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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team will conclude the 2019 regular season on Senior Day as it welcomes No. 5 Gannon University for a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division matchup 12 p.m. Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to Saturday's contest against Gannon, Slippery Rock will honor the 2019 senior class of
Matt Hunsberger,
Luke Picchi and
Anthony Werth for their contributions to the program.
MATCH 17 DETAILS
Opponent: Gannon University
Date: Nov. 9 – 12 p.m.
Location: Mihalik-Thompson Stadium l Slippery Rock, Pa.
Watch: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (
@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Slippery Rock leads 23-15-2
Last Played: Oct. 9, 2019 (Gannon won at home, 2-1, in overtime)
LAST MEETING
No. 12 Gannon defeated Slippery Rock, 2-1, at home in overtime. SRU opened the scoring in the 6th minute when
Nathan Kortyna netted a pass from
Brian McCarthy to give The Rock an early 1-0 lead.
The Golden Knights responded with two unanswered goals with the first coming in the 36th minute when Alex Lee Yaw scored off a free kick to tie the game at 1-1, sending the contest to overtime.
GU secured a 2-1 overtime victory when Ivan Manfredi scored in the 103rd minute off a pass from Yaw.
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock leads the all-time series 23-15-2. SRU owns a 10-8-2 mark in home games against Gannon. The Rock has a 6-3-1 record over the last 10 contests against Gannon.
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
Overall Record: 8-7-2
PSAC West Record: 5-4-0
PSAC West Standings: Third (Clinched PSAC Tournament berth)
Home Record: 5-1-1
Away Record: 3-6-1
Last Five Games: 4-1-0
Streak: W1
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm l Second Season at SRU (14-17-4)
SCOUTING THE ROCK
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LAST TIME OUT – Slippery Rock defeated Pitt-Johnstown, 3-0, on the road to secure its first PSAC Tournament berth since the 2015 season.
Abdallah Bangura opened the scoring for SRU in the 26th minute with his team-leading seventh goal of the season to give The Rock an early 1-0 lead. McCarthy added to the Slippery Rock lead when he scored his first collegiate goal in the 36th minute to extend the SRU advantage to 2-0.
Picchi secured a 3-0 road victory when he scored for the second time this season in the 59th minute.
Hunsberger recorded one save before being relieved by
Derek Hoffman in the 75th minute, splitting duty in what was the eighth shutout victory for SRU this season and the fourth in the last five games.
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CLINCHED – With the 3-0 road victory over Pitt-Johnstown, SRU returns to the postseason for the first time since winning the conference championship in 2015.
Over the past 10 seasons, Slippery Rock has reached the postseason seven times including two trips to the NCAA Tournament.
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PSAC PLAYOFF PICTURE – With a playoff berth locked in, a scenario exists where Slippery Rock could climb into the No. 2 seed in the PSAC Western Division standings.
Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst are guaranteed to meet in the PSAC quarterfinals with the location and time of the game still to be determined.
Should SRU defeat Gannon on Saturday and Mercyhurst University ties or loses to California University (Pa.), The Rock would claim the second seed in the PSAC West.
At the end of the regular season, the top-three teams based on point total in the PSAC West and PSAC East will advance to the conference tournament.
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SEASON OF GROWTH – The 2019 season has been a year of significant growth for the Rock men's soccer program. SRU's eight wins this season are the most its recorded since winning 14 games in 2015.
On offense, Slippery Rock has improved in scoring with 28 goals this season. SRU's 28 goals are the most it has scored since the 2015 season (40 goals) after scoring only 17 times last season.
On defense, SRU has allowed only 17 scores this season with an opponent's average of 1.00 goals per game.
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IT STARTS AT THE TOP – Rock men's soccer head coach
Kevin Wilhelm took the reins of the program in 2018 after Slippery Rock went 5-10-3 in 2017. After finishing with a 6-10-2 record in 2018, SRU will finish with a .500 or better win percentage this regular season for the first time in four years.
Wilhelm's 14 wins through 35 games are the most for a Rock men's soccer coach since Andy Hoggarth (2014-15) won 22 times through his first 35 contests as head coach.
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BOUNCE BACK – The 3-0 win over Pitt-Johnstown improved The Rock's record following a loss this season to 5-1-1 this season.
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ROCK SOLID DEFENSE – With the shutout victory over UPJ, SRU now has eight shutout victories this season along with allowing only one goal in two games this year.
