SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team will hit the road to play Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division member Lock Haven University 3 p.m. Wednesday.
 
The Rock enters with an 0-1-1 record after dropping their home opener to Walsh University Saturday, 3-0. The Bald Eagles sit at .500 entering Wednesday's contest at 1-1-1.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Wednesday's game live and on-demand for free via the links below provided by Lock Haven Athletic Communications.

GAME 3 of 17
Opponent: Lock Haven
Date: Wednesday — 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Hubert Jack Stadium
Location: Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Lock Haven Athletic Communications
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)

SERIES HISTORY VS. LOCK HAVEN
Wednesday will mark the 74^th meeting between The Rock and the Bald Eagles, a series that dates to 1952. SRU trails in the all-time series 32-35-6. When playing at Lock Haven, Slippery Rock is 17-19-1. The Rock have not lost on the road to Lock Haven since 2010, going 4-0-1 in their last five trips.

LAST MEETING
Slippery Rock hosted Lock Haven on Sept. 22, 2021, losing the contest, 3-1. Ramses Minaya put The Rock up 1-0 at halftime with a 39^th minute goal. The second half was lopsided in the Bald Eagles' favor, though, as they outshot The Rock 7-0 and tacked on three goals from three different scorers. Lock Haven's second half heroics were due in part to their 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 0-1-1
Home Record: 0-1-0
Away Record: 0-0-1 
Last Five Games: 0-4-1
Streak: L1
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm | Sixth season at SRU (25-41-9)

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock dropped its home opener to Walsh, 3-0. In a match that saw a combined nine yellow cards and one red card, Walsh opened the scoring in the 14^th minute. The Cavaliers doubled their lead 12 minutes later. Walsh held a first half advantage in corner kicks, 8-1. Despite a more balanced second half, Slippery Rock was only able to muster one shot on goal for the entire game, courtesy of Ryan Hanes. The Cavaliers scored their third and final goal in the 78^th minute. Slippery Rock had been outshot 10-6 by the final whistle.   

POTENTIAL OFF THE BENCH
A bright spot for The Rock this season has been Aashi Pandher, a freshman from Brampton, Ontario. Pandher led the way for Slippery Rock against Walsh with a game-high two shots. Pandher tabbed his first career shot on goal last Wednesday in the team's season opener at the University of the District of Columbia.

EAST AGAINST WEST
Wednesday's meeting with Lock Haven will be Slippery Rock's first of three games against PSAC East opponents. The Rock have gone 1-3-1 in their last five PSAC crossover games. Last year, Slippery Rock lost to Shippensburg University 3-0 and tied Shepherd University 1-1.

MINDING THE NET
Adam Davies faced a career-high 10 shots against Walsh, making four saves. He also had to stand strong in the net against Walsh's 10 corner kicks. Coming into the battle with Lock Haven, Davies' GAA is 2.50, and his save percentage, .643 on nine total saves.

DEFENSIVE ATTRITION
Will Harrigan and Gabin Lonjard are the only two defenders to have played all 90 minutes of both games so far for SRU. Joe Skillicorn has played all 180 in his midfield position, adding one shot. The Rock has found strong defensive substitutes in the likes of Jack Smith, who has appeared in both games in 2023.

THE LEADERBOARD
With nobody scoring points against Walsh, Arturo Pla Hernandis and Aitor Jorde are still tied for team-best with two points, each with one unassisted goal. Pla Hernandis has taken a team-high four shots. Pandher has three shots, and Jorde and Ignacio Rullan have two. No Rock player has yet to take more than one shot on goal.

A CLEAN RECORD
Despite two very physical games, Slippery Rock has committed the least number of fouls in the PSAC, only fouling six times against both UDC and Walsh. The Rock has also been flagged down for offsides only four times, second in the PSAC.
 
OPPORTUNITIES APLENTY
A week into the season, The Rock finds itself third in the PSAC West in corner kicks per game with 3.5. Gannon and Mercyhurst lead the way with 5.75 each. Slippery Rock has totaled seven corners in two games, five against UDC and two versus Walsh.
 
ACTIVE SRU ROSTER vs. LOCK HAVEN
No active member of the Slippery Rock roster has recorded any points against the Bald Eagles. Luke Gildea is the only player with a shot against Lock Haven, with one, coming in 2021.
 
THE RING OF HONOR
The 2023 Slippery Rock soccer Ring of Honor class will be inducted Sept. 15 at the Russell Wright Alumni House & Conference Center. Tobias Bowser, Anthony Paganie, Thomas Priester and the 1974 men's soccer team will be recognized at halftime Saturday against Shippensburg. For a full preview, CLICK HERE.

THE BALD EAGLES BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 1-1-1
Home Record: 0-1-0
Away Record: 1-0-1
Last Five Games: 2-1-2
Streak: W1
Head Coach: Patrick Long | Seventh season at Lock Haven (49-46-16, .514)

LOCK HAVEN SCOUTING REPORT
The Bald Eagles enter the contest at 1-1-1, most recently defeating D'Youville University 7-1. That match marked the largest win for Lock Haven since their meeting with the Saints in 2022, in which they won 9-0.
 
Lock Haven will be playing its third PSAC crossover game of the season after tying California (Pa.) 1-1 and dropping its lone home game to Mercyhurst 1-0.
 
Along with Tom Pombar who scored against the Vulcans, Lock Haven had six different scorers against D'Youville. Nick Ritter, a freshman who has yet to start a game, led the way with two goals and one assist.
 
Pombor, Kade Black and Austin Kravetz are all tied for fourth in the PSAC in shots on goal, with five apiece.
 
Brady Freiwald has been the Bald Eagles' go-to goalie, a redshirt junior from Altoona, Pennsylvania. Freiwald's .697 GAA and .800 save percentage are both fifth best in the PSAC.
 
The Haven is led by head coach Patrick Long in his seventh season. Long, a former Lock Haven men's soccer team captain, has coaching experience at PSAC member East Stroudsburg University as well as Division I Bucknell University.

LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will return home Saturday at 3 p.m. to face another PSAC East opponent in Shippensburg. The Rock fell 3-0 to the Raiders last season on the road. Saturday's match will honor this year's Ring of Honor class and celebrate the program's 90^th anniversary.
 


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