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MSOC: HCU opens inaugural OVC campaign with road swing

Huskies travel to rival UIW on Thursday followed by first-ever meeting with Liberty



HCU at UIW
  • Thursday - 6:30 pm (Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium - San Antonio)
  •  ➡️ LIVE STATS
HCU at LIBERTY
  • Sunday - 12 pm CT (Osborne Stadium - Lynchburg, Virginia)
  • ➡️ LIVE STATS ➡️  ESPN+ 
HCU will hit the road for a pair of matches to open up the inaugural Ohio Valley Conference schedule, facing rival Incarnate Word on Thursday in San Antonio and then heading to Lynchburg, Virginia for a Sunday matinee against Liberty.

The Huskies are 2-4-2 on the season after dropping their final pair of non-conference matches last week. HCU managed just one goal in the two contests, falling on Wednesday at Grand Canyon 3-1 before dropping a 3-0 decision at Pacific on Saturday night.

D'Alessandro Herrera and Ryan Okeraryi pace the HCU attack, each with a trio of goals on the season. Herrera is tops on the squad with seven total points, and the pair are tied for fourth in the OVC in goals.

Ricardo Garcia is the team leader in assists with three, good for second in the league. The other goals for HCU have come from Thomas Wyke and Sam Zeeman, the latter of which leads the team in minutes, having not left the pitch in eight contests.

HCU's defense has been strong most of the season. The Huskies allowed just seven goals in their first six matches before the tough go out west last week. Goalkeeper Alex Aitken is the NCAA leader in goalie minutes played, fourth in saves per game at 5.75 and third in total saves. He is second in the OVC in save percentage at .780 on the year.

On Thursday, the Huskies travel to San Antonio to take on a UIW squad with an identical 2-4-2 record. The Cardinals are coming off a 4-2 home win over Gonzaga on Sunday. 

The series with Incarnate Word is the second most played in HCU history, with the Cardinals holding a 10-6-1 mark all-time. The Huskies captured the season series last season, the final for both clubs in the WAC, with a 2-0 win at Sorrels Field and a 2-2 road draw.

The Cardinals have three players sitting on two goals each in senior forward Paco Segura, freshman midfielder Peleg Armendraiz and sophomore forward Sello Diphoko. Freshman midfielder Miles Merritt leads the team with two assists to go with one goal and a team-high 16 shots taken.

Hugo Constant mans the woodwork for the Cardinals. The senior was named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week after the win over Gonzaga, and he carries a 1.43 GAA with 22 saves on the season. 

Sunday afternoon sees the Huskies take on the Flames for the first time ever. Liberty is currently 5-2 on the season and is ranked 33rd in the RPI. Nationally, Liberty ranks 13th in scoring offense with 2.29 goals per outing and 22nd in shots taken with 15.29 per match.

Senior midfielder Luke Eberle leads the OVC in goals (5) and points (11), but is trailed closely by senior forward Michael Huss with four goals and nine points. The Flames boast a pair of keepers in junior Blake Franzen and sophomore Owen Moore who have teamed up to limit opponents to 1.71 goals with a .692 save percentage.

Thursday represents the opening night of OVC play for all eight schools in the league. Other contests in the league on the inaugural evening are:

Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois
Chicago State at Liberty
SIU-Edwardsville at Southern Indiana

HCU vs. UIW will be available via Live Stats only, while Sunday's contest can be followed with Live Stats or on ESPN+. 

The Huskies will return home to Sorrels Field the following week for another pair of conference matches against USI and EIU.

#DawgsUp 
 
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