SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — Two of the hottest teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division will meet under the lights in 6 p.m. Wednesday in Erie, Pennsylvania as the Slippery Rock University men's soccer team seeks its fourth straight victory up against a nationally ranked Gannon University squad.
 
The Rock come in with a 5-3-3 overall record that includes a 2-1-2 showing in their first round of PSAC West competition. The No. 12 Golden Knights, who have not posted a non-winning result since last playing SRU, are 9-2-2 on the year and 3-0-2 in conference play.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Wednesday's game live for free via the links below provided by Gannon Media Relations.
 
GAME 12 of 16
Opponent: Gannon
Date: Wednesday – 6 p.m.
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania  
Venue: McConnell Family Stadium
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Gannon Media Relations
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 23-22-3
Current Streak: D1
Last Played: Oct. 2, 2024 at SRU (Tied, 1-1)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER STATS vs. GANNON
Aitor Jorde – 2 points on 1 goal, 11 shots, 6 SOG (3 GP)
Arturo Pla Hernandis – 2 points on 1 goal, 10 shots, 4 SOG (7 GP)
Luke Gildea – 2 points on 1 goal, 4 shots, 1 SOG (5 GP)
Jeroen Van Der Veen – 1 point on 1 assist, 4 shots, 1 SOG (3 GP)
Adam Davies – (0-2-1), 3.96 GAA, 5 saves on 40 SF (3 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
A nine-game winning streak against The Rock came to an end for Gannon when Slippery Rock played the No. 15 Golden Knights to a 1-1 draw at James Egli Field Oct. 2. However, GU will look to continue a 12-game undefeated streak against SRU in which the Golden Knights have gone 10-0-2 versus SRU since 2016.
 
Overall, Slippery Rock owns a narrow 23-22-3 edge in the series, set to meet Gannon for the 49^th time since 1968.
 
The Rock are 13-10 when playing the Golden Knights on the road despite falling in the last five away games at Gannon. SRU's last road win over GU came in a 1-0 overtime thriller Oct. 7, 2015.
 
When the two sides came together earlier this year, Slippery Rock responded to Gannon scoring in the sixth minute and being booked with a red card in the 29^th minute with a 56^th-minute equalizer from Luke Gildea. The Rock also outshot Gannon 17-7 and took all 14 corner kicks in the match.
 

TEAM COMPARISON
The Rock	Stats	Gannon
5-3-3	Overall Record	9-2-2
2-1-2	Conference Record	3-0-2
1.6	Goals per Game	3.5
1.5	Opp. Goals per Game	0.8
+2	Season Goal Differential	+36
12.3	Shots per Game	19.3
9.6	Opp. Shots per Game	8.9
5.3	SOG per Game	10.1
4.6	Opp. SOG per Game	3.3
1.4	Assists per Game	3.6
6.6	Corners per Game	7.2
11.7	Fouls per Game	11.8
3.2	Saves per Game	2.5

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 5-3-3
PSAC West Record: 2-1-2
Home Record: 1-2-2
Away Record: 4-1-1
PSAC West Rank: 3^rd of 6
Streak: W3
Last Five: 3-1-1
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm | Seventh season at SRU (35-51-15)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock won a wild 4-3 road test at Seton Hill University Oct. 19, overcoming a one-goal deficit in the final 14 minutes. Will Harrigan struck first 7:53 into the game before the Griffins converted a 39^th-minute penalty kick to head into halftime with a 1-1 tie.
 
Aitor Jorde scored one of the most remarkable goals imaginable by punting the kickoff downfield directly into the net to take a 2-1 lead. After a pair of Seton Hill goals (67', 76') to put the Griffins ahead 3-2, Jorde netted a brace with a 78^th-minute equalizer. He assisted Arturo Pla Hernandis' game-winning goal less than two minutes later to secure the 4-3 win.
 
In addition to SRU's trio of goalscorers, Ignacio Rullan recorded a hat trick of assists. Adam Davies made five saves in net for The Rock, facing 14 Seton Hill shots.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
With six points in his last two appearances, Jorde has become SRU's leader with eight points on three goals and two assists.
 
While Colton Swanson's two goals and two assists for six points tallied in the first four games of the year rank right behind, he's joined by Pla Hernandis and Aaron Finney in a tie for second. Both Finney and Pla Hernandis have reached their six points via three goals.
 
Gildea and Rullan both find themselves with five points, with Gildea's stemming from two goals and an assist and Rullan's by leading SRU with five assists.
 
Rasmus Fugl is the sixth different SRU player to have scored more than once this year, now at four points from two goals. Shaun Spencer is coming off a week that saw all three points tallied in one game, recording one goal and one assist at Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Harrigan and Colton Spence have each totaled two points from one goal, joining Jack Smith with two points, who has received both of his points on a pair of assists.
 
Rounding out the 13 different players with points are Ryan Hanes and Aashi Pandher with one assist apiece.
 
