SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team will look for a third straight win as it plays its first of two matches against Seton Hill University this season 1 p.m. Saturday in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
 
Heading into a match that carries significant conference playoff implications, The Rock head to SHU with a 4-3-3 overall record and a 1-1-2 start to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division play.
 
The Griffins are looking for a rebound after suffering two of their three losses this year in back-to-back fashion, now with a 7-3-2 overall record and a 2-1-1 mark in the PSAC West. 
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Saturday's game live for free via the links below provided by Seton Hill Athletic Communication.
 
GAME 11 of 16
Opponent: Seton Hill
Date: Saturday – 1 p.m.
Location: Greensburg, Pennsylvania  
Venue: Dick's Sporting Goods Field
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Seton Hill Athletic Communication
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 7-11-1
Current Streak: L1
Last Played: Nov. 3, 2023 at SHU (SHU won, 4-2)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER STATS vs. SETON HILL
Aitor Jorde – 6 points on 3 goals, 14 shots, 5 SOG (2 GP)
Arturo Pla Hernandis – 4 points on 2 goals, 19 shots, 10 SOG (6 GP)
Will Harrigan – 2 points on 1 goal, 1 shot, 1 SOG (5 GP)
Shaun Spencer – 2 points on 2 assists, 3 shots (3 GP)
Adam Davies – (1-1), 2.50 GAA, 6 saves on 19 SF (2 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Rock and the Griffins will be playing a 20-game anniversary Saturday, a series that the Griffins hold an 11-7-1 lead in.
 
Seton Hill has historically defended home turf well, going 6-2-1 against The Rock when playing in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. A win for SRU Saturday would mark its first road victory over Seton Hill in 13 years, dating back to a 3-1 decision in 2011.
 
The Rock and the Griffins split their series last season with Seton Hill ending Slippery Rock's 2023 campaign in the final game of the regular season. SRU went to Seton Hill needing a win or tie against the Griffins to clinch a PSAC Tournament berth but fell to SHU 4-2.
 
Aitor Jorde (25') found a first-half equalizer after a fourth-minute Seton Hill goal, but three unanswered goals from the Griffins in the second half were enough to solidify the result. Arturo Pla Hernandis (86') got one back late on a penalty kick. Seton Hill led in shots, 15-12, and shots on goal, 9-3. Both teams took six corner kicks in the hotly contested match.
 

TEAM COMPARISON
The Rock	Stats	Seton Hill
4-3-3	Overall Record	7-3-2
1-1-2	Conference Record	2-1-1
1.4	Goals per Game	1.9
1.3	Opp. Goals per Game	1.4
+1	Season Goal Differential	+6
12.3	Shots per Game	15.7
9.2	Opp. Shots per Game	11.3
5.0	SOG per Game	7.3
4.3	Opp. SOG per Game	4.1
1.1	Assists per Game	1.8
6.7	Corners per Game	5.6
11.6	Fouls per Game	13.4
3.0	Saves per Game	2.7

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 4-3-3
PSAC West Record: 1-1-2
Home Record: 1-2-2
Away Record: 3-1-1
PSAC West Rank: 4^th of 6
Streak: W2
Last Five: 2-1-2
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm | Seventh season at SRU (34-51-15)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock got to .500 in conference play with a 2-1 road win against Pitt-Johnstown played at Windber High School Oct. 16. Shaun Spencer lifted The Rock to a 1-0 lead in the 61^st minute prior to the Mountain Cats equalizing at 1-1 just 4:03 later.
 
Rasmus Fugl netted his second goal of the season on a cross from Spencer in the 79^th minute to grab the one-goal win. In addition to Spencer's extra point from his assist on Fugl's game-winner, Luke Gildea and Ignacio Rullan recorded assists in the match.
 
The Rock powered through UPJ leads in shots (13-11), shots on goal (7-5) and corner kicks (7-6).
 
LEADING THE ROCK
Aaron Finney remains Slippery Rock's leading goalscorer with three goals for six points, tied at the top of the team's points total with Colton Swanson, who recorded two goals and two assists in the first four games of the season.
 
Gildea has now earned five points on two goals and an assist, while Fugl and Pla Hernandis both have four points to their name on two goals.
 
Jorde and Spencer are tied for sixth on the team with three points, both tallying a goal and an assist. Rullan and Jack Smith follow right behind with two points from two assists, as Colton Spence picked up a goal for two points as well. Ryan Hanes and Aashi Pandher round out the dozen players with points with one assist each.
 
