Midwestern State at Northeastern State
Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 | 7 p.m.
DeLoache Field | Tahlequah, Okla.
Records: Midwestern State (5-3-1); Northeastern State (5-0-3)
Live Video: None
Live Stats: GoRiverhawksGo.com 
 
SCOUTING THE RIVERHAWKS
No. 5-ranked Northeastern State boasts a 5-0-3 overall mark and is riding a nine-match regular season unbeaten streak at DeLoache Field into Friday night's showdown against former Lone Star Conference rival Midwestern State. The RiverHawks were last defeated on their home field in the NCAA II national quarterfinals last season falling to Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) 1-0. NSU's last regular season home came at the hands of MSU which logged tallied by David Freeland, Dean Lovegrove and Zach Funk in a 3-0 win on Oct. 28, 2011. Northeastern State is coming off a scoreless draw with Rogers State Wednesday night in Tahlequah after claiming 2-1 road decisions over Harding (Ark.) and Upper Iowa. Junior forward Jordan Schmoker is the RiverHawks' top producer with two goals while creating on seven assists for 11 total points. Junior striker Juan Paralta leads the team with four goals while sophomore forward Paul Samia and sophomore midfielder Brandon Carter have scored three times each. Sophomore Eric Shepherd is the RiverHawks' primary goalkeeper logging two shutouts with a 0.92 goals against average while redshirt-freshman Jackson Biles has one clean sheet with a 0.59 goals against average in three outings. Northeastern State scored 2.38 goals a game and allows just under one.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
Midwestern State is unbeaten and unscored upon in its last five matches while having a four-game winning streak halted by a scoreless draw Monday afternoon at Eastern New Mexico. Sophomore goalkeeper Nick Petolick has stopped each of the 21 shots on goal he has faced in just under 477 minutes between the posts since taking over goalkeeping duties in a 2-0 win over Rogers State (Okla.) on Sep. 22. Junior forward Len Smith paces the Mustangs' attack with five goals and an assist while junior midfielder Andrew Power notched his third goal of the season with an overtime tally in MSU's 1-0 win over No. 12 West Texas A&M Saturday night in Canyon. Sophomore Idi Camara and junior Dan Johns have accounted for two goals each of the Mustangs.
 
ABOUT THE SERIES
Midwestern State meets Northeastern State for the 36th time on the pitch Friday night at DeLoache Field in Tahlequah. The Mustangs own a dominating 29-4-2 edge in the series which dates back to the 1994 season including an 11-0-1 run against RiverHawks since suffering a 3-2 setback on Sep. 10, 2006 in Wichita Falls. MSU has claimed in each of its last eight trips to Tahlequah since Northeastern State last won on its home pitch by a 2-0 count on Sep. 19, 2003. Overall, the Mustangs are 13-2 against NSU on hostile pitches.
 
MIDWESTERN IN NATIONAL STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Junior forward Len Smith ranks 61st in goals per game (0.63), 66th in total goals (5.0), 79th in points per game (1.38) and 96th in total points (11.0). Junior midfielder/forward Chase Robertson ranks 22nd in assists per game (0.57) and 40th in total assists (4.0). Junior goalkeeper Nathan Kenyon is 132nd with a 1.693 goals against average.
 
ELDER CLOSING IN ON 200
Midwestern State coach Doug Elder claimed his 199th career victory Friday as the Mustangs battled for a 1-0 win over rival West Texas A&M in Canyon. In his 14 seasons at the helm at MSU, Elder rates amongst the winningest coaches in the history collegiate soccer amassing a 199-46-25 mark good for a .783 winning percentage. Elder is set to join the legendary Howard Patterson in the exclusive 200-win Club. Patterson rolled up 221 victories as Midwestern's head coach from 1973-89.
 
PETOLICK SHUTTING DOWN OPPOSITION
Sophomore goalkeeper Nick Petolick fell just six minutes shy of the NCAA Division II requirement to log at least 50 percent of his team's minutes in goal to qualify for national rating. With one more clean sheet, Petolick will jump to the top of the goals against average at 0.0. The transfer from Oral Roberts has saved each of the 21 shots he has faced on goal including making a season-high nine stops in a 1-0 win over West Texas A&M Saturday night in Canyon.
 
SMITH LEADING WAY
Junior forward Len Smith logged goals in four straight games including a two-score outburst in a 2-0 win over Rogers State on Sep. 22. MSU's most dangerous striker managed game winners in three consecutive outings in wins over RSU, Newman and Texas A&M International. Smith has notched 12 goals and two assists since transferring from Tulsa prior to last season.
 
MUSTANGS POWER PAST WT, LITTERALLY
Junior midfielder Andrew Power banged in the game winner in the 97th minute to lift Midwestern State to a 1-0 win over rival West Texas A&M Saturday night in Canyon. It was his third goal of the season including tallies against  Colorado State-Pueblo and Newman (Kan.). It was his first game winner in two seasons as a Mustang.
 
CHASING ASSISTS
Junior Chase Robertson leads the team with four assists including a helper in three straight matches from Sep. 20-27. The Midlothian, Texas native also struck for his lone goal of the season in a 4-1 win at Colorado State-Pueblo on Sep. 13. All told, Robertson has accounted for six points on a goal and four assists this season.