#11 Midwestern State vs. Newman (Kan.)
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 | 7 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (13-2-1, 11-1-0 HC); Newman (9-5-2, 7-3-2 HC)
Watch: Mustangs Digital Network
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
#11 Midwestern State vs. Oklahoma Christian *Senior Day*
Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016 | 1 p.m.
MSU Soccer Field | Wichita Falls, Texas
Records: Midwestern State (13-2-1, 11-1-0 HC); Oklahoma Christian (4-11-1, 2-9-1 HC)
Watch: Mustangs Digital Network
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com
THE RUNDOWN
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State looks to claim its first outright conference title since 2010 Thursday in a 7 p.m. kickoff against Newman before playing host to Oklahoma Christian for Senior Day Saturday at 1 p.m. at MSU Soccer Field.
Midwestern State seeks to avenge its only conference loss of the season to Newman to begin its final week of the regular season. The Jets handed MSU its lone setback in league play back on Sept. 25 in Wichita, Kansas, with Marian Saar lifting Newman to a 1-0 win with a penalty kick in the 64th minute for the Jets first-ever win over the Maroon and Gold.
On Saturday, the Mustangs will honor eight seniors who will play their final regular season games at MSU Soccer Field in
Kyle Baccus,
Gabriel Cavalcante,
Noah Fazekas,
Brice Gardner,
Flavio Guzman,
Antonio Hernandez,
Christian Okeke and
Leon Taylor.
LAST TIME ON THE PITCH
- The Mustangs moved to 13-2-1 on the season and 11-1-0 in Heartland Conference play following 1-0 wins over then-No. 3 St. Edward's and Dallas Baptist on the road last week to push their winning streak to eight games
- Senior
Gabriel Cavalcante tallied the game winner for the Mustangs in the eighth minute to lift the Mustangs to their first win over a ranked opponent this season in a victory over St. Edward's Thursday in Austin
- The Mustangs battled the Hilltoppers a man down for more than 30 minutes of play after Cavalcante was given a red card in the 60th minute
- However, the MSU defense did not back down with the visitors holding St. Edward's to just two shots, one on goal, down the stretch
- Freshman
Sebastian Venegas recorded his first game-winning goal of the season in a 1-0 shutout of Dallas Baptist on Saturday with a strike from just inside the box in the 81st minute
MUSTANGS MOVE UP TO 11TH IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
- After their fourth-straight undefeated week, the Mustangs jumped eight spots to No. 11 in the latest NSCAA Division II rankings released Tuesday afternoon
- Midwestern State earned its highest ranking since coming in at No. 9 in the first regular season poll on Sept. 6
| Mustangs in the Polls |
| Poll |
Ranking |
| Preseason |
7 |
| Week 1 (Sept. 6) |
9 |
| Week 2 (Sept. 13) |
17 |
| Week 3 (Sept. 20) |
23 |
| Week 4 (Sept. 27) |
25 |
| Week 5 (Oct. 4) |
18 |
| Week 6 (Oct. 11) |
15 |
| Week 7 (Oct. 18) |
19 |
| Week 8 (Oct. 25) |
11 |
A LOOK AT THE MUSTANGS
- Midwestern State ranks in the top 20 nationally in 11 statistical categories, averaging 2.38 goals per game (20th) while carrying a 0.49 goals against average (5th) this season
- The Mustangs have recorded nine clean sheets on the season to tie for the fourth most in the country
- Of the eight goals allowed, just two goals have come in the run of play, both from MSU's season-opening 3-2 win at Fort Lewis (Colo.)