Jorde is also the team's leading shot-taker with 20 total attempts, seven of which have landed on frame. Fugl has improved his season total to 19 shots, while Pla Hernandis has fired 17 shots on the year. Behind Swanson's team-leading 10 shots on goal, Fugl joins Jorde with seven shots on target.
 
ANOTHER LATE GAME WINNER
Slippery Rock has now been involved in three straight games in which the winning goal came in the final 12 minutes. After suffering a 1-0 loss to Lock Haven University on a 78^th-minute goal, The Rock won two straight games by 2-1 differences.
 
Finney punched in a corner kick against Shepherd University with six minutes remaining for a 2-1 home win, while Fugl mirrored that at UPJ by converting a cross from Spencer in the 79^th minute.
 
Nine of Slippery Rock's 14 goals (64.3 percent) have come in the second half, while 18 of the 27 goals (66.7 percent) between SRU and its opponents have been tallied in the second half. SRU has also held one-goal leads prior to an equalizer in three of its last four contests, going 2-0-1 in those matches.
 
WHAT A SHOWING FROM SHAUN
Spencer posted three points in a game on one goal and one assist for the second time in his SRU career against UPJ.
 
In the defender's fifth career appearance with Slippery Rock – which also came against Pitt-Johnstown but at home in 2022 – the London, England native picked up his first D-II goal and assist with three points in a 4-1 win over UPJ.
 
Spencer has now tallied 16 points on five goals and six assists in his career, returning from a 2023 season in which he was tied for Slippery Rock's leader with four assists.
 
Following Slippery Rock's victory at UPJ, Spencer is now one of four players on the roster with at least one point and one assist, joining Gildea, Jorde and Swanson.
 
BOWLING FOR THE TURKEY
A win over Seton Hill would give Slippery Rock its first three-game winning streak of the season and its first since Oct. 21, 2023. The Rock won three of their final six games last season, defeating Seton Hill, California (Pa.) and Pitt-Johnstown in consecutive fashion.
 
The Rock also won three straight games in 2022 and now have the opportunity to win three straight games in three consecutive years for the first time since 2013-15. SRU finished its 2015 campaign on a five-game winning streak that ended by hoisting the PSAC Championship trophy.
 
EXCELLING ON THE CORNER
Slippery Rock still ranks eighth in Division II and second in the PSAC by winning 6.7 corner kick opportunities per game, trailing only Gannon University's 6.8 corners per match.
 
The Rock have scored corner kick goals in their last two games. Hanes swung in a corner kick to Finney for the late game-winning goal over Shepherd, while Slippery Rock secured its first goal against Pitt-Johnstown on a corner kick by Rullan that Spencer flicked in at the near post.
 
LOOKING GOOD OVER HALFWAY THROUGH
Slippery Rock is off to its best start through the first 10 games of the year in eight years with a 4-3-3 (.550) overall record. The Rock were at .500 in both 2019 and 2021 with 4-4-2 records.
 
The last time SRU had this good of an opening 10-game slate was in the team's 2015 PSAC Championship-winning season, beginning the year at 6-4 (.600). The Rock ended up going 14-6 on the season, a mark that included a 7-4 PSAC record.
 
SRU won a pair of 1-0 games over Cal and Mercyhurst University to make the PSAC Championship game where The Rock defeated No. 21 Millersville University, 2-1.
 
THE OFFENSE IS OVERCOMING
The Rock have been narrowly outshot over the last two games by a cumulative difference of 22-20 but have ended up winning both games. SRU has overcome both a 4-2 deficit in shots on goal against Shepherd and a 7-6 difference in shots on target at UPJ.
 
While The Rock have made the most of their chances, SRU's offense has still averaged 11.7 shots per game in the last three matches. SRU has taken 12.3 shots per game through its 10-game season so far.
 
DENIALS FROM DAVIES
Adam Davies has made 11 saves in his last three games, coming off a six-save performance up against 13 shots at Pitt-Johnstown. The senior goalkeeper's GAA has hit its best mark in six games, now down to 1.30, an average that ranks sixth in the PSAC.
 
Davies also enters Saturday with a .698 save percentage, eight shots away from facing 100 total shots on the year.
 
