GREENWOOD, Ind. – A look around the Great Midwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer landscape through two weeks into the regular season.
Quick Hits:
Alderson Broaddus and Cedarville co-lead the G-MAC standings (non-divisional) at a perfect 2-0-0…Ohio Valley snapped a 17-match win streak by beating Pitt-Johnstown in its season opener…OVU then beat future G-MAC 2017-18 member Ohio Dominican, the program’s first 2-0 start since joining the NCAA Division II ranks…Ironically, OVU’s last win also came against Pitt-Johnstown towards the tail end of the 2013 season…Trevecca Nazarene came back from two goals down against OVU in Thursday's action to win, 4-2...The G-MAC is 12-13-3 overall while stacking up with an 8-10-2 mark against non-conference opponents…The conference has also had six overtime contests, the exact same number through the season-to-date in 2014…The G-MAC has also split against Indianapolis and Bellarmine (1-1 vs. each).
Supreme Single-Game Superlative:
Salem International’s Javier Ruiz had a hat trick and change against Pikeville in the Tigers’ season opener back on Sept. 3…Ruiz scored four goals and assisted on another…His nine points tied a single-game G-MAC record since James Pucci (D&E) had the same output vs. Kentucky Wesleyan in 2013 and Jose Noriega (ABU) vs. Ohio Valley, also in 2013…SIU also set a single-game G-MAC team record in assists vs. Pikeville with 10 helpers.
Fill The Stands:
A total of 430 fans turned out to watch a competitive double-overtime affair between the G-MAC’s Kentucky Wesleyan and Southern Indiana on Sept. 3...That ranks as the league's best total in the year to date.
G-MAC Leaders:
Gilmour is off and running with G-MAC Athlete of the Week honors and easily paces the conference in goals and points...He is the early frontrunner to keep his current offensive player of the year title…KWC junior midfielder Isaiah Hagan has three assists, tops in the league…Cedarville keeper Paulo Pinto has pitched three shutouts already while OVU’s Carlos Rubio, the first G-MAC Athlete of the Week, has a conference-best 26 saves.
Looking Ahead:
There is still plenty of conference action remaining in the regular season with both teams playing each other twice in the G-MAC calendar…The six-team G-MAC Championship field will be pared down towards the end of next month while tournament quarterfinal action officially starts on October 31…Cedarville and Alderson Broaddus won’t be on a collision course until an Oct. 3 meeting…Non-conference action will be limited, but AB has a chance to bring down No. 2 Charleston in Philippi on Oct. 7…
Rising Rookies:
A strong veteran presence is evident through all seven rosters around the league…Six of the seven goalkeepers logged extensive playing time in 2014...German rookie Niklas Rasch-Hegelund made a splash for Davis & Elkins in his college debut, scoring the first goal of the soccer season in a 2-1 win vs. Indianapolis…D&E freshman defender Friedrich Peters has also started all four games and is one of three players with a goal apiece.
Helium Watch:
The Battlers of AB have won four straight matches and have yet to experience defeat…On the impressive resume includes non-conference wins against Cal (Pa.) and a come-from-behind win against Mercyhurst…Dangerous playmakers Deshawn Parker and Marco Perfumo are at it again…Alec Andall is a perfect 2-for-2 on PK’s, including converting the game winner vs. Mercyhurst…Head coach Scott Phipps’ defense is stingy and the goalkeeping combo of Felix Son Vu and Ricard Lao has only needed to make a combined nine saves through five games…AB is decisively justifying its position based on the league’s coaches as the No. 2 pick in the preseason poll.
Re-Writing Records:
Gilmour has 33 goals since 2013 for the Yellow Jackets, trailing only former Davis & Elkins standout James Pucci for the most goals accumulated while in the G-MAC…Pucci registered 38 in just two seasons…Gilmour has also moved into second all-time in G-MAC history in points past former KWC standout Christakis Agisilaou…The senior forward also has two game winners, including one in OT vs. 2016 future G-MAC member Malone.
On the National Radar:
Alderson Broaddus and Cedarville have both tangled with No. 16 Tiffin to overtime draws…AB tied the Dragons, 1-1, on Sept. 4, while CED dueled to a 1-1 stalemate on Sept. 15…Salem International took on Tiffin and were edged by a more-than-respectable 1-0 score on Sept. 6…As of Friday, Cedarville’s Connor Gilmour tied for second nationally in goals scored (7), only trailing Lynn’s Chris Hellmann (8)…Gilmour also ranks fifth nationally in points (15)…SIU ranks ninth nationally as a team in assists and 11th in goals scored.
NCAA Championship Watch:
Without an automatic qualifier available for the sport of men's soccer in the national tournament, the G-MAC, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) are fighting for Midwest Region respect…The G-MAC will be looking to send its first-ever representative to the tournament field of 35; keep an eye on the first set of regional rankings to be announced in October.