Match 5 – No. 5 Midwestern State (4-0-0) vs. Texas A&M International (1-2-0)
Friday, Sept. 18, 2015 | 7 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: Midwestern.Statbroadcast.com
Live Video: MSUMustangs.TV                                                                                                        
 
Match 6 – No. 5 Midwestern State (4-0-0) vs. Newman (1-2-1)
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 | 1 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas                                                                                                 
Live Stats: Midwestern.Statbroadcast.com
Live Video: MSUMustangs.TV   

FOR STARTERS
Midwestern State will begin a stretch of six-straight matches against Heartland Conference opponents this weekend with Texas A&M International and Newman (Kan.) coming to Wichita Falls. The Mustangs will get a look at a majority of their future conference foes as MSU will join the league as an affiliate member in the sport beginning in 2016.
 
The Mustangs moved to 4-0-0 on the season following a 5-0 shutout victory over Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) on Sunday at Richland College in Dallas.
 
It was the first clean sheet of the season for junior goalkeeper Noah Fazekas after allowing one goal in each of the Mustangs' three previous contests. Midwestern overwhelmed the Tigers with a 31-7 shot advantage while holding OBU to just two shots on goal. Junior forward Christian Okeke, senior forward Albert Rodriguez and junior midfielder Gabriel Cavalcante helped the Mustangs take a 3-0 first half lead while junior forward Leon Taylor accounted for two second half goals in the 5-0 win.
 
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 to move to the top of the record books. Patterson finished his time at Midwestern with a 221-85-20 record (.709) in 17 seasons (1973-89)
- Now in his 16th season at MSU, Elder holds a career record of 223-51-28 (.785)
- Elder's career winning percentage of .785 currently ranks first among active NCAA Division II coaches
 
MUSTANGS CLIMB TO NO. 5 IN NATIONAL POLL
- After two dominant victories over Southern Nazarene and Ouachita Baptist, the Mustangs moved up four spots to No. 5 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II Top 25 Poll
- The No. 5 ranking is the highest for the program since also appearing at No. 5 back on Sept. 11, 2012
 
SCOUTING THE DUSTDEVILS
- Texas A&M International suffered a 1-0 setback to then-No. 22 St. Edward's (Texas) last week at home
- The Dustdevils opened the season at home with a 2-0 victory over UT-Permian Basin before dropping a 4-3 decision to West Texas A&M
- Junior forward Ryan Hodgson leads TAMIU with two goals and four points this season
- The Dustdevils were picked fifth in the Heartland Conference Preseason Poll after an 8-10-1 record in 2014
- Claudio Arias is in his 12th season leading the TAMIU men's soccer program with a 106-76-19 career record
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern is 10-0-2 against Texas A&M International in the all-time series, defeating the Dustdevils 5-1 and 3-0 last season
- The two teams have squared off twice in each of the last three seasons with the Mustangs recording a 5-0-1 mark in that span
 
SCOUTING THE JETS
- Newman comes into the weekend with a 1-2-1 record, having dropped two of its last three matches
- Before facing Midwestern, the Jets will host Friends in a Friday contest
- Newman's lone win of the season came on the road against William Jewel by a score of 3-2
- Junior forward Dominic Nwagwu leads the Jets offense with two goals and four points on the season, netting the game winner against William Jewell
- Head coach Cliff Brown is in his 28th season at Newman, leading the Jets to a 254-261-31 mark
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Midwestern is 7-0 in its series against Newman
- The Mustangs came away with a 2-0 victory over the Jets last season in Wichita, Kan.
- The squads have faced off in each of the last five seasons
 
MUSTANGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
- In their first four matches, the Mustangs have dominated their opponents in nearly every statistical category
- With the first NCAA statistical rankings being released this week, the Mustangs rank in the top six nationally in nine statistical categories
 















- Individually, senior forward Albert Rodriguez ranks in the top 15 in five categories. Rodriguez is tied for second with two game-winning goals, eighth with 3.00 points per game, 10th with five goals and 12 points and 14th with 1.25 goals per game
- Junior forward Garvin Samaroo also appears near the top of the national rankings, coming in at 15th with three assists on the season while ranking 29th with .75 assists per game
- Junior goalkeeper Noah Fazekas is 37th nationally with a .750 goals against average
 
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 608-205-62 (.730)
- Current head coach Doug Elder has seen a winning season in each of his 15 campaigns at Midwestern
 
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Mustangs will travel south to Austin and San Antonio next weekend for their first true road contests of the season. Midwestern will first face No. 15 St. Edward's in a Friday matchup at 4 p.m. before concluding the weekend Sunday against St. Mary's at 1 p.m.