Game Notes: Men’s Soccer and No. 8 UNOH to Meet Tuesday in WHAC Semifinals

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 — WHAC SEMIFINAL MATCH
#RV Marygrove (12-6-1) at #8 Northwestern Ohio (14-4-0)
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Racer Soccer Field — Lima, Ohio
Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats (Live video coverage begins at 1:45 p.m.)

BY THE NUMBERS
2: Seventh-year head coach Matt Johnson and the Marygrove men’s soccer team will play in the program’s second (2) Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament Semifinal when they take the pitch in Lima, Ohio on Tuesday (Nov. 10) opposite No. 8 Northwestern Ohio. The Mustangs and host Racers kick at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

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 started all 18 regular season matches – Talal Hamodi and Jeff Okerstrom.

5: The Mustangs enter Tuesday’s WHAC Semifinal contest with the longest active winning streak in the league at five (5) matches. The five-match streak began on Oct. 21 with a 5-3 over Siena Heights in Detroit and has continued through the conference playoffs. The Mustangs have posted three shutouts while outscoring the opposition 11-4 during the current league-best streak.

MUSTANG REWIND
Lourdes was up to the task in Saturday’s (Nov. 7) WHAC Quarterfinal contest in Detroit, but the first-year program was shut down by the Mustangs stifling defense as keeper Ayman Youssef earned his fourth clean sheet of the season in the 1-0 home playoff victory. Gbenga Ayanwale tallied his third game-winning goal in as many games to help lift the Mustangs into the conference semifinals.

HOME SWEET HOME!
The Mustangs improved to 8-1-0 at home on the season with a 1-0 triumph over the sixth-seeded Lourdes Gray Wolves in Saturday’s (Nov. 7) conference tournament opener. The eight-win home campaign is a program record, toppling the old mark of six set in 2013 and 2014. The Mustangs’ eight home wins also helped the team achieve a new program record of 12 victories in a single season.

SCOUTING NO. 8 UNOH
A dominating quarterfinal performance by Sergio Royo and the No. 8 Racers sent seventh-seed Lawrence Tech home for the year to the tune of an 8-0 final tally on Saturday. Royo recorded two goals and a pair of assists in the 8-0 rout to earn the Racers the right to host the third-seeded Mustangs in the conference semifinals on Tuesday (Nov. 10). The win was a rebound for the Racers after the Mustangs upended the then-No. 4 team in the country, 2-1, in Detroit on Oct. 31 behind an Ayanwale golden goal.

THE MARYGROVE-UNOH SERIES
The Mustangs picked up their first win of the brief series with a 2-1 overtime victory over Northwestern Ohio on Oct. 31. The Mustangs and Racers will meet for only the fifth time in series history when Tuesday’s WHAC Semifinal arrives as both teams continue to battle for the coveted WHAC Championship.

DID YOU KNOW?
The winner of Tuesday’s WHAC Semifinal between Marygrove and UNOH will be the host of the WHAC Championship match after top seed Davenport lost on Saturday night to eight-seeded Madonna, 1-0. The championship match is set for Saturday (Nov. 14) at the site of the highest remaining seed.

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.

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 22 and 16 points, respectively. Expect fellow seniors Haider Alzayadi, Gaoussou Cisse, Moussa Diallo, Ali El Habhab and Khalid Suleiman to play a huge role as well.

THE WHAC PLAYOFF PICTURE
There was a shakeup in the WHAC Playoff picture thanks to an upset on the other side of the bracket. Eighth-seed Madonna used a late goal to upset reigning NAIA National Champion and top seed Davenport, 1-0, to survive and advance into the WHAC Semifinals. Madonna will visit Aquinas on Tuesday (Nov. 10) in a matchup of the eight and four seeds, while second-seed Northwestern Ohio will host the third-seeded Mustangs with the winner earning the right to host the tournament championship match.

AROUND MUSTANG ATHLETICS
It’s crossover season and that means another busy week is ahead across the Marygrove athletics landscape. The men’s basketball team will play four games this week – three at home – while the women’s hoops squad will host one game and play a total of three over the course of the week.

THE MUSTANG SPORTS NETWORK (MSN)
The Mustang Sports Network is your home for all live video and live audio coverage of Marygrove athletics. Find broadcasts on marygrovemustangs.com/live!

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