Weekly Notes: Home WHAC Quarterfinal Ahead on Saturday as Men’s Soccer Preps for Lourdes

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE VERSION OF WEEK 11 GAME NOTES (PDF)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 — WHAC QUARTERFINAL MATCH
Marygrove (11-6-1, 8-2-1 WHAC) vs. Lourdes (7-6-2, 5-4-2 WHAC)
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Marygrove College Soccer Field — Detroit, Mich.
Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats (coverage begins at 1:45 p.m.)

BY THE NUMBERS
4: Seventh-year head coach Matt Johnson and the Marygrove men’s soccer team will play in their fourth (4) consecutive Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Playoffs when they hit the pitch against Lourdes Saturday (Nov. 7) at 2 p.m. The Mustangs won their first WHAC postseason contest in 2012 but have struggled over the past two years, losing in the first round.

2: 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 two (2) Mustangs have started all 18 regular season matches – 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 18 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 pulled off arguably the best win in program history on Saturday (Oct. 31), a 2-1 overtime triumph over then NAIA No. 4 Northwestern Ohio. Gbenga Ayanwale (Osun State, Nigeria/Atanda International) tucked in his second of two game-winning tallies on the week to defeat Northwestern Ohio while Haider Alzayadi (Simawa, Iraq/Wayne State Univ.) scored the earlier game-opening goal.

HOME SWEET HOME!
The Mustangs end the regular season nearly flawless at home with a 7-1-0 mark on the pitch in northwest Detroit. The team’s only loss came in overtime to 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, 25-8.

SCOUTING LOURDES
The Lourdes Gray Wolves, a first-year program in the WHAC, burst onto the scene in 2015 with a remarkable inaugural campaign. The Gray Wolves ended their first regular season with a 7-6-2 mark overall and a 5-4-2 record in the WHAC. The 5-4-2 conference record propeled the Gray Wolves ahead of six WHAC programs, a sizeable feat for a newborn team. The Gray Wolves possess plenty of firepower up top, but got to the WHAC playoffs behind a suffocating defense that has led to five shutouts this season.

THE MARYGROVE-LOURDES SERIES
The Marygrove and Lourdes series is quite brief due to the fact that the Gray Wolves are a first-year program. The two teams have met once when Lourdes visited the Detroit on Oct. 10, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Mustangs. Abdoulie Jallow and Mario Morana each tallied a goal and an assist in the win.

DID YOU KNOW?
The Mustangs tied their own single-season program record with 11 wins at the end of the regular season. Coach Johnson and the Mustangs won 11 games in 2010 and 2013.

RECEIVING VOTES IN NAIA TOP-25 POLL
More history made! The NAIA National Office released the sixth edition of the Top-25 Coaches’ Poll on Tuesday (Nov. 3) and Marygrove men’s soccer found its way into the receiving votes category for the first time in program history. With the announcement, the Mustangs become the first of any Marygrove athletics program to receive votes in any NAIA poll. Read more regarding the team receiving votes here!

SENIORS DON’T WANT IT TO END
A veteran group led by seven seniors prepare to make one final run at a WHAC Championship and NAIA National Tournament berth. The Mustangs are led by a pair of seniors, Abdoulie Jallow and Oneil Robinson, with 21 and 16 points, respectively. Expect fellow seniors Haider Alzayadi, Gaoussou Cissse, Moussa Diallo, Ali El Habhab and Khalid Suleiman to play a huge role as well.

THE WHAC PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Mustangs enter the WHAC quarterfinal as the conference’s third seed and will play the sixth-seed Lourdes Gray Wolves. The winner of the Marygrove/Lourdes match will move on to the semifinals to face the winner of the (2) Northwestern Ohio and (7) Lawrence Tech contest at the highest remaining seed’s site on Tuesday (Nov. 10). On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded Davenport hosts eighth-seed Madonna while (4) Aquinas prepares for a crosstown showdown with rival (5) Cornerstone Saturday afternoon.

REQUIRED ADMISSION ON SATURDAY
This Saturday’s (Nov. 7) WHAC Quarterfinal match will come with a required admission charge from our conference. General admission will be a $5.00 flat rate for all. Marygrove College community members, with valid college ID, will get in FREE! First kick is at 2 p.m.

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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MEN’S SOCCER CONTACT: Tim Johnston | [email protected]/* */ | @tjohnston56
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