[Soccer] Soccer Gameday Preview: Men's and Women's Soccer Falcons host Tabor in regular season ...

The Lowdown: Tabor College at Friends University

Location: Adair-Austin Stadium, Wichita, Kan.

Start time: Oct. 26, MSOC – 6 pm, WSOC – 8:30 pm

Live Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/

MSOC Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3Fm1S1z

WSOC Live Stats: https://bit.ly/3W5Zz8v

Flying with the Men's Soccer Falcons

The Friends University Falcons won both matches this past week to improve to .500 overall on the season at 7-7-2 and are now tied for third in the KCAC with a 6-2-2 conference mark.  The Falcons got second half goals from Juan Zamora (SR/LaBelle, Florida) and Guilherme Oliveira (JR/Sao Paulo, Brazil) to best KWU 3-1 Wednesday night (Oct. 19) before a career performance of two goals and two assists from Christian Raffinengo (JR/Wichita, Kan. ) was just enough for a 6-5 shootout victory at Sterling College last Saturday (Oct. 22).

Zamora, the Falcons' leading goal-scorer the past three seasons, is again on top in the category with 13 scores in 2022 while recording five assists. He is currently tied for fourth in the KCAC in both points (27) and goals.

Sora Shibata (FR/Tokyo, Japan) is second on the team with nine goals and Oliveira has a team-high six assists on the season.  

Felipe Garcia (FR/San Jose, Costa Rica) has started 12 games this season at goalkeeper for Friends and has a 2.76 goals-against-average while ranking fourth in the KCAC with 68 saves.

Adrian Losa (SO/Spring, Texas) has also seen action in five matches in the net for the Falcons, with three starting assignments. Losa has made 20 stops with a 2.21 GAA on the year.

Dish on the MSOC Bluejays

The Tabor College Bluejays fell 2-1 at home to Bethel College last Saturday (Oct. 22) to check in at 6-7-2 overall and 3-5-2 in the KCAC.

Sam Butler has a team-high six goals on the season, with Ander Bengoetxea and Owen Bellamy each leading the Bluejays with three assists.

Jesus Rondon has been solid in the net this season for the Bluejays and is currently second in the KCAC in GAA (1.52) and fifth in saves (64).

Quoting Friends MSOC head coach Bryan Perez:

"Big game for us. Tabor is a team we struggled with last year. We understand what they can do and what this game means in the standings. We worked hard this whole year for this opportunity."  

Postseason scenarios: With a 6-2-2 conference record, the Men's Soccer Falcons are currently tied for third in the KCAC with the University of Saint Mary and just ahead of McPherson College. The Falcons are set to play at USM on Saturday (Oct. 29) to close out the regular season. Finishing in the top four in the league is critical, as the top four seeds host a KCAC postseason quarterfinal match.

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 61 career goals.  

MSOC Series vs. Tabor: The Men's Soccer Falcons have come out on top in seven of the past 10 meetings vs. Tabor.  This is the first visit from the Bluejays to Wichita since 2019 and only the second in the past six seasons. Friends won 4-1 over Tabor in the last matchup at Adair-Austin Stadium.   

Flying with the Women's Soccer Falcons

The Friends University Falcons rebounded from a setback vs. Kansas Wesleyan University with a 3-0 victory at Sterling College last Saturday (Oct. 22). Two scores from Keily Larosee (SO/Las Vegas, Nev.) along with a goal and assist by Elyssa Salazar (SR/Garden City, Kan.) gave the Falcons the necessary offense for the victory. Friends is now 9-4-2 overall and in the fourth spot in the KCAC with a 6-2-2 conference record. The top four seeds are assured of a home quarterfinal match in the upcoming KCAC postseason tourney.

Larosee leads the Falcons with nine goals this season, while Yairee Perez (SO/Arlington, Texas) is second on the team with four scores. Hanon Nakagami (FR/Urayasu City, Japan) has dished out a team-high four assists on the season for the Falcons.

Maria Smyth (JR/Fairplay, S.C.) leads the Falcons with 13 starts in the net and ranks fifth in the KCAC in both goals-against-average (1.28) and save percentage (.754).  

Dish on the WSOC Bluejays

The Tabor College Bluejays have won two straight and are unbeaten in their past four matches, coming in at 7-7-2 overall and 5-3-2 in the KCAC.

Payton Eskridge has been the engine behind the Bluejays' offense this season, leading the team with 10 goals while ranking fifth in the KCAC with six assists. Tabor has also received five goals and four assists from Marie Seeger.

Goalkeeper Ashly Johnson is third in the league in saves (76) and has a 2.27 GAA during her 1350 minutes in the net this season for the Bluejays.

Quoting Friends WSOC head coach Brent Hobson:

"We are looking forward to the game against Tabor, as it's our last home game. Ian has done well with his group and usually has a team that defends well. We have challenged our players on a few adjustments this week and they've responded really well in training."    

WSOC Series vs. Tabor: The Falcons are 7-3 in the last 10 meetings vs. Tabor and have won three of the last four matchups in Wichita during that stretch.  

Postseason scenarios II: The Falcons enter tonight's matchup vs. Tabor College as the fourth seed in the KCAC at 6-2-2 in the league. Ottawa University is next, with Tabor just a game behind the Falcons in sixth at 5-3-2.  The top four teams at the end of the regular season will host a KCAC postseason tournament quarterfinal match.  

Second Half Warriors: The Falcons have made it a habit to produce when it's needed most, as they're 7-0-2 all eight times the score is tied at halftime this season.

Men's Soccer Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 7-7-2

KCAC: 6-2-2

Home: 3-4-1

Away: 4-3-1

When scoring one goal: 0-1-2

When scoring two goals: 1-2

When scoring three goals: 3-0

When scoring 4+ goals: 3-1

When allowing one goal: 3-0-2

When allowing two goals: 1-0

When allowing three goals: 1-3

When allowing 4+ goals: 1-3

When leading at halftime: 4-2-1

When trailing at halftime: 1-2

When tied at halftime: 2-3-1

When leading in shots-on-goal: 3-0-1

When trailing in shots-on-goal: 3-7-1

When shots-on-goal are tied: 1-0

Women's Soccer Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 9-4-2

KCAC: 6-2-2

Home: 4-3-1

Away: 5-1-1

When scoring one goal: 2-1

When scoring two goals: 4-1

When scoring three goals: 3-0

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: 0-3

When leading at halftime: 2-0

When trailing at halftime: 0-4

When tied at halftime: 7-0-2

When leading in shots-on-goal: 8-0

When trailing in shots-on-goal: 1-4-2

Up Next: Both Soccer Falcon programs will wrap up the 2022 regular season at the University of Saint Mary on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 29). The Women's Soccer Falcons will start at noon, followed by the Men's Soccer Falcons at 3:30 pm.

Purchase tickets to catch the Men's and Women's Soccer Falcons' regular season home finale tonight at Adair-Austin Stadium!