Midwestern State vs Rockhurst University (Mo.)
Saturday, Sept 4 – 1 p.m.
Soldier Field (Claremore, Okla.)
All-Time Series: RU leads 8-3-3
 
CLAREMORE, Okla. -- After beating Missouri S&T in the season opener, Midwestern State turns their sights on doing the same against Rockhurst University. The Saturday afternoon match-up will start at 1 p.m. in Claremore, Okla., on the campus of Rogers State University.

FIVE STORY LINES

1 |  Trevor Amann showed that his goal scoring prowess did not disappear over the summer as he knocked in two against the Miners. The 2020 LSC Player of the Year and Forward of the Year practiced efficient shooting with only four shots in his 85 minute performance. Amann recorded just his second game winning goal as a Mustang in the Thursday afternoon match. For his career, he has totaled 14 goals, five assists and 33 points. The senior grabbed his 79th shot with 37 landing on goal. In the 2020 season he led MSU with eight goals, which sat second in the Lone Star and 11th in Division II.

2 |  In the match against S&T Carlos Flores notched his 17th career goal as a Mustang. The senior also collected his 55th and 56th points after amassing 17 goals and 22 assists. In addition, Flores surpassed 100 career shots (101) and is not far from breaking into MSU's record book. He needs just 11 more shots to match Anthony Ramirez and Ahmad Ihmeidan's records of 112. The 2020 season was impressive for the midfielder as he account four goals and four assists for 12 points, second best for the Mustangs. In his last season donning the maroon and gold, Flores' 2021 season looks bright.

3 |  Newcomers made a big impact in Midwestern State's game on Thursday. James Doyle and Grayson Ellett both recorded an assist and their first point as Mustangs. From the midfield, Doyle made one shot in his 83 minutes on the field while Ellett nabbed his helper in just 17 minutes. Doyle led the Northeastern State Riverhawks in 2020 with six goals and was named to the first-team for All-Great American Conference/Mid-America Athletics Association. Ellett makes a return to Wichita Falls after playing at West Texas A&M for three seasons. The Rider High School standout helped the Raiders to area finalists in 2015 and Region 1-4A finalists in 2015 while clutching a district 5-5A championship in 2017.

4 | The Hawks did not fare as well as the Mustangs in their season opener against No. 12 Rogers State. The visitors allowed three goals in the first 19 minutes and were down 4-0 at halftime before concluding the game at 5-0. Senior Forward Jacob Weaver led with two shots on goal and was the leading scorer in 2020 with three to his name. In the goal, graduate student Peter Baker and senior Fabio D'Errico split time and each recorded a save. Rockhurst landed 10th in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) preseason poll for 2021 after posting a 4-6-3 record for the spring. Head coach Tony Tocco enters his 51st season in charge of the Hawks.

5 |  It's not quite time for Lone Star Conference play, but MSU currently leads the stats of the three other teams that have started their seasons. Texas A&M International, Lubbock Christian and UT Permian Basin all began play on Thursday. The Mustangs were the only team not to give up a goal to result in a positive goal differential for the day. The team also leads in goals (3), shots (19), save percent (1.00) and corners (8). Over the weekend, all nine LSC teams will be in action in various match-ups across the United States.

HEAD COACH MICHAEL MEACHUM is beginning his fourth season as head coach of the Midwestern State men's soccer program. This will also be his tenth year overall at MSU including his first seven as an assistant. As Doug Elder's right-hand man, Meachum helped the Mustangs reach two NCAA Regional finals and the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament. After taking the helm, the Bethany College graduate pushed the team to LSC Conference Tournament Champions in 2019 and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2019. Meachum has coached at many levels including NAIA at Bethany College (Kan.) and Hastings College (Neb.), Division I at Oral Roberts and Division II at Northeastern State and Midwestern State.

SERIES WITH THE HAWKS

The two teams have a long history on the pitch. Dating back to 1988, Midwestern State and Rockhurst played every year and sometimes twice in a season. However, the first battle between the two started in 1975 when the Hawks took home a 3-0 win in the only neutral site game in the series. From there, Midwestern State has faired better at home, going 2-3-1 versus 1-4-2 on the road. In the most recent games, MSU and RU played to a 2-2 draw in 1999 and a 1-1 tie in 1998. Overall, a total of 17 goals have been scored in the series with more to come in Saturday's game.