The Rock's 17 goals allowed and 1.00 opponents scoring average in 2019 are tied for the third best mark in the PSAC this season.
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LEADING THE WAY – Bangura leads the way for the Slippery Rock offense with a team-high 16 points on seven goals and two assists.
Alejandro Fernandez is second for SRU on offense with 12 points on five goals and two assists.
McCarthy has guided The Rock offense with a team-best four assists while
Sean Tinney is second with three this season.
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KEEPER COUNT – In goal for Slippery Rock this season, Hunsberger has a .828 save percentage with a 0.95 goals against average and 72 saves. The senior has recorded a shutout in four of the last five games.
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PSAC LEADERS – Bangura is tied for the most game-winning goals in the PSAC this season with four while ranking second in shots on goal at 31. The sophomore's 52 total shots are the third most in the conference in 2019.
Mo Kanani is tied for the second most game-winning goals with three this year.
Among PSAC goalkeepers, Hunsberger is first in save percentage, second in total saves, tied for second in shutouts, third in goals allowed and fourth in goals against average.
As a team, Slippery Rock is one of only five teams in the PSAC with a positive scoring margin this season (+0.65). SRU has scored 28 goals this season while allowing opponents to score 17 times, tied for the third-best mark in the conference.
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HOME SWEET HOME – Slippery Rock returns home to conclude the 2019 regular season after a two-game road trip. In home games this season, SRU has a 5-1-1 record while outscoring opponents 17-4.
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AT MIHALIK-THOMPSON STADIUM – SRU will head up the hill from James Egli Field to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium for the regular season finale against Gannon. Over the past five seasons, The Rock has a 7-2-1 record at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, outscoring opponents 21-4.
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AGAINST GANNON – Nathan Kortyna leads the scoring attack for SRU against Gannon with a goal scored earlier this season with McCarthy adding an assist.
In one career start against the Golden Knights, Hunsberger had four saves and two goals allowed in 102:52 minutes played.
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ROUNDING OUT THE ATTACK – Werth, Kanani and
Ramses Minaya are tied for third for SRU with three goals each this season. Picchi is next, scoring twice this year while Kortyna, McCarthy,
Nick Sodini,
Dan Schearer, and
Nick Iagnemma round out the scoring attack with one goal apiece this season.
Bangura, Fernandez, Minaya and
Ale Okuma are third in assists for Slippery Rock with two each in 2019 followed by Kanani, Picchi and Sodini who round out the assist leaders for The Rock with one each.
THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY
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Nov. 13, 2009 – No. 12 Slippery Rock defeats Mercyhurst, 3-2, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to secure a program record 18th win of the season.
POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
Nov. 12 (TBD) Mercyhurst - Location TBD
GANNON PRIMER
Overall Record: 15-1-0
PSAC West Record: 8-1-0
PSAC West Standings: First (Clinched No. 1 seed in PSAC West)
Home Record: 8-1-0
Away Record: 7-0-0
Last Five Games: 5-0-0
Streak: W9
Head Coach: Billy Colton l First Season at Gannon (15-1-0)
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
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Last time out: Gannon defeated Mercyhurst, 3-2, in overtime to capture the PSAC Western Division regular season title.
Alex Lee Yaw opened the scoring in the 45th minute for his conference-leading 11th goal of the season to give GU a 1-0 lead. Mercyhurst responded with two scores at the 44:36 and 52:05 mark to take the 2-1 lead.
The Golden Knights tied the game in the 90th minute on a goal by Sergio Del Castillo to tie the score at 2-2 and send the contest to overtime. Ben Andrews scored the game-winner just 37 seconds into the first overtime period to clinch the PSAC West No. 1 seed for Gannon.
• Yaw leads the way for Gannon on offense with 31 points on 11 goals and nine assists. Castillo is second with 16 points on six goals and four assists this season.
• In goal for the Golden Knights, Chandler Hallwood has a .814 save percentage along with a 0.70 goals against average and 48 saves.
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock will return to action on Nov. 12 in the quarterfinal round of the PSAC Tournament against Mercyhurst. Should SRU defeat Gannon and Mercyhurst loses or ties California, Slippery Rock would host Mercyhurst.
If Gannon defeats The Rock or Mercyhurst defeats Cal U., SRU would travel to Mercyhurst for the quarterfinal round.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics), Instagram (RockAthletics) and Snapchat (@RockAthletics).
