No. 25 Tiger Men's Soccer heads back to the Paul for their second week of conference play to take on the University of Dallas and the Austin College Roos.
The Tigers got off to a hot start in conference play against Southwestern, taking the match 4-0.
Adam Knutson (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) would find the back of the net for his team-leading sixth goal of the year. Both
Luke Mayfield (Dallas, Texas / JJ Pearce) and
JonConnor Rule (San Antonio, Texas / Johnson) showed off their ridiculous soccer skills by scoring goals, one with their back turned and one off a running header. Junior
Chen Adjei (Euless, Texas / Trinity) would sink the ship of the Pirates when he found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the year. The Tigers would then take on the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs, where it would be a battle of the unbeaten. The Tigers would put six shots on the goal, but none would get past the keeper. The Tigers would fall 0-2, the first time that a team had stopped the Tiger offense all season.
United Soccer Coaches Rankings
Tiger Men's Soccer sits in the number 25 spot after last week's loss to TLU. The top two spots remain the same, with Messiah University occupying the top spot. Conference rival Texas Lutheran now occupies the number 19 spot.
Weekend Preview: Conference at The Paul
The Tigers will begin their conference home campaign starting on Friday, October 6th at 8:00 PM against the University of Dallas and then on Sunday, October 8th at 2:30 PM against Austin College.
On the Dallas Crusaders: The Crusaders hold a 1-6-2 (0-1 SCAC) record thus far in 2023. The Crusaders took their first win on September 10th against the University of the Ozarks, but have gone 0-4-1 since then. The Crusaders dropped their first conference game to Austin College by a score of 2-1. While the offense has been sparse for the Crusaders, the sophomore duo of Alex Melgoza and Luke Wilmington lead the way with two goals each, so the Tiger defense will key in on stopping them. The Tigers hold a 19-3 record against the Crusaders since 2011, taking nine of the previous ten matchups. In the 2022 match, the Tigers decimated the Crusaders by a score of 8-0.
On the Austin Roos: The Roos bring in a 6-3 (1-0 SCAC) record into the Paul. The Roos started the season on a good note, going 3-0. They have since gone 3-3 in their last six games. The Roos claimed victory in their most recent game against the University of Dallas by a score of 2-1. The Roos have had some good defensive games in 2023, notching two shutouts in their nine matches. The Tigers will need to game plan to slow down junior forward Louis Catchpole, who ranks 8th in the country in goals per game (1.25). The Tigers are 23-1 against the Roos since 2009, taking last year's matchup by a score of 3-1.
Looking Ahead: Roadies
After their short stint at home, the Tigers get back on the road and travel to Kerrville to take on Schreiner on Saturday, October 14th. Then, the Tigers will take their first trip out of state when they go to Colorado Springs to take on Colorado College on Friday, October 20th.
