SALEM, Oregon – No. 6-ranked and unbeaten Midwestern State closes out the non-conference schedule with a pair of games in the Pacific Northwest. The Mustangs tangle with Western Oregon on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT at Pioneer Sports Park and square off with Simon Fraser on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.

Midwestern State (4-0-2) is coming off back-to-back wins over Southern Nazarene and Cal Poly Pomona at Stang Park. The Mustangs won their home opener against the Crimson Storm, 3-1, as Cooper Tea, Jose Ortiz and Alan Rivera all scored goals, and Jake Morris made five saves in the victory.

Parker Plaxco scored with just seven seconds remaining off a long throw from Tanner Tea as the Mustangs dispatched Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday night, 2-1. Plaxco also scored on a penalty kick in the 37th minute. The Broncos tied the game with a PK from Marvin Gamez in the 81st minute of an evenly played match.

Midwestern State extended its unbeaten streak to 17 games, dating back to last season when it won its final 11 games and won the national championship. 

The Mustangs have outscored their opponents this season, 19-6, and have the third-best goal differential among NCAA Division II programs. MSU is third in the nation with 19 goals per game and fifth in the country with 3.2 goals per game. Midwestern State also has the third-most assists in the country with 16. The average of 2.7 assists per game is seventh-most in the nation.

Ortiz is the leading goal scorer for the Stangs with six, which leads the LSC and is fourth-most in the nation. Plaxco has scored three goals, while Lawrence Doe Jr. and Juan David Valencia Vacca have each scored twice for the Mustangs.

Ethan Krchnak leads the team with three assists. Rivera, Cooper Tea, Davis Mays, Oscar Nunez and Tanner Tea all have two assists for Midwestern State.

Goalkeeper Jake Morris has played all 540 minutes for MSU and has a goals-against average of 1.00, and he has an .806 save percentage with 25 saves for the Mustangs. Midwestern State is outshooting its opponents this season 102-71.

WESTERN OREGON (2-1-3)

Midwestern State won its only previous meeting with the Wolves last season in Frisco, 2-0, as Rivera and Liam Kervick scored goals for the Mustangs. Morris made six saves and earned the clean sheet for the Mustangs.

The Wolves are unbeaten in their last three games after defeating Chaminade at WOU Soccer Field on Saturday night, 3-0. Western Oregon played back-to-back draws with Cal State-Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Humboldt.

Western Oregon and Midwestern State have two common opponents this season. The Wolves defeated MSU Denver in Salt Lake City, 3-2, and the Mustangs played a 2-2 against the Roadrunners in Denver. Cal Poly Pomona defeated Western Oregon, 2-1, when the two sides clashed in Pomona earlier this season.

The Wolves are outscoring opponents, 13-10, and average 2.2 goals per game. Opponents are scoring 1.7 goals per game against Western Oregon. 

Archie Dhima has six goals this season for Western Oregon and also has two assists. Dhima, a redshirt freshman from Mill Creek, Washington, is fourth in the nation with 14 points. Ignacio Brandan has three goals and an assist for the Wolves, while Marcus Vazquez has found the back of the net twice this season. 

Eight different players have at least one assist for Western Oregon. Dhima and Issak Abraham each have two assists.

Goalkeeper Austin Valdez has played all 540 minutes for the Wolves this season. He has a .643 save percentage with a 1.67 goal-against average. Valdez has made 18 saves while opponents have unleashed 65 shots, putting 29 of those on frame.

SIMON FRASER (1-1-2)

Simon Fraser won its first three meetings with the Mustangs, including a 2-1 victory in 1977 at the NAIA National Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1982, Simon Fraser ended the Mustangs' season with a 4-0 victory in Wichita Falls. The following year Simon Fraser returned to Wichita Falls and escaped with a 1-0 triumph.  

Midwestern State won its last meeting with the Red Leafs, 3-0, at Stang Park in September of 2021.

Simon Fraser has a three-game unbeaten streak following its 1-1 draw with UCCS at Terry Fox Field. Midwestern State also played UCCS to a 1-1 draw at Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs. The Red Leafs also played Stanislaus State to a 1-1 draw in Turlock, California. The Red Leafs earned their first win of the season at Chico State, 2-1, on Sept 3. Westmont defeated Simon Fraser in the season opener, 2-0.

Opponents have outscored Simon Fraser, 5-4, through the first four games of the season.

Three different players have scored for Simon Fraser this season: Nicholas Mackinnon, Tristan Otuomagie and Koji Poon.

James Daniel Jackson has two assists, and Shahbod Jafary has one helper for the Red Leafs, who will play UT Tyler on Thursday before their meeting with the Mustangs.

Goalkeeper Harrison Gough has played all 360 minutes this season and has a save percentage of .722 with a goals-against average of 1.25. Gough has made 13 saves, including nine against UCCS in his last game.
 

UP NEXT

Midwestern State opens the conference campaign next week in Austin, Texas, as it faces St. Edward's at Lewis-Chen Family Field. Kickoff is slated for Wednesday night at 7 p.m.