#6 Midwestern State vs. Fort Lewis (Colo.)
*Season Opener*
Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 | 7 p.m.
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com |
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
#6 Midwestern State vs. UC Colorado Springs
Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017 | 2 p.m.
Stang Park | Wichita Falls, Texas
Live Stats: MSUMustangs.com |
Video: Mustangs Digital Network
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- Midwestern State kicks off its 2017 campaign against regional foe Fort Lewis (Colo.) for the fifth-straight season with the teams splitting the previous four contests
- The Mustangs have claimed five of the last seven meetings against the Skyhawks and are 8-6-3 in the all-time series which dates back to 1998
- Fort Lewis enters the season following a 9-9-1 record and showing in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament in 2016
- Midwestern State and UC Colorado Springs meet for the fourth time in the last five seasons with the Mustangs holding a 6-1-1 record in the series after the teams played to a scoreless draw last year in Colorado Springs, Colo.
- The Mustangs are a perfect 5-0 against the Mountain Lions in Wichita Falls and have not suffered a loss to UCCS since 1999
- The Mountain Lions advanced to the RMAC Tournament Semifinals with a 12-7-1 record last season
- MSU enters the 2017 season ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, formerly the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)
- 2017 marks the 11th-straight season Midwestern has appeared in the national preseason poll and its fifth showing in the top 10
- The Mustangs were tabbed the preseason favorite in the Heartland Conference, receiving 14 of 24 first-place votes and 274 points, after claiming the regular season title in its first year as an affiliate member in the league in 2016
- MSU is coming off its sixth trip to the NCAA II National Quarterfinals in 2016 with an 18-4-1 record
- Head coach Doug Elder begins his 18th season leading the MSU Boys, having notched winning seasons in each of his previous 17 campaigns
- Elder is not only the winningest coach in the history of the MSU program, but also the winningest active coach in all of NCAA Division II with a 254-56-30 (.791) career record
- MSU returns four starters from last season's campaign, led by a D2CCA First Team All-Region selection in senior Jordan Speed
- Senior midfielder Pierre Bocquet, an All-Heartland Conference Second Team honoree in 2016, and junior defender Patrick Fitzgerald were named to the All-Heartland Preseason Team last week while junior defender Alex Mullet also returns for the Mustangs from last season's starting lineup
– MSUMustangs.com –
