League Play Begins for Men's Soccer

Saturday, Sept. 28 Schedule:

3:00 pm – Milwaukee at Detroit
7:00 pm – Valparaiso at Wright State
7:30 pm – Oakland at Cleveland State
8:00 pm – UIC at SUI Edwardsville

INDIANAPOLIS – In the fifth weekend of men’s soccer action, Horizon League play opens with three conference matchups on Saturday, Sept. 28. After an exciting pre-season of last second victories, game-winning saves and overtimes, the games intensify as a bid to the Horizon League Tournament is now on the line where the top six teams in the League will compete. The eventual Horizon League Tournament champion will then automatically advance to the NCAA Tournament.

In this year’s preseason rankings, Cleveland State edged out the voting of the League’s head coaches to be the favorite going into the season. The defending Horizon League tournament champions were then followed by Milwaukee and Oakland, both finishing in a tie for second. Detroit, the 2012 regular season champions, was next in the poll tying with UIC for fourth place. To round out the rankings, Wright State held the sixth spot followed by Valparaiso in seventh and Green Bay in eighth.

3:00 pm – Milwaukee at Detroit

Detroit (0-3-4) will host Milwaukee (6-0-1) on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. on Titan Field to open Horizon League play for both teams. The Panthers look to stay unbeaten through eight games for the first time since 1985 while the Titans begin their regular season title defense.

Matchup History

Milwaukee leads the all-time series against Detroit 12-8-4, with the Titans edging out the Panthers 1-0 in 2012.

Last Time Out

Milwaukee Panthers:  The Panthers were victorious against Western Illinois and Western Michigan, with shutouts in both games. Milwaukee has recorded shutouts in three straight games and freshman goalkeeper, Liam Anderson, is carrying a scoreless streak of 281:11 into the weekend. This past week, the Panthers received votes in the NSCAA national poll and rank No. 6 in the NSCAA Great Lakes regional poll.

Detroit Titans: Detroit competed at home this past weekend pulling out a draw with Buffalo and lost to Canisius on a penalty kick late in the game. The Titans are still looking for their first victory of the season but will celebrate their 2012 regular season championship by unveiling the championship banner before Saturday’s match.

7:00 pm – Valparaiso at Wright State – HLN

Valparaiso (3-1-3) travels to Dayton, Ohio for a pair of games starting with conference foe Wright State (1-4-1) Saturday, Sept. 28. This will mark the second League game for the Crusaders and be the first for the Raiders. The game will have free live video available through the Horizon League Network.

Matchup History

The game Saturday will mark the 12th meeting between the two teams; the Raiders hold a 8-3-0 series advantage over the Crusaders.

Last Time Out

Valparaiso Crusaders: Valparaiso suffered its first loss of the season against #12 Tulsa last Friday but bounced back Sunday with a convincing win over Western Illinois. The Crusaders stayed ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA Great Lakes region poll this week.

Wright State: The Raiders are coming off of two straight losses in weekend and mid-week play against Northern Kentucky and Duke. Wright State has competed well in every game this season, with each loss resulting in the same 2-1 outcome.

7:30 pm – Oakland at Cleveland State – HLN

Oakland (2-2-4) travels Ohio to take on Cleveland State (3-5-0) Saturday, Sept. 28 at Krenzler Soccer Field. The Vikings are the defending Horizon League Tournament champions and this will mark Oakland’s second League game for the program.

Matchup History

Oakland leads the all-time series 1-0 and this will be the first Horizon League matchup between the two teams.

Last Time Out

Oakland Golden Grizzlies: Oakland is coming off of a mid-week 0-0 draw against in-state rival Michigan on Tuesday. The Golden Grizzlies’ defense has not allowed a goal in 327:57 of play dating back to Sept. 13.

Cleveland State Vikings: The Vikings split last weekend’s games with a win over Duquesne and loss to Buffalo. Cleveland State has two games left in their four game home stand and head into League play ranked first in the preseason poll.

8:00 pm – UIC at SUI Edwardsville

The Flames compete in their third road contest of the season as take the pitch against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Matchup History

Meeting four times previously, the Flames hold a series advantage of 2-1-1 against the Cougars.

Last Time Out

UIC:  Last week, UIC collected shutout wins against nationally-ranked Gonzaga Friday and IPFW Sunday. The Flames won the UIC Soccer Classic with the two victories over the weekend.