- Opponents have earned scores off three own goals, two penalty kicks and a goal after a restart
- Seniors
Christian Okeke and
Gabriel Cavalcante lead the Mustangs with 17 points apiece this season with Okeke recording a team-best seven goals and Cavalcante tallying four game-winning goals for 19th nationally
- Senior
Noah Fazekas has posted eight shutouts on the year to rank sixth in the country with a .552 goals against average and 19th with a .822 save percentage
| NCAA Statistical Rankings |
| Ranking |
Category |
Total |
| 20 |
Scoring Offense |
2.38 |
| 13 |
Total Goals |
38 |
| 5 |
Team Goals Against Average |
0.49 |
| 8 |
Shutout Percentage |
0.56 |
| 8 |
Assists Per Game |
2.5 |
| 192 |
Saves Per Game |
2.69 |
| 15 |
Points Per Game |
7.25 |
| 8 |
Save Percentage |
.843 |
| 47 |
Fouls Per Game |
11.06 |
| 3 |
Total Assists |
40 |
| 9 |
Total Points |
116 |
| 4 |
Shots Per Game |
20.19 |
| 16 |
Shots On Goal Per Game |
8.0 |
NO GOAL ZONE
- Midwestern State's nine shutouts this season are the most for the program since 2013 when the Mustangs also totaled nine clean sheets
- During Midwestern State's eight-game win streak, the Mustangs have recorded seven shutouts
- MSU has allowed just one goal in 746:14 of action over the last eight games with Lubbock Christian avoiding a shutout with an own goal in the 81st minute in a 4-1 MSU win in Lubbock on Oct. 6
- The Mustangs defense has held opponents to three or fewer shots on goal in 12 of their 16 games this season
SCOUTING THE JETS
- Newman sports a 9-5-2 record this season with a 7-3-2 mark in the Heartland Conference for fourth in the league standings
- The Jets arrive in Wichita Falls on a three-game win streak after suffering back-to-back losses
- Sophomore Carlos Rubio Garcia leads Newman with five goals and 14 points with 20 of his 35 shots coming on goal
- In goal, senior Blake Andrews is 29th nationally with a .804 save percentage and 32nd with a .845 goals against average with four shutouts this season
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
- Oklahoma Christian is 4-11-1 overall and 2-9-1 in the Heartland for 12th in the conference standings
- The Eagles have lost five of their last six games including a 2-0 defeat to Midwestern State on Oct. 15 in Oklahoma City
- Seniors Cody Cook and Ante Susic have each totaled three goals for OC this season with Cook leading the Eagles with nine points
- Between the posts, senior Evan Helker is 10th in the country with 84 saves along with a pair of shutouts this year
ELDER GOES FOR 250
- A win over Newman will not only secure a conference title for the Mustangs but will give head coach
Doug Elder his 250th career win in his 17th season at the helm of the MSU men's soccer program
- The five-time region coach of the year carries a career mark of 249-54-30 and sits as the winningest NCAA Division II men's soccer coach with at least 10 seasons of coaching with a .793 winning percentage
- Elder became MSU's all-time winningest men's soccer coach last season in an 8-1 win over Southern Nazarene (Okla.), surpassing his former coach Howard Patterson with his 222nd career win
WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE
- Dating back to the 1979 season, Midwestern State was won nearly 85 percent of its games at MSU Soccer Field with a record of 329-50-27
- The Mustangs come into their final week of the regular season with a 5-1-0 slate at home, suffering their lone defeat in the home opener to Northeastern State (Okla.), 1-0, on Sept. 12
- MSU posted a program-best 15 home wins in 1995 while hosting the NAIA sectional and regional playoffs
- From Nov. 17, 2007 to Sept. 9, 2012, the Mustangs posted a school record 44-match unbeaten streak at MSU Soccer Field
WINNING SEASONS
- Midwestern State extended its winning season streak to 19 in 2016, the longest active streak in NCAA Division II and tied for eighth in the history of Division II men's soccer
- The Mustangs have posted an impressive 42 winning seasons in the program's 45 years of existence and just one losing season since the 1973 season (1997)
- MSU carries an all-time record of 634-208-64 (.735)
-
Doug Elder has led Midwestern to double-digit wins in each of his 17 seasons with seven 15-plus win campaigns
– MSUMustangs.com –
