League Ladder Set to be Jumbled Over Weekend

With six teams bunched within a single win of the Horizon League lead, Friday and Saturday will provide a chance for teams to separate themselves from the pack, climb the ladder to the top, or fall behind. All four League matches pit programs that within a game of each other, meaning important tie-breakers will be decided this weekend.

Friday, October 14 - Cleveland State at UIC - 8 p.m. ET (Live Stats)
Two matches into the League season, UIC (6-2-3, 1-0-1 Horizon) faces an important League match, looking up at Cleveland State (5-6-1, 2-1-1 Horizon) in the League standings. The Vikings, by virtue of wins in each of their last two League matches, are tied for first in the conference with Valparaiso and Milwaukee, each holding seven points. The Flames sit a win back, with four points.

A win for the Vikings would put them six points clear of UIC and give them an important tie-breaker, while UIC could thrust itself near the top of the ladder with a victory.

The match will pit one of the League's best offenses against a keeper who seems to be finding his form at the right time, just as he did a year ago. UIC, ranked No. 6 in the NSCAA Great Lakes Region, enters the match with the second-most goals in the League (20), but Cleveland State's Brad Stuver has turned in shutouts in back-to-back matches, leading the Vikings to a 1-0 road win at Pittsburgh and to a 4-0 blanking of Loyola.

Offensively, the Vikings will try to counter UIC's Ivan Stanisavljevic (7 goals, 5 assists) and Eric Frazier (6 goals, 2 assists) with Admir Suljevic, who is tied for third in the League with 13 points. Zack Ellis-Hayden has become an offensive weapon from the defensive position as well, collecting assists in each of the last two matches, helping Aaron Adkins to a hat trick last week against Loyola.

Saturday, October 15 - Detroit at Loyola - 8 p.m. ET (Live Stats)
Both Detroit (4-6-1, 0-2-1 Horizon) and Loyola (2-9-1, 0-3-0 Horizon) will look to jump start their Horizon League seasons on Saturday night when they clash at Loyola Soccer Park.

Detroit has been plagued by injuries over the last month, but are coming off a 2-2 tie with Milwaukee in its last match, rallying for two second-half goals to secure a point. Adam Bedell scored the equalizer in the match, giving him nine points on the year to match teammate Pat Lepera for the team lead. In net, Detroit's Anthony Shepherd paces the Horizon League with 53 saves.

Freshman Brian Bement has been Loyola's most consistent source for goals this year, finding the back of the net on three occasions.

Saturday, October 15 - Wright State at Milwaukee - 8 p.m. ET (Live Stats)
Wright State (6-4-1, 2-1-0 Horizon) will look to bounce back from its first League loss of the season when they meet a Milwaukee (5-6-1, 2-1-1 Horizon) squad in a match that could have seeding implications down the road.

Milwaukee enters the evening in a three-way tie for first in the Horizon League, sitting on seven points with Cleveland State and Valparaiso. Wright State sits a single point behind the trio, having dropped a 1-0 match at home to Valparaiso last Friday night. The Panthers settled for a 2-2 draw at Detroit in their last outing.

The Panthers' League-leading offense (23 goals, 20 assists) will be tested against one of the Horizon League's top keepers, Craig Feehan. Feehan's three shutouts are third in the Horizon League, while his .784 save percentage is the best among the League's goalies. However, Milwaukee's Josh Rohde has proven himself during his five matches in net, collecting 30 saves, including 14 at Michigan State.

Offensively, Wright State will turn to Bryce Rockwell-Ashton, who leads the team with 10 points and is tied for the team lead with Justin Laird with four goals each. Through 12 games, Robert Refai is pacing Milwaukee, serving as the team's leading scorer with 13 points, having scored six goals while adding an assist.

Saturday, October 15 - Butler at Green Bay - 8 p.m. ET (Live Stats | Phoenix Flix)
In a rematch of the last two Horizon League championship games, Butler (5-5-2, 1-1-1 Horizon) heads to Green Bay (5-5-1, 1-2-0 Horizon) for an important League match. Both teams have undergone similar campaigns, adjusting to new coaches while trying to meet the expectations of last season.

The Bulldogs presently sit in sixth in the Horizon League, one point better than the Phoenix. In both 2009 and 2010, the programs met for the Horizon League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with Green Bay grabbing the bid in penalty kicks the first year and Butler turning the tables last season.

Green Bay is being led in scoring by senior Tony Walls (Wauwatosa, Wis.) who has three goals and four assists on the season while classmate Stuart Grable (Neenah, Wis.) leads the Phoenix with five assists and a shots-on-goal percentage of .769.

After a four-match road trip, Green Bay returns home to face a Butler squad that put up a game fight against No. 18 Indiana, falling in late stages, 1-0. Offensively, Butler has relied on Austin Oldham, who leads the Bulldogs with five goals and three assists. Freshman Zach Steinberger is pacing the defending regular season conference champions with four assists.

For the Phoenix, Stuart Grable led the charge in Green Bay's 3-2 win at Tulsa, and his five assists are tied for first in the league. Goalie Ryan Wehking is tied for second among league players with 43 saves while Butler's Jon Dawson has tallied 21 saves on the season while splitting time.

Non-Conference Matches:
Sunday, October 16 - Ohio State at Valparaiso - 2 p.m. ET (Live Stats | Horizon League Network)
With their win at Wright State last week, Valparaiso (5-5-2, 2-0-1 Horizon) is now unbeaten through its first three Horizon League contests of the season, the first time since joining the league prior to the 2007 season that the Crusaders have earned a result in each of their first three league games. The Crusaders will be tested against an Ohio State squad that comes into the match regionally ranked, sitting at No. 8 in the NSCAA Great Lakes Region and holds a 7-5-1 mark. The Horizon League Network will carry the match live at 2 p.m. ET.

Kyle Zobeck will face a Buckeyes team that has scored 22 times in 13 games this season, led by a team-best eight goals from Chris Hegngi.

Sunday, October 16 - Nebraska-Omaha at UIC - 8 p.m. ET (Live Stats)
UIC will wrap up the weekend against a Nebraska-Omaha side in its first full season of Division I men's soccer. The Mavericks are being led offensively by Mo Salama and Logan Mendez, who have each scored one goal. UNO opened the season with a 2-1 win over UMKC, but has not scratched the victory column since.