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UE GAME NOTES

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team (2-4) begins the Missouri Valley Conference slate at home when the Purple Aces host Drake (5-2-0) on Saturday, Sept. 26. The match will be held at Arad McCutchan Stadium and start at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG:
RADIO – WUEV 91.5 FM (Preston Leinenbach and Matt Reed)
LIVE STATS – Evansville.StatBroadcast.com
VIDEO – GoPurpleAces.com/Watch (Preston Leinenbach and Matt Reed)
 
WHAT TO KNOW

• The Purple Aces have not been home since Sept. 6, a 2-1 victory over Belmont.
• Drake won the ProRehab Aces Classic in Evansville (Sept 4-6).
• With a win, the Aces will have back to back home wins.
• Evansville is also looking for their first home win over Drake since 2009.

 
HOMECOMING
Homecoming is this weekend (Sept. 25-27) at UE. There will be a soccer doubleheader on Saturday, Sept. 26, as the women's team hosts Loyola at 3:00 p.m. CDT and the men's team plays Drake at 6:00 p.m. Festivities include a Forever Purple Carnival, an Athletics yard sale, on field recognitions (Hall of Fame coaches Mick Lyon and Fred Schmalz, members of the 1985 and 1990 NCAA Final Four teams), and the first-ever fireworks show on the UE campus.
 
THE OPPONENT:
Drake began the year 1-1 but has won four of their last five matches including the ProRehab Aces Classic at UE (Sept. 4-6).
 
HISTORY
The Bulldogs have the 13-11-2 edge in the all-time series with the Purple Aces. The series is tied 6-6 for games played in Evansville.
 
Last 5 meetings:
Year                Location                     UE       Opp.    Result
2011                Evansville, Ind.            1          2          L
2012                Des Moines, Iowa       2          2          T (2OT)
2012                Peoria, Ill.                    1          2          L
2013                Evansville, Ind.            1          4          L
2014                Des Moines, Iowa       4          1          W
 
LAST MEETING
Evansville won the last meeting against Drake 4-1 on the road. It was the Aces' first win in Des Moines, Iowa since 2001.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UE lost their midweek match 3-0 at Indiana on Sept. 23. Sophomore midfielder/defender Ian McGrath led UE in the contest with three shots.
 
QUICK TURNAROUND
The Purple Aces are currently in a stretch of three games in seven days. This is coming off a period in which Evansville had nine days between their last two matches (Sept. 13-23).
 
IN THE CLASSROOM
UE men's soccer received an NSCAA College Team Academic Award (Sept. 23) for their 3.14 GPA in the 2014-15 academic year. This is their fourth straight year receiving the honor and ninth overall.
 
LEADING OFF
Senior forward Mark Anthony Gonzalez and McGrath are tied for the team-lead with two goals and five total points. Seven Purple Aces have combined for the seven UE assists this year. McGrath has a team-high 16 shots and nine shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Keller has a team-best 31 saves this year.
 
IAN ON NBC
For the second time this season, a goal from McGrath has been featured on NBC Sports. His 22 yard game-winning blast vs. Belmont (Sept. 6) appeared on the NBC Sports Platforms this past week. McGrath's 35 yard strike against Mercer (Aug. 20) also appeared on NBC Sports during the exhibition season.
 
NUMBER ONE
The Aces have a new head coach this season, Marshall Ray, who claimed his first win as UE men's soccer coach in the team's 2-1 win over Belmont (Sept. 6). A former player (1995-'99) at Evansville, Ray graduated from UE in 2000 and has served on the staff for nine years with the last six as Associate Head Coach.
 
GOAL-ZALEZ
Gonzalez leads UE with two goals this season and has scored in the first two matches of the season. He is also the team's active leader in goals with 22.
 
POSITIVE PRESEASON
The UE men's soccer team finished the preseason 2-1-0 including victories over Bellarmine and Mercer. McGrath and freshman forward Mikey Matic each tallied two goals each.
 
CALL FROM THE HALL
UE men's soccer player (1985-'87) Mick Lyon was announced as a 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer in August. He was the 1987 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American. Lyon was also the women's soccer head coach (1993-2001), winning nine MVC Championships.
 
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
Evansville's schedule features three NCAA Tournament teams from last year (Indiana, Kentucky, St. Louis). The Aces will take on two teams that finished in the final RPI top 25 last season (Indiana 16, St. Louis 22) and seven in the top 100 (Bowling Green 64, Butler 68, Missouri St. 76, Mercer 86, and Lipscomb 97).
 
PROMO SCHEDULE
Indiana Youth Soccer Night is Oct. 24 and Senior Night will take place Oct. 10.
 
JOIN UEFC
New this season, UEFC is the membership supporters group for the men's soccer team. UEFC has five tiers with each offering different incentives. To learn more on UEFC and how you can join, fans are encouraged to visit GoPurpleAces.com and click on the Men's Soccer Page.