FRISCO, Texas – Midwestern State concludes non-conference play with two matches at Toyota Soccer Complex this week. The Mustangs face Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) on Thursday at 5 p.m. and meet Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Midwestern State (2-1-3) is coming off a 2-2 draw at Southern Nazarene as Dereck Espinal converted a penalty kick in the 43rd minute, and Jaime Villagomez scored his second goal in as many games in the 52nd minute. Southern Nazarene rallied for the draw with two goals in the final 12 minutes of the match.

Villagomez was named the Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The senior from El Paso scored his first collegiate goal in the 8th minute against St. Mary's, and MSU held on for a 1-0 victory in the non-conference match, which wrapped up a three-match homestand.

Villagomez and Parker Plaxco each have two goals and an assist and lead the Mustangs with five points apiece. Davis Mays and Liam Pritchard each have a goal and an assist. Espinal and Cooper Tea have scored goals, while Ethan Krchnak and Skyler Krchnak each have an assist through the first six matches of the season. 

Plaxco is second in the LSC and 27th in the nation with 1.8 shots on goal per match, and Tea is fifth in the league with 1.2 shots on goal each outing for the Mustangs.

Midwestern State is averaging the third-most shots in the Lone Star Conference with 13.8 attempts per game and is fourth in the league with five shots on goal per contest.

The attack-minded Stangs are 13th in the nation and second in the conference with 6.8 corner kicks per game. 

Goalkeeper Danny Robles has started the last three matches for the Mustangs and has a goals-against average of 1.00 with a save percentage of .800

Neither Northwest Nazarene (3-1-1) or Western Oregon (4-1-1) have met Midwestern State on the pitch. Both schools are members of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and Western Oregon is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25.

Northwest Nazarene

The Nighthawks had a four-match unbeaten streak snapped with an 8-1 loss to No. 5-ranked Fort Lewis in Durango, Colorado, on Saturday. 

Since starting the season with a 0-0 draw against MSU-Denver, Northwest Nazarene has not played in a match with fewer than six goals scored. Prior to the loss at Fort Lewis, the Nighthawks had outscored opponents 13-9.

Northwest Nazarene and Midwestern State have two common opponents this season. Northwest Nazarene defeated Westminster, 4-2, and edged Colorado Mesa, 4-3. The Mustangs defeated Westminster, 1-0, and played Colorado Mesa to a 1-1 draw in its season opener.

Rylan McPherson has scored six goals this season to lead the Nighthawks. The freshman from Meridian, Idaho, scored twice against Colorado Christian and Colorado Mesa, and he has scored at least once in each of the last four matches. McPherson has scored on 6-of-7 shots on goal and has only taken nine shots through five matches.

Goalkeeper Gerardo Fonte has a goals-against average of 3.41 and a save percentage of .568 with a 3-1-1 record for the Nighthawks, who were picked to finish fifth out of the six GNAC teams in the preseason coaches' poll.


Western Oregon

Western Oregon was picked to win the GNAC in the preseason coaches' poll and posted four consecutive clean sheets following a 3-0 win over Cal Poly-Humboldt on Saturday.

The Wolves have outscored their opponents, 9-2, and have not allowed a goal since their 3-1 victory over Hawaii Hilo on Sept. 8. UC Merced defeated Western Oregon in the season opener, 1-0. Western Oregon defeated Colorado Mesa, 2-0, and slipped past Westminster, 1-0. 

The Wolves played No. 8-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo to a 0-0 draw last week in Monmouth, Oregon.

Alex Grignon leads Western Oregon with three goals and two assists this season. Yahir Ocampo Navarro and Abraham Villalobos have each scored twice for the Wolves. Marco Figueroa and Marcus Vazquez each have two assists for Western Oregon.

Justin Stewart has been the primary goalkeeper for Western Oregon and is 3-1-1 in five starts. He is responsible for two three of the clean sheets and has only allowed two goals while making 15 saves for a save percentage of .882. Stewart has a goals-against average of 0.40. Austin Valdez made four saves and got the shutout against Westminster on Sept. 13.

Midwestern State returns home for its conference opener on Oct. 1 as St. Edward's visits Stang Park for a 7 p.m. kickoff.