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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team will host No. 25 Lake Erie College in a non-conference match to open the 2021 season1 p.m. Thursday at James Egli Field.
COVID-19 FAN INFORMATION
• Fans should not attend any events if you are experiencing any symptoms or feeling ill.
• Masks are
REQUIRED inside all buildings on the SRU campus, regardless of vaccination status.
• Fans are encouraged, but not currently required, to wear masks at SRU outdoor events.
• Fans are encouraged to social distance when possible at events.
LIVE COVERAGE
Live in-game statistics will be available for all home Slippery Rock soccer games
HERE.
MATCH DETAILS
Opponent: Lake Erie
Date: Thursday, Sept. 2 – 1 p.m.
Location: James Egli Field
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: Twitter (
@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: Lake Erie leads 3-2-1
Last Played: Sept. 7, 2019 Lake Erie won, 3-0
LAST MEETING
Lake Erie struck first in the 24th minute when Ameer Saade scored on a cross from Sander Van der Sluijs on the way to a 3-0 victory. Sander Van der Sluijs went on to score another goal while Tom Akinola added the game's final goal.
SERIES HISTORY
The Storm lead the all-time series against SRU, 3-2-1. SRU is 1-1-1 when playing Lake Erie on the road and holds a 1-2 record at home. This will only be the second time in the series that Slippery Rock has hosted The Storm at Egli Field.
SLIPPERY ROCK PRIMER
2019 Record: 8-9-2
2019 PSAC West Record: 5-5
Postseason: PSAC Tournament (First Round)
2019 Home Record: 5-2-1
2019 Away Record: 3-7-1
Last Five Games of 2019: 2-3
2021 Preseason Poll: Picked to finish fourth in PSAC West
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm | Fourth year at SRU (14-19-4)
SCOUTING THE ROCK
SEASON OPENERS: The Rock traditionally preforms well in season openers holding a 44-28-6 (.564) record with its most recent result being a 1-1 tie against Cedarville in 2019.
WILHELM RETURNS: Kevin Wilhelm, a Rock men's soccer alum, will return for his fourth year as head coach. He looks to continue steering The Rock men's soccer team in the right direction after leading the 2019 squad to eight victories, finishing third in the PSAC West and earning an appearance in the PSAC Tournament.
RETURNING STARTERS: SRU returns five starters and 11 players who appeared in at least 10 games in 2019 including All-PSAC West honorees
Alejandro Fernandez,
Dan Schearer and
Mo Kanani.
SENIOR CLASS: Slippery Rock enters the 2021 season with a six-man senior class made up of Kanani, Schearer,
Nick Iagnemma,
Alex Okuma,
Martell Stewart and
Benjiman Trevino. Kanani, Schearer, Iagnemma, Okuma and Trevino all saw action in more than half the matches of 2019.
ROCK SOLID DEFENSE: The Rock returns four members of a defense, including Kanani, Schearer, Trevino and
Nathan Kortyna, that ranked second in the PSAC shutouts with eight and fourth in goals allowed averaging 1.26.
KEY OFFENSIVE COMPONENTS: SRU has the pleasure of welcoming back seven players who scored at least one goal in 2019 for the upcoming season including leading scorers Fernandez (12 points, 5 goals, 2 assists) and
Ramses Minaya (8 points, 3 goals, 2 assists).
Brian McCarthy set up The Rock's offense two years ago with a team-leading four assists.
TIMELY STRIKES: All three of Kanani's goals in 2019 were game-winning goals in 1-0 Rock victories.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Since Wilhelm's inaugural season in 2018, The Rock has tallied a 4-1-1 (.667) record when hosting non-conference matches at Egli Field along with outscoring opponents 16-3 with four matches being shutouts.
THIS WEEK IN ROCK HISTORY
Sept. 1, 2001: The Rock upsets No. 25 C.W. Post in double overtime.
Sept. 3, 2017: SRU secured its first win with a 2-0 shutout victory against Lake Erie. Anthony Werth put SRU ahead early in the first half while Kyle Boyer later found the net in the second half solidifying the win.
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Sept. 5 1:00 p.m. at Findlay
Sept. 8 4:00 p.m. vs Walsh
Sept. 11 3:30 p.m. vs Daemen
Sept. 15 12:00 p.m. at District of Columbia
Sept. 22 4:00 p.m. vs Lock Haven
LAKE ERIE PRIMER
USC Poll: 25th
2020 Record: 5-5
2020 G-MAC Record: 5-5
Postseason: G-MAC Tournament (Quarterfinals)
2020 Home Record: 2-4
2020 Away Record: 3-1
Last Five Games of 2020: 2-3
2021 Preseason Poll: Third in G-MAC
Head Coach: Louie Rolko | Fourth season at Lake Erie (37-26-4)
SCOUTING THE STORM
Lake Erie was projected to finish third in the G-MAC for the 2021 season. During a shortened 10-game 2020 season Lake Erie finished 5-5 while recoding 1.9 goals per game while allowing 1.2 per contest.
2019 G-MAC coach of the year Louie Rolko returns as head coach for the 2021 season. Joining Rolko on his roster is leading scorer Aden Von Essen (14 points, 5 goals, 4 assists), Daniel Utgaard (5 points, 2 goals, 1 assist) and four other players who scored a goal.
UP NEXT
The Rock hits the road for a match against non-conference opponent Findlay 1 p.m. Sept. 5.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on Twitter (@Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
