrath, an all-conference honorable mention last year, ranking second with three.
Defensively, UE is enjoying one of its more prolific starts to a season in recent years. The Aces have shut out three opponents thus far, which is already a better total than the team recorded in each of the past two seasons.
The centerback duo of Trevor Baum and Chris Shuck has spearheaded the Aces' defensive efforts this season, and rotating group of fullbacks as well as goalkeeper Frederik Reimer, who earned all three clean sheets, has helped UE limit opponents to just one goal from the run of play over the last four matches.
On Tuesday, the team's defensive prowess will be challenged as the Bulldogs enter the game averaging just under three goals per game. BU, which is ranked in all four major polls, is the last remaining unbeaten team in the Big East Conference, and the match will mark the first at home for the school since Sept. 3.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Eastern at the Butler Bowl.
NOTES: UE has scored at least once in all seven matches this season. This year is the first time that's occurred since 2007 … UE is off to a 4-2-1 start, which is the best since 2013 … UE has three shutouts in its first four matches for the first time since 2010 … The Aces are 14-11-0 all-time against Butler … Both sides have met in each of the past six seasons, which includes a 3-2 Bulldog win in Evansville last season … In the last UE trip to Indianapolis, the Aces dropped a 2-1 overtime meeting … UE's last win in the series was 3-1 victory on Oct. 1, 2013, at Arad McCutchan Stadium. That was also the last time the Aces were taking on a Butler team that was ranked … The Butler series is one of the oldest in UE's history. The first meeting dates back to UE's first season in 1974 when the Aces came away with a 6-1 victory.
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