Match 1 – No. 20 Midwestern State (0-0-0) vs. Fort Lewis (0-0-0)                                                            
Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 | 7 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas                                                                                                            
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Live Video: MSUMustangs.com
 
Match 2 – No. 20 Midwestern State (0-0-0) vs. No. 4 Colorado Mesa (0-0-0)                                            
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015 | 12 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas                                                                                                           
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
Live Video: MSUMustangs.com
 
For Starters
Midwestern begins its 44th season of play Friday at 7 p.m. versus Fort Lewis at MSU Soccer Field. The Mustangs will also take on fourth-ranked Colorado Mesa, a team that eliminated MSU from postseason play last season, in a noon contest Sunday.
 
Mustangs Ranked 20th in NSCAA Preseason Poll
- The National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA) released its NCAA Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll in early August with the Mustangs earning a No. 20 ranking following a 13-4-2 season and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
- The Mustangs are one of three teams from the South Central Region making an appearance in the poll along with No. 4 Colorado Mesa and No. 12 St. Edward's
 
Scouting the Skyhawks
- Fort Lewis is coming off an 11-8 season, finishing with a 9-5 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play to tie for second place
- The Skyhawks return five starters from last season's squad including RMAC Preseason Player of the Year Yannis Becker and RMAC preseason selection Luke Lawrence
- Becker earned 2014 Daktronics All-America honors while also being named to the NSCAA and Daktronics All-South Central Region First Teams
- Lawrence was selected to the NSCAA All-South Central Region Third Team in 2014
- FLC was picked to finish second in the RMAC, totaling 79 points in the league's preseason poll
- The Skyhawks are led by seven-year head coach Olge Kennedy, who has a 90-31-7 record with two national titles to his name at FLC
 
Inside the Series
- Midwestern is 6-6-3 all-time against Fort Lewis, and 2-2-2 at MSU Soccer Field
- This will be the third-straight season the two teams have faced off with Fort Lewis taking both contests
- The Skyhawks came away with a 4-2 victory last year in Durango
 
Scouting the Mavericks
- Colorado Mesa posted a school record 18 wins en route to a NCAA semifinal berth in 2014
- The Mavericks return just three starters from last season's 18-4-1 squad
- Senior Blake Carlson was selected as the RMAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after earning All-America and all-region honors in 2014
- Roy Abergil was named to the RMAC preseason team after leading the Mavericks with 12 goals and 28 points last season
- CMU was picked to finish fifth in the RMAC Preseason Poll. The Mavericks were regular season champions in 2014
- CMU is led by second-year head coach Todd Padgett
 
Inside the Series
- Midwestern is 1-1 against Colorado Mesa in a series that began last season
- The Mustangs won the regular season meeting between the teams with a 2-1 double overtime victory in Grand Junction before being eliminated by the Mavericks in a 1-0 defeat in the NCAA Tournament
 
Season Openers
- Midwestern holds a 32-8-3 all-time record in season openers, and is 19-4-2 in opening the season at home
- Under Doug Elder, the Mustangs are 11-3-1 starting off the season
- Midwestern will look to snap a two-game losing skid in season openers, falling to Fort Lewis both times
 
40 Winning Seasons
- Entering the 2015 season, the Mustangs have recorded 17-straight winning seasons and an impressive 40 winning seasons in the program's 43 years, holding an all-time record of 604-205-62 (.729)
- Current head coach Doug Elder has seen a winning season in each of his 15 campaigns at Midwestern
 
Going for Win No. 222
- Doug Elder enters the 2015 season just three wins shy of becoming MSU's all-time winningest men's soccer coach
- Elder has compiled a career record of 219-51-28 in his 15 seasons at Midwestern, trailing his former coach Howard Patterson (1973-89) who finished his career with a 221-85-20 record
- Elder is currently the winningest active coach in NCAA Division II with a winning percentage of .782
 
Key Returners
- Midwestern returns five senior starters from its 2014 squad
- Forward Albert Rodriguez started in 17 matches, and returns as the top scorer for the Mustangs from the 2014 season. Rodriguez totaled five goals and two assists for 12 points, the third-highest for Midwestern
- In the midfield, Juan Farres returns after starting 18 matches and ranking second on the team with 20 shots on goal in 2014
- The Mustangs backline features three returners in Call Casarez, Javan Toledo and Ben Clarvis. Toledo and Casarez helped the MSU defense rank 32nd in Division II with eight shutouts and 37th with a 0.96 team goals against average last season
- Clarvis will move over to the defender position after starting 17 contests in the midfield last season. In 2014, he was second for the Mustangs with eight assists and fifth with 10 points.
 
Looking Ahead
- Midwestern is back in action Thursday, Sept. 10 when it hosts Southern Nazarene (Okla.) in a 7 p.m. match at MSU Soccer Field