[Soccer] Soccer Falcons set to host a pair of nationally-ranked OKWU squads tonight
The Lowdown: Oklahoma Wesleyan University at Friends University
Location: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.
Start time: Oct. 12, WSOC – 6 pm, MSOC – 8:30 pm
Live Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/
WSOC Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3EAWsPC
MSOC Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3er3USY
Flying with the Women's Soccer Falcons
The Friends University Falcons kept up their smothering defensive effort in a 2-0 victory at the McPherson College Bulldogs Saturday evening (Oct. 8). Maria Smyth made three saves as the Falcons have now allowed just one goal in the past 663 minutes of play. Yairee Perez snapped a scoreless tie with the eventual game-winner early in the second half before Estrella (Reyna) Meraz scored at the 77:43 mark to finish off the win.
Keily Larosee leads the Falcons with seven goals this season, while Perez is now second on the team with four scores. Hanon Nakagami has dished out a team-high four assists on the season for the Falcons.
Maria Smyth leads the Falcons with nine starts in the net this season, ranking third in the KCAC in both goals-against-average (0.94) and save percentage (.784).
Dish on the WSOC Eagles
The No. 6-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles have been a juggernaut this season, producing unbeaten marks of 12-0 overall and 7-0 in the KCAC.
The Eagles have three of the top four goal scorers in the league, led by Laura Maria's 33 goals. Maria is also tops in the KCAC with 14 assists on the season. Naroa Domenech is third in the conference with 14 goals, followed by Joelle Meister in fourth with 12 scores. Along with Maria, the Eagles also boast three of the top five players in assists, with Juliana Viera ranking second (nine assists) and Summer Miles tied for fifth (five assists).
At goalkeeper, Nerea Perez Mora is tops in the KCAC in both GAA (0.09) with just one goal allowed in over 548 minutes in the net. Perez Mora has needed to make just nine saves on the season but is first in the league in save percentage (.966).
Quoting Friends WSOC head coach Brent Hobson:
"There is no hiding it's a big game for us. OKWU has been the top team in the conference the last few years so we are looking forward to the challenge. We have to play as a team for 90 minutes and stick to our game plan we've worked on this week."
WSOC Series vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan: As is the case with the entire league, the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles have gotten the better end of the recent series with the Friends University Falcons. The Eagles have won the past five meetings between the two schools, including a 3-0 win in the 2019 KCAC tournament championship match at Stryker Complex.
Save the Day: Two of the top goalkeepers in the KCAC will be highlighted when the Women's Soccer Falcons face the Eagles. Nerea Perez Mora leads the KCAC in both goals-against-average (0.09) and save percentage (.966), while the Falcons' Maria Smyth ranks third in both categories (0.94 GAA, .784 save percentage).
Second Half Warriors: The Falcons have made it a trend to produce when it's needed most, as they're now 7-0-1 all eight times the score is tied at halftime this season after winning 2-0 following a scoreless first half at McPherson College Saturday (Oct. 8).
Flying with the Men's Soccer Falcons
The Friends University Falcons suffered their first conference defeat of the season after coming up just short in a 3-2 setback at McPherson College Saturday night (Oct. 8). The Falcons are now 5-6-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the KCAC.
Zamora, the Falcons' leading goal-scorer the past three seasons, is again on top in the category with nine scores in 2022 while also ranking tied for the team-lead with five assists. He is currently fourth in the KCAC in points (23) and tied for fourth in goals.
Sora Shibata is second on the team with six goals and Guilherme Oliveira has five assists to tie Zamora for the team lead.
Felipe Garcia has started eight games this season at goalkeeper for Friends and has a 2.52 GAA and is fourth in the KCAC with 47 saves.
Adrian Losa has also seen action in five matches in the net, with three starts this year for the Falcons. Losa has made 20 stops with a 2.21 GAA.
Dish on the MSOC Eagles
The No. 20-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles are 7-4-1 overall and rank second in the KCAC with a 6-1 league record.
The Eagles sport the leading scorer and top distributor in the KCAC, as Stefan Cvetanovic has a conference-leading 19 goals while Matheus Ferreira leads the league with 12 assists.
Ilija Catic has started 10 games at goalkeeper this season for OKWU and has made 25 saves while ranking third in the league in GAA (1.54).
Quoting Friends MSOC head coach Bryan Perez:
"OKWU as we all know has fantastic players. We have to compete together and stay disciplined for 90 minutes. We are looking forward to the challenge."
Golden Record: Juan Zamora netted his 50th career goal in the Falcons' 3-0 victory at Benedictine College earlier this season. The LaBelle, Fla. native has since added to his modern-era record and now has 57 career goals.
MSOC Series vs. Oklahoma Wesleyan: The Men's Soccer Falcons are 2-3 vs. OKWU in the past five meetings. The Eagles have won three straight in the series, but the Falcons won both matchups in 2019, highlighted by capturing the KCAC tournament championship at Stryker Complex.
Women's Soccer Falcons by the Numbers:
Overall: 8-2-1
KCAC: 5-0-1
Home: 4-1-1
Away: 4-1
When scoring one goal: 2-1
When scoring two goals: 4-1
When scoring three goals: 2-0
When scoring 4+ goals: 0-0
When allowing one goal: 2-0
When allowing two goals: 0-1
When allowing three goals: 0-0
When allowing 4+ goals: 0-1
When leading at halftime: 1-0
When trailing at halftime: 0-2
When tied at halftime: 7-0-1
When leading in shots-on-goal: 7-0
When trailing in shots-on-goal: 1-2-1
Men's Soccer Falcons by the Numbers:
Overall: 5-6-1
KCAC: 4-1-1
Home: 2-3-1
Away: 3-3
When scoring one goal: 0-1-1
When scoring two goals: 1-2
When scoring three goals: 2-0
When scoring 4+ goals: 2-0
When allowing one goal: 2-0-1
When allowing two goals: 1-0
When allowing three goals: 1-3
When allowing 4+ goals: 0-2
When leading at halftime: 3-1-1
When trailing at halftime: 1-2
When tied at halftime: 1-3
When leading in shots-on-goal: 3-0
When trailing in shots-on-goal: 1-6-1
When shots-on-goal are tied: 1-0
Up Next: Both Soccer Falcon programs will be at Ottawa University next Saturday afternoon (Oct. 15). The Women's Soccer Falcons will start at 1 pm, followed by the Men's Soccer Falcons at 3:30 pm.
Catch the Men's and Women's Soccer Falcons all season long at Adair-Austin Stadium with a season-ticket package!