Men's Soccer Teams Looking for Separation

Three weeks of Horizon League matches have not provided much separation in the standings. Entering Saturday's four League games, four teams are within a single win of the top spot, which is presently occupied by both Valparaiso and Cleveland State.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m. ET - Butler at Detroit - Live Stats
With chances dwindling to make up ground on the teams in front of them, Saturday's match between Butler (6-7-2, 1-3-1 Horizon) and Detroit (5-9-1, 1-4-1 Horizon) feels like a de facto elimination game.

The Bulldogs and Titans are both presently sitting on four points, three back of UIC for the sixth and final spot in the playoffs. Emotions will be running high at Titan Field as Mike Chiandussi, Nate Robinson, Otieno Victor, Ya Ya Toure, Sam Seppo and Julio Castillo celebrate Senior Day.

Butler led League leader Cleveland State, 1-0, after 45 minutes on Wednesday, but two second half goals prevented the Bulldogs from keeping pace with UIC.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. ET - Green Bay at Wright State - Horizon League Network | Live Stats
The hottest team in the Horizon League, Green Bay (9-5-1, 4-2-0 Horizon) takes a five-match winning streak to Alumni Field where they will meet Wright State (7-6-2, 3-2-1 Horizon). The match could go a long way towards determining a future tournament tiebreaker, as the Raiders presently trail the Phoenix by two points for third place in the League.

Sam Krenzien fueled Green Bay's midweek win over Detroit, notching his first career hat trick in a 3-1 win. Krenzien's performance lifted him into a team tie for the goals lead with five, matching Tony Walls' output.

The Raiders dropped a Wednesday match at UIC, giving up two goals in the final seven minutes of play. Wright State has been led by Bryce Rockwell-Ashton (5 goals, 3 assists) and Justin Laird (5 goals, 1 assist).

Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. ET - Loyola at Milwaukee - Live Stats
Having not won a match in nearly a month, Milwaukee (5-8-2, 2-2-2 Horizon) is trying to hang on to a postseason bid; Loyola (3-11-1, 1-5-0 Horizon) is one of the teams trying to track them down when they meet at 8 p.m. ET from Engelmann Stadium.

Milwaukee entered October with a 5-4-0 mark, including a 2-0-0 League mark. Since Oct. 1, however, the Panthers have gone 0-4-2 overall and 0-2-2 in League play.

Both teams will rely on their playmakers to put points on the board, as Milwaukee turns to Robert Refai and Loyola Brian Bement. Refai ranks third in the Horizon League with seven goals, while Bement leads the Ramblerst with four goals in his freshman campaign.

Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. ET - UIC at Valparaiso - Live Stats
Coming off a dramatic win at home, UIC (8-4-3, 2-2-1 Horizon) will try to solve one of the stingiest defenses in the Horizon League when they head to Valparaiso (8-5-3, 4-0-1 Horizon). The Crusaders are sitting in the driver's seat in the Horizon League, tied atop the League standings with Cleveland State, but having two more League matches to try and collect points.

UIC was locked in a scoreless duel with Wright State on Wednesday before its two leading scorers struck in the game's final 10 minutes. Eric Frzier netted the game-winner, his eighth goal of the year, while Ivan Stanisavljevic collected his ninth of the season to seal the result.

Valparaiso has not allowed a goal since Oct. 9, turning in four straight blank sheets, going 3-0-1 in the process. Kyle Zobeck has recorded all four shutouts, earning League Player of the Week honors in the process. The Crusaders will have plenty of motivation for the match, as it serves as a fundraiser for 2010 Valparaiso graduate and former men's soccer player Rodalfo 'Rudy' Lucas, who suffered a stroke this past summer.

Sunday, Oct. 30, 3 p.m. ET - Canisius at Cleveland State - Horizon League Network | Live Stats
Cleveland State (7-8-1, 4-2-1 Horizon) is off from League play this weekend, and after a midweek win at Butler, the Vikings host Canisius at Krenzler Field. Wednesday's win kept the Vikings tied atop the Horizon League with 13 points, though CSU has just one League match left.