Match 9 – No. 1 Midwestern State (7-0-1) vs. No. 6 St. Edward's (7-0-2)
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 | 7 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Live Video: MSUMustangs.tv
 
FOR STARTERS
Top-ranked Midwestern State will look to take down its second top-10 opponent of the season Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Mustangs host No. 6 St. Edward's in a highly-anticipated contest between the two regional rivals. Thursday's match will be the first in 37 meetings that both squads are ranked inside the top 10 in the national poll.
 
The two teams were set to first meet back on Friday, Sept. 25 in Austin before weather eventually postponed the contest after an hour and a half delay.
 
Midwestern State took the pitch Monday after an eight-day break to face Lubbock Christian at Frenship Soccer Stadium. The Mustangs saw a 2-0 second half lead slip away as the Chaps battled back to knot the contest at 2-2 and send the match into overtime, eventually ending in a draw. 
 
MUSTANGS MOVE TO NO. 1 IN NATIONAL POLL
– For just the fifth time in program history, the Midwestern State men's soccer team made an appearance at No. 1 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II Top 25 Poll that was released Tuesday
– The Mustangs last appeared at the top of the national poll near the end of the 2008 season with three-straight weeks (Oct. 21-Nov. 4) at No. 1
– Midwestern State first took over the No. 1 spot back on Sept. 24, 1984 after opening the season 5-0-0 following a 9-2 win over TCU
 
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS
– St. Edward's comes in with a 7-0-2 record and a 2-0-0 mark in the Heartland Conference
– The Hilltoppers sport the nation's top defense, having allowed just one goal this season which came on a penalty kick against Colorado Mines in their fourth match of the season
– St. Edward's holds a nation-best .10 goals against average, .890 shutout percentage and .968 save percentage
– The Hilltoppers offense has been just as impressive, ranking ninth nationally with 3.33 goals per game and eighth with 30 total goals this season
– 22 of the Hilltoppers' 30 goals have come in three matches – Huston-Tillotson (8-0), Eastern New Mexico (8-0) and Ouachita Baptist (6-0)
– The St. Edward's offense also ranks in the top 10 with 2.89 assists per game for seventh and 9.56 points per game for eighth-best in the country
– Senior goalkeeper Kevin Leib tops the nation with a .116 goals against average and a .963 save percentage
– Freshman forward Dylan Armstrong is the top offensive producer for the Hilltoppers with a team-high five goals and 12 points this season
– Junior midfielder Josh Taylor is 22nd in the country with five assists on the season
– Head coach Brian Young is in his 12th season leading the Hilltoppers with a 110-77-25 record
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State holds a 26-5-5 record in a series that dates back to 1987 with St. Edward's
– The Mustangs went 0-1-1 against the Hilltoppers last season, battling to a 1-1 draw in Wichita Falls before falling 3-1 in Austin
– Midwestern State last picked up a win over St. Edward's in 2013 with a 2-1 victory over the No. 4 Hilltoppers in Austin
– Head coach Doug Elder carries an 18-3-4 mark against St. Edward's over 15 seasons
 
MUSTANGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
– Through five weeks of competition, the Mustangs have dominated their opponents on both sides of the ball
– The Mustangs are outscoring the opposition 30-7 and lead 206-72 in total shots and 88-29 in shots on goal
– Defensively, Midwestern State is holding opponents to 0.88 goals per game
– In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, the Mustangs rank in the top 20 in nine of 13 categories
 
– Individually, senior forward Albert Rodriguez ranks in the top 25 in seven offensive categories – 3rd in shots per game (4.88), 8th in game-winning goals (3), 11th in goals per game (1.00), 17th in points per game (2.25), 18th in total goals (8), 20th in shots on goal per game (2.0) and 22nd in total points (18)
– Junior forward Christian Okeke cracks the top 40 with two game winners this season for 38th nationally
– Junior goalkeeper Noah Fazekas is 31st in the nation with a .832 goals against average, allowing six goals in 649 minutes between the posts
 
ELDER BECOMES ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH IN PROGRAM HISTORY
– Following a win over Southern Nazarene on Sept. 10, Midwestern State head coach Doug Elder became the all-time winningest coach in program history with his 222nd win
– Elder passed his former coach Howard Patterson, who finished with a 221-85-20 record (.709) in 17 seasons (1973-89) at Midwestern
– Now in his 16th season at MSU, Elder holds a career record of 226-51-29 (.786)
– Elder's career winning percentage of .786 currently ranks first among active NCAA Division II coaches
 
WINNING SEASONS
– Entering 2015, the Mustangs have posted 17-straight winning seasons and an impressive 40 winning seasons in the program's 43 years
– The Mustangs hold an all-time record of 611-205-63 (.731)
– Current head coach Doug Elder has seen a winning season in each of his 15 campaigns at Midwestern
 
LOOKING AHEAD
– Midwestern State will hit the road Sunday when the Mustangs face Eastern New Mexico in a noon kickoff at the ENMU Soccer Field in Portales, New Mexico