SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Fresh off its first victory of the season, the Slippery Rock University men's soccer team will travel for a non-conference test 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Roberts Wesleyan University.
 
Slippery Rock enters the game with a 1-2-2 overall record while Roberts Wesleyan, who will be playing its sixth straight home game, brings a 2-3-2 record into the game.
 
WATCH LIVE
• Fans can watch Saturday's game live and on-demand for free via the links below provided by Roberts Wesleyan University Athletic Communications:

GAME 6 of 17
Opponent: Roberts Wesleyan
Date: Saturday — 3:30 p.m.
Venue: Roberts Stadium
Location: Rochester, New York
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)

SERIES HISTORY vs. ROBERTS WESLEYAN
Saturday will be Slippery Rock's first trip to Roberts Wesleyan in program history. The two sides met for the first time last season at Slippery Rock which resulted in a 3-1 RWU win.

LAST MEETING
The Rock hosted the Redhawks Oct. 4, 2022 in a 3-1 loss. Arturo Pla Hernandis got Slippery Rock on the board first in the 14^th minute on a ball assisted by Alex Plimmer. However, a 38^th minute own goal tied the game. Justin Robertson scored for Roberts Wesleyan just 3:02 into the second half, with an insurance goal coming from Tamas Nagy in the 73^rd minute to secure a two-goal win for the Redhawks.

THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Stats: Link
Roster: Link
Overall Record: 1-2-2
Home Record: 1-1-1
Away Record: 0-1-1 
Last Five Games: 1-2-2
Streak: W1
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm | Sixth season at SRU (26-42-10)

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock broke into the win column Sept. 20 against Daemen University in a 5-2 victory. Pla Hernandis scored the first goal for The Rock in the 28^th minute, taking what looked to be a steady 1-0 lead into the half. The Wildcats would mix things up, though, scoring a 52^nd minute penalty kick to even the contest.
 
A quick response by Pla Hernandis in the 54^th minute would shift momentum again, but not for long, as Elijah Douglas gave Daemen its second equalizer just seconds later. The frenzy continued as Aashi Pandher scored his first career goal 25 seconds later, giving SRU a 3-2 lead in the 56^th minute. Slippery Rock extended its lead with a 63^rd minute own goal and a 79^th minute mark from Aitor Jorde, his second career goal.
 
SRU led in shots (19-14), shots on goal (10-7) and corner kicks (10-7). The victory was the fourth time in seven years that that The Rock had tallied five or more goals in a single game.

HALFWAY THERE
Pla Hernandis is already halfway to his career-high 16 points he posted a year ago. Pla Hernandis scored eight goals in 2022 and has begun the 2023 season by scoring four goals in five games. He is third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in goals per game at 0.8. His 16 shots on the season are also tied for third in the PSAC.

RUNNING IT BACK
Slippery Rock is looking for its first back-to-back victories since a three-game winning streak last September.

MORE MEN WITH POINTS
Prior to the match against Daemen, only Jorde, Pla Hernandis and Chris Mitchell had tallied points for Slippery Rock this season. Pandher not only picked up his first career goal against the Wildcats, but also his first assist. A junior transfer from the University of Rio Grande, Ignacio Rullan gave Slippery Rock his first two assists wearing the Green and White against Daemen.

MAKING STRIDES
Will Harrigan took his first shot of the year against the Wildcats, becoming the 11^th different Rock player with a shot in 2023. The defender fired his first career shot last season in a 3-0 loss to Mercyhurst University.
 
Pla Hernandis leads the team with 16 shots and six shots on goal. Jorde follows with 11 shots and six shots on goal. Pandher, who picked up his first career start against Daemen, has chipped in nine attempts this season, five of which have been placed on net.

TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Slippery Rock outshot its opponent for the second straight game against Daemen, holding a 19-14 edge. Four days prior, SRU outshot Shippensburg University, 16-10, in a 1-1 draw. The Rock also took a season-high 10 shots on goal, the program's highest since Nov. 3, 2021 against Pitt-Johnstown. The Rock also took a season-high 10 corner kicks against the Wildcats.
 
FINISHING STRONG
Six of Slippery Rock's eight goals this season have come in the second half of games.

AWAY FROM HOME
SRU is looking for its first win on the road of the season and fourth away win in three years. Last season, The Rock went 1-6-1 on the road, its lone win a 1-0 contest at Cal. Slippery Rock's last away win outside of Pennsylvania came Oct. 25, 2017 against Wheeling Jesuit University, 2-1.
 
A WIN BETWEEN THE PIPES
After picking up a win last season, Slippery Rock's 5-2 victory versus Daemen was Adam Davies' second career win in net. He faced a season-high 13 shots and made five saves. Entering the test against RWU, Davies carries a GAA of 1.80 and a save percentage of .719 on 23 saves.
 
ACTIVE SRU ROSTER vs. ROBERTS WESLEYAN
Pla Hernandis (1 goal, 0 assists)

THE REDHAWKS BY THE NUMBERS
Stats: Link
Roster: Link
Overall Record: 2-3-2 (.429)
ECC Record: 1-0-1
Home Record: 2-2-1
Away Record: 0-1-1
Last Five Games: 2-2-1
Streak: W1
Head Coach: Scott Reber | Ninth season at Roberts Wesleyan (58-64-18, .479)

ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT
The Redhawks enter Saturday on a three-game undefeated streak, most recently with an impressive 3-1 win over PSAC West members Seton Hill University. They also recently defeated D'Youville University, 8-0, and hosted UDC in a 0-0 draw.
 
As a team, the Redhawks have outscored their opponents 14-8. Nagy, a senior out of Hungary, leads the Redhawks with 14 points on six goals and two assists. He most recently posted two goals and one assist against Seton Hill and scored a hat trick against D'Youville.
 
Hawaiian junior Toby Balaam has five points on two goals and one assist, while true freshman Myles Palmer has racked up four points himself, stemming from a pair of goals against DYU.
 
Markham, Ontario's Caleb DaSilva has been the Redhawks' go-to goalie, making all seven starts. He has posted 35 saves and enters Saturday with a save percentage of .814 and a GAA of 1.19.

LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will kick off its PSAC West schedule on the road 6 p.m. Sept. 27 at California (Pa.). The Rock swept the Vulcans last season, collectively outscoring the Vulcans, 6-0.





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