Match 10 – No. 1 Midwestern State (8-0-1) at Eastern New Mexico (3-4-2)
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015 | 12 p.m. (CT)
ENMU Soccer Field | Portales, N.M.
Live Stats: GoEasternAthletics.com
Live Video: GoEasternAthletics.com
 
FOR STARTERS
Top-ranked Midwestern State will look to push its unbeaten streak to 10 matches Sunday when the Mustangs take on Eastern New Mexico in a noon kickoff at ENMU Soccer Field in Portales.
 
The Mustangs took down their second top-10 opponent of the season Thursday night in Wichita Falls, earning a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over No. 6 St. Edward's.
 
Facing the nation's top defense, the Mustangs struck early with a goal from senior midfielder Juan Farres in the 16th minute, but the Hilltoppers would eventually go on top with two second half goals for a 2-1 advantage in the 69th minute. Midwestern State kept attacking the St. Edward's defense, recording the equalizer in the 78th minute with a score from junior midfielder Gabriel Cavalcante. With 3:30 remaining in regulation, junior midfielder Flavio Guzman put the Mustangs ahead with a strike from inside the box off a pass from senior forward Albert Rodriguez to hand the Hilltoppers their first defeat of the season.
 
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, the organization 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 GREYHOUNDS
– Eastern New Mexico comes in with a 3-4-2 record, having dropped its last four matches (St. Mary's, St. Edward's, West Texas A&M, Newman) with three coming on the road
– The Greyhounds have been held to just two scores in their last four matches
– Senior midfielder Roberto Zatarain leads the Greyhounds with five goals and 10 points while junior forward Ryan McManus has added three goals
– Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper James Gutierrez is 21st nationally with 50 saves while ranking 25th with 5.56 saves per game
– Head coach Paul Tate is in his first season with the Greyhounds
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
– Midwestern State is 18-2-3 against Eastern New Mexico in a series that dates back to 2004
– The Mustangs split with the Greyhounds in 2014 with a 2-1 loss in Wichita Falls before closing out the regular season with a 1-0 victory in Portales
 
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 33-9 and lead 225-81 in total shots and 99-33 in shots on goal
– Defensively, Midwestern State is holding opponents to 1.00 goals per game
– In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, the Mustangs rank in the top 20 in nine of 13 categories   – Junior forward Christian Okeke cracks the top 40 with two game winners this season for 39th 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 the 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 227-51-29 (.787)
– Elder's career winning percentage of .787 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 612-205-63 (.731)
– Current head coach Doug Elder has seen a winning season in each of his 15 campaigns at Midwestern
 
LOOKING AHEAD
– Midwestern State returns to MSU Soccer Field next Saturday for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Dallas Baptist