THE DEFENSIVE THIRD
The Rock used a three-man back line for much of its outing at UPJ consisting of Smith, Spence and Gabin Lonjard. Substitute defenders in Spencer and Jeroen Van Der Veen also made big impacts, notably with Spencer leading offensively with three points.
 
SRU has held its last five opponents to an average of 3.4 shots on goal and rank sixth in the PSAC with a team GAA of 1.30.
 
A NEW NAME TO THE LINEUP
After taking the first shot of his career against Shepherd, true freshman Jimmy Irani got his first career start at Pitt-Johnstown. The midfielder from Grove City, Pennsylvania had played a career-high of 25 minutes versus Roberts Wesleyan University coming into the week but earned the responsibility of his first 90-minute shift against the Mountain Cats.
 
REVVED UP FOR ROAD GAMES
With a 3-1-1 record in away games, Slippery Rock is looking to continue a three-game unbeaten streak on the road.
 
A win over Seton Hill would guarantee Slippery Rock its first away record above .500 since a 5-4 mark in 2015, while a tie would clinch at worst a .500 mark on the road this season.
 
Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Slippery Rock has already amassed the most road wins in three years, dating to a three-win year in away games in 2021.
 
CONCLUDING THE FIRST CIRCUIT
Slippery Rock will be wrapping up its first leg of PSAC West round-robin play Saturday, currently situated fourth in the division with five points. The Rock could jump into the top three with a win over Seton Hill, as the Griffins currently rank third in the PSAC West with seven points.
 
The top three positions in both the PSAC West and East will qualify for the 2024 PSAC Tournament. The first round will see both top seeds receive a bye to the semifinals, while the second-place seeds will host the third-ranked squads in the first round.
 
RECORD WATCH
Now in his senior year, Pla Hernandis continues to rise through the ranks in several different school records. Most recently, the true nine moved into the top five all-time with 142 total shots, passing Jack Jarvie's 141 (1955-58). Moving up another spot will require more than 30 additional shots, as Ray Aubel holds fourth place with 172 (1958-63).
 
Pla Hernandis' 11^th-minute goal against Shepherd moved him into a three-way tie for 15^th all-time with Ed Mocarsky (2004-07) and John Sklarski (1965-68) with 23 goals. Two more goals would match Matt Thompson's career total of 25, which ranks 14^th in SRU history.
 
Jorde joined Pla Hernandis in the top 20 in shots on goal this year, now tied with Mike Ilodigwe (2014-15) for 16^th with 30 shots on target.
 
Davies is now one appearance in net away from tying Rick Tongel (1978-80) for 11^th with 32 goalie games played.
 
If Pla Hernandis starts against Seton Hill, he will tie Alex Swartz (2008-11) for 19^th all-time with 58 career starts.
 
THE GRIFFINS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 7-3-2
PSAC West Record: 2-1-1
Home Record: 3-1-1
Away Record: 4-2-1
PSAC West Rank: 3^rd of 6
Streak: L2
Last Five: 3-2
Head Coach: Dilveer Chaggar | Third season at SHU (21-24-5, .470)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
SETON HILL SCOUTING REPORT
Seton Hill's 2-0-1 start to PSAC West play ended this week with a 3-0 road loss to Lock Haven despite outshooting the Bald Eagles 20-15 and taking all nine of the game's corner kicks.
 
The Griffins are also looking for their first goal in three games, coming off a 1-0 shutout loss to Bloomsburg University before falling to LHU in conference play. Seton Hill's lone home loss of the season occurred seven games ago in a 2-1 loss to D'Youville University, a non-conference opponent that Slippery Rock defeated in a 1-0 decision Sept. 5.
 
Seton Hill ranks fourth in the PSAC with 5.7 points per game, a stat led by Julian Marker. A junior midfielder from Frankfurt, Germany, Marker ranks sixth in the PSAC with 1.1 points per game. He has also taken at least one shot in every game and is coming off a seven-shot stat line at LHU.
 
Junior goalkeeper Aiden Hollander (4-2-1) started the first four games of the year in net for SHU and has played the last three matches, splitting time with Jonathan Leary (3-1-1). Hollander brings in a 1.65 GAA and a .593 save percentage into Saturday, looking for his third shutout of the year.
 
All seven of the Seton Hill players who recorded at least one point against Slippery Rock last year are back with the Griffins this year.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Rock will conclude their three-game road trip with a prime-time test at Gannon University 6 p.m. Oct. 23. The Golden Knights were ranked nationally at 13^th in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll.





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