Weekly Notes: Local WHAC Derby at Madonna Ahead Wednesday Afternoon

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
Marygrove (9-6-1, 6-2-1 WHAC) at Madonna (8-4-4, 3-4-2 WHAC)
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Madonna Athletic Complex — Livonia, Mich.
Coverage: Live Stats (Madonna Coverage)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
Marygrove (9-6-1, 6-2-1 WHAC) vs. No. 5 Northwestern Ohio (13-2-0, 9-0-0 WHAC)
Time: 3 p.m.
Location: Marygrove Soccer Field — Detroit, Mich.
Coverage: Live video, audio and stats (coverage begins at 2:45 p.m.)

BY THE NUMBERS
35: Seniors Abdoulie Jallow and Oneil Robinson have been two of the more prolific scorers in the WHAC since their arrival in the conference in 2012. This season, Jallow and Robinson have combined for 35 points on 14 goals and nine assists. Jallow paces the Mustangs with eight goals while Robinson follows closely behind with six net-finding tallies. 

3: The Mustangs entered the 2015 campaign with arguably the most depth on their roster in the seven-year history of the program. The depth has shown throughout the season as the Mustangs have used numerous lineups to combat the opposition. Only three (3) Mustangs have started all 16 matches – Gaoussou Cisse, Talal Hamodi and Jeff Okerstrom.

15: Strong starts have been the key to success this season for seventh-year head coach Matt Johnson and the Mustangs. Through 16 matches, the Mustangs have outscored the opposition in the first half, 23-8. The 23-8 mark lifts the first-half goal differential to 15 for the Mustangs, good for one of the best opening-45 stat lines in the conference.

MUSTANG REWIND
The Mustangs swept last week’s competition, earning a 5-3 win over Siena Heights on Wednesday (Oct. 21) and a 2-0 shutout victory over Cornerstone on Saturday. Wednesday’s win was paced by a combined nine-point day out of Mario Morana and Oneil Robinson, while Saturday’s shutout was led by keeper Ayman Youssef, the Mustang defense and a game-winning tally from Abdoulie Jallow.

HOME SWEET HOME!
With a pair of home victories last week, the Mustangs improved to 6-1-0 at home this season. The team’s only loss came in overtime to non-conference opponent Saint Xavier (Ill.) after the Mustangs failed to convert a penalty kick for the win with 25 seconds remaining in regulation. The Mustangs have not only won at home, but have dominated on their native pitch by outscoring the opposition, 23-7.

SCOUTING MADONNA
It’s all about defense for the Madonna Crusaders as the Blue and Gold enter the week with an 8-4-4 record on the season, surrendering a mere 16 goals through 16 contests. Junior keeper Marcel Schmid is one of the best not only in the WHAC but across the NAIA landscape, entering the week with a stifling 0.94 goals against average and a .824 save percentage. On the attack, Amadou Cisse, Felipe Lupion and Nick Peper have combined for a third of the team’s goals (8-of-24) with Cisse leading the way at five goals.

THE MARYGROVE-MADONNA SERIES
Marygrove and Madonna will meet for the fifth time on Wednesday (Oct. 28) as the Mustangs aim to secure a home playoff bid in the WHAC. The Mustangs and Madonna have only met once in Livonia, with the Crusaders taking a 5-3 comeback decision over the Green and Gold. 

DID YOU KNOW?
Head coach Matt Johnson is the fastest to 50 wins of any coach in Marygrove College history. Johnson and the Mustangs sit at 54 wins in program history entering the week.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN OHIO
The University of Northwestern Ohio Racers are one of the top teams in the country, garnering a No. 5 ranking in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Poll off of a 13-2-0 overall mark and a 9-0-0 record in the WHAC. The No. 5 Racers present terrific balance with Sergio Royo and Sean Latimer tallying 13 and 12 goals, respectively, while Liam Davies has recorded seven shutouts in net.

THE MARYGROVE-UNOH SERIES
The brief three-match series between the Racers and Mustangs have all went in favor of the team from Ohio. The Racers, 3-0 against the Mustangs, have outscored the Green and Gold 17-0 throughout the three-match stretch, including a 5-0 decision in Detroit on Oct. 9, 2013. Last season, the Mustangs lost 7-0 but featured mainly reserves as the team rested for the WHAC Playoffs.

THE WHAC PLAYOFF PICTURE
We apologize, but the following paragraph won’t clear much up as far as WHAC standings are concerned. With a pretty foggy picture as to who will make the playoffs and what seeds will be nailed down by teams, the WHAC postseason picture is more of a puzzle at this point. If the Mustangs can pull off a big win at Madonna on Wednesday (Oct. 28), the Green and Gold will sit comfortably in third-place, earning a first-round home match in the Motor City for the second consecutive season.

THIS WEEK IN MUSTANG HISTORY
On Oct. 27, 2012, Marygrove men’s soccer defeated Davenport University at home on Senior Day behind two goals from Abdoulie Jallow and a game-winner by all-time leader scorer and current assistant coach, Jordan Berry. Former Mustang Malcolm Brinker earned the win in net to cap off his career.

THE MUSTANG SPORTS NETWORK (MSN)
The MSN is back for another year of live video on marygrovemustangs.com/live, this time with expanded coverage including multiple cameras and added talent!

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