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MSOC: Huskies travel to take on two at top of the table

Thursday at Lindenwood followed by quick turnaround against league leader SIUE on Saturday



HCU at Lindenwood HCU at SIUE
  • Saturday - 7 pm (Ralph Korte Stadium)
  • ➡️ LIVE STATS  ➡️ ESPN+ 
HCU hits the road for a pair of matches versus teams at the top of the table in the Ohio Valley Conference. It will be a quick turnaround on the trip as Thursday's match at Lindenwood is followed quickly by a Saturday evening affair at SIU-Edwardsville.

The Huskies are coming off a 1-0-1 week that saw them draw with Southern Indiana 1-1 at Awty Stadium before returning home for a resounding 4-1 victory over Eastern Illinois, it's first in OVC action this season.

Now 3-5-4 overall, the Huskies sit smack dab in the middle of the OVC standings at 1-1-2. The Huskies continue to be paced by sophomore D'Alessandro Herrera, who leads the squad in goals (5), assists (5) and points (15). He is currently second in the league in goals and assists, and leads the OVC in points. He has taken 25 shots on the year, with 12 coming on goal and ranks second in the conference in points per game at 1.25. 

Freshman Ryan Okerayi is seventh in the league in goals with four and has nine points while carrying a .500 shots on goal percentage on the season. Freshman Ricardo Garcia is second on the club with three assists, while sophomore Sam Zeeman continues to lead the defensive effort, having missed just one minute of action in 12 matches thus far. 

Jordan Santa Cruz stepped into the woodwork last week for his first career starts, and posted a 1-0-1 mark while making four saves. Alex Aitken, the primary goalkeeper, is first in the OVC and 13th in the nation in saves with 50 and also ranks second in the league in saves per game (5.00) and save percentage (.725).

HCU's travels will take it first to St. Charles, Missouri to face Lindenwood, who are currently 5-4-3 overall and 2-1-1 in the league. The Lions went 1-0-1 as well last week, handing SIUE its first conference blemish with a 2-2 draw last Thursday in Edwardsville. LU followed that up with a 1-0 win at Chicago State. 

Lindenwood averages 1.67 goals per game with a .468 shot on goal percentage. The Lions are led by freshman forward Jens Haulkeland (2g / 4a / 8pts) and senior defender Cole Huston (4/0/8). Junior forward Ethan Blake (3/0/6) joins them in the offensive attack, one that has seven players with four points or more. 

Freshman keeper Enzo Gil has made 10 starts and holds a 1.09 goals against average, with 21 saves on the season while facing 85 shots. 

No real rest awaits on the trip, however, as the Huskies will hit the pitch again on Saturday evening against the Cougars, who currently sit tied top of the table with UIW at 3-0-1 on the season. SIUE is still unbeaten overall on the campaign at 8-0-3, and earlier in the season spent some time in the NCAA Top 25 poll.

The Cougars have been stellar on both ends of the pitch this season, amassing 24 goals in 11 games while allowing just seven, and carrying a .487 SOG%. 

Last week's OVC Offensive Player of the Week Mitchell Murphy leads the charge for SIUE. The graduate forward ranks first int he league in both shots and shots on goal, and is tied for second with five goals. Alsadiq Hasan is also tied for second in the league in goals with five, and sits one point behind Murphy with 10. 

Manning the net is graduate keeper Sam Gomez, who has played every minute through the team's 11 contests. He is first in the league in GAA at 0.64, a mark that also ranks 10th in the nation. He has made 39 saves and posted five clean sheets on the season, earning him OVC Goalkeeper of the Week honors five times in seven weeks. 

Both matches can be seen on ESPN+ or followed via LIVE STATS.

Following this pair of games, the Huskies will return to Sorrels Field for the "home stretch" as HCU will play three of its final four regular season matches at Fondren Road. 

#DawgsUp 

 
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