The 2016 college soccer season is well underway. How are City’s collegiate players faring so far? Let’s take a look…
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE: The Cardinals are on a roll, currently riding a six-match win streak after recently defeating rival Northwood, 1-0, on Oct. 9. Troy Watson (Sr.), Tyler Stephens (Sr.), Jordan Kalk (Sr.) and Andrew Dalou (So.) have all played major roles in the team’s success, with Stephens, Watson and Dalou starting in all 11 matches for SVSU. Before beating Northwood, the Cardinals topped No. 12 Tiffin, 2-1, in the dying minutes of regulation on Oct. 5. The Cardinals sit in second place in the GLIAC table behind Tiffin with a 7-2 conference record. Looking ahead, SVSU takes on Findlay at home on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Kickoff is at 3:30 PM. Follow SVSU soccer on Twitter here.
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY: The University of Detroit Mercy Titans currently sit at 1-7-4 overall, coming off a 2-2 draw with UIC on Oct. 8 that snapped a three-match losing streak. Spiro Pliakos (Jr.) is tied for the team-lead in goals with three in nine matches played. Pliakos is also tied for the most points with seven. Robbie Beckwell (R-Jr.), has started 11 matches for the Titans. He recorded seven saves in UDM’s draw with UIC. The Titans sit in eighth place in the Horizon League table. The Titans will look to get a positive result against Wright State at home on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff at Titan Field is at 4 PM. Follow UDM soccer on Twitter here.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: The Wolverines are 2-6-4 overall and 1-4-1 in the Big Ten Conference. After back-to-back 2-0 wins over UDM and Penn State, the Wolverines’ most recent result was a 1-1 draw at Rutgers on Oct. 7. Brett Nason (Sr.) has featured in all 12 matches for the Wolverines, while Billy Stevens (Jr.) has featured in all but one match. In the last three matches, Evan Louro (Jr.) has recorded a 0.31 goals-against average. Louro has an overall save percentage of 74 and ranks first in the Big Ten in goalie minutes played (1,196). UM hosts No. 1 Notre Dame in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is at 7 PM. Follow UM soccer on Twitter here.
MORE TEAMS TO WATCH:
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks are enjoying a six-match win streak, most recently coming off 0-0 draw with FIU on Monday, Oct. 10. South Carolina is 7-3-1 on the season and 2-0-1 in C-USA play. Danny Deakin (Sr.) leads the team in points with 14, tallying five goals and four assists in 11 matches. In South Carolina’s 2-1 victory over Marshall on Oct. 2, Deakin fired a 25-yard free kick into the back of the net to score the match-winner in the 79th minute. The Gamecocks currently sit in second place in the C-USA table with seven points, behind Charlotte with nine points.
Next up, South Carolina hosts UAB on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff is at 7 PM. Follow the Gamecocks soccer team on Twitter here.
SEATTLE PACIFIC: The Seattle Pacific Falcons are 3-3-5 on the season and 1-1-4 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action, riding a five-match unbeaten streak. Cody Lang (Sr.) has started all 11 matches for the Falcons, with a 1.53 goals against average. Seattle Pacific is coming off a 3-2 win over Concordia (Ore.) on Oct. 8.
Lang and his team host GNAC opponent Saint Martin’s on Oct. 13. Kickoff is at 7 PM PT. Follow Seattle Pacific on Twitter here.
ALBION: The Albion Brits are 6-6 overall on the season and are tied for fourth place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings with a 5-3 record. Bobby Budlong (Jr.) has featured in all 12 matches for the Brits and has tallied three goals and two assists.
Albion is coming off a 2-1 win at Trine on Oct. 8. Next, the Brits host Olivet on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Kickoff is at 7 PM. Follow Albion soccer on Twitter here.
GARDNER-WEBB: The Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs are 3-7 overall this season and 1-2 in Big South play. Redshirt senior Ali Al-Gashamy (Sr.) leads his team in goals and points with six and 14, respectively. Al-Gashamy has also started all 10 matches.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back 1-0 losses, and will look to notch a win on Oct. 12 at Georgia Southern. Kickoff is at 6 PM. Follow Gardner-Webb soccer on Twitter here.
XAVIER: The Xavier Musketeers are 3-1-0 in the Big East and 6-3-2 overall, posting two consecutive shutout wins against Cleveland State and St. John’s on Oct. 4 and Oct. 8, respectively. Matt Nance (Jr.) has started all 11 matches for the Musketeers. Next, the Musketeers visit Belmont on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 PM. Follow Xavier soccer on Twitter here.
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO: Alec Lasinski (So.) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after scoring two goals in Loyola’s last two matches. Lasinski scored in the 59th minute in a 2-0 victory against DePaul on Oct. 4 and opened the scoring in a 4-0 win over Drake on Oct. 8. He has featured in all 11 matches for Loyola and is tied for team-best in goals with five.
Loyola is 10-1-0 overall and 4-0-0 in conference play. The Ramblers visit Evansville on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff is at 6 PM. Follow the Ramblers on Twitter here.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY: City head coach Ben Pirmann, City goalkeeping coach Bret Mollon and former City coach Cale Wassermann and the MSU Spartans are 3-1-1 in the Big Ten Conference, sitting in second place in the standings. The Spartans are riding a four-match unbeaten streak, most recently playing to a 1-1 draw against Wisconsin on Oct. 9. Next, MSU hosts Akron on Tuesday, Oct, 11. Kickoff is at 4 PM. Follow MSU soccer on Twitter here.