Jorde also leads SRU with 24 shots, nine of which have landed on target. Fugl joins Jorde with at least 20 shots this year, putting eight of his 20 on frame. Pla Hernandis ranks right behind them with 19 shots of his own, combining with Fugl and Jorde for 63 of SRU's 135 total shots (46.7 percent).
 
ANOTHER WEEKLY AWARD
Jorde was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week Monday, becoming the third straight Slippery Rock player to win a PSAC weekly award and the fourth different SRU men's soccer player to be named to the honor this year.
 
Joining Davies, Finney and Spence, Jorde's honor marks the most unique number of SRU men's soccer players to win a PSAC weekly award since 2009.
 
Jorde's accolades came after tallying all five points in the second half comeback against Seton Hill. After his miraculous kickoff goal to take a 2-1 lead, he netted the tying goal of the match and assisted the game-winner within a two-minute span to fight back against a one-goal deficit and give The Rock a 4-3 win.
 
LET'S TALK ABOUT AITOR'S GOAL
Jorde's second-half kickoff goal was the fastest goal scored in any regulation period in recorded Slippery Rock history, falling into the net just three seconds after the whistle blew.
 
The goal, his second of three on the year, also made up half of his first brace of the season. Jorde is the second SRU player to score more than one goal in a game this year, joining Finney's two-goal effort at Shippensburg University.
 
Jorde recorded two braces last year, scoring two goals against both Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown.
 
WIN, WIN, WIN
Slippery Rock enters Wednesday riding a season-best three-game winning streak, marking the third consecutive year that The Rock have rattled off stretches of at least three wins in a row.
 
SRU last accomplished that feat between the 2013-15 seasons, capping off its 2015 campaign with a five-game winning streak that included victory in the PSAC Championship.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
With another road win last week, Slippery Rock is now 4-1-1 in away games. The 4-3 win at SHU clinched Slippery Rock's first winning away record in the regular season since 2015 when SRU posted a 5-4 mark on the road.
 
Even if Slippery Rock had not defeated Seton Hill, SRU had already amassed the most road wins in three years. Now with four wins, SRU has claimed the most away wins in a single season since a 4-6-1 record in 2017.
 
MORE LATE-GAME HEROICS
Slippery Rock has now been involved in four 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 have scored thrilling late-game winners in each of their last three games.
 
IGNACIO ON A HOT STREAK
Rullan has quietly surged to become Slippery Rock's leader in assists with five, four of which have been registered over the last two games.
 
The senior from Madrid, Spain swung in a corner kick that got knocked in by Finney for an assist against Shepherd University before going on to record a hat trick of assists in SRU's win at Seton Hill.
 
Rullan assisted on corner kicks to Harrigan (8') and Jorde (78') and picked up another assist by getting the first touch to the second-half kickoff before Jorde scored on the 60-yard blast.
 
Rullan now ranks seventh in the PSAC with 0.5 assists per game and accounts for a third of SRU's total assists on the year (5-of-15).
 
WILL NETS ONE, TOO
Harrigan's eighth-minute goal against the Griffins made him the ninth different goalscorer for The Rock this year. The senior defender from Manassas, Virginia also tallied two of his three shots this season in that game.
 
Harrigan scored his first career goal last year in a 3-1 home win against Seton Hill, also placing three of his six total shots on target throughout his junior campaign.
 
THE DEFENSIVE THIRD
SRU's starting defensive line against SHU consisted of Harrigan, Smith, Spence and Gabin Lonjard, with substitutional relief coming from the likes of Spencer and Jeroen Van Der Veen. Midfielder Jacob Glancy also made an appearance for SRU.
 
While three goals were scored by Seton Hill, only two of them came from open play on a rebounded goal and a deflected loose ball. Slippery Rock's defense limited the damage by holding the Griffins to just two corner kicks in the game and not allowing a single shot from SHU after Pla Hernandis' game-winning goal.
 
BUSY IN THE NET
Davies made five saves for Slippery Rock while facing 13 shots for the second game in a row. The senior goaltender comes into Wednesday's matchup with a 1.45 GAA and a .686 save percentage.
 
KINGS ON THE CORNER
Slippery Rock continues to threaten on the corner kick, thanks in part to the vast number of corners SRU takes. The Rock rank second in the PSAC and ninth in Division II with 6.6 corner kicks per game.
 
Four of Slippery Rock's eight goals that have been tallied in the last three games have come from corner kicks taken by either Hanes or Rullan. On top of SRU's three-game winning streak, The Rock have also scored at least one corner kick goal in each of the last three matches.
 
THE ROCK vs. RANKED OPPONENTS
Playing Gannon for a second time this season means going up against a nationally ranked opponent for a second time this year as well. Slippery Rock's 1-1 draw with No. 15 Gannon Oct. 2 marked the team's best result against a top-20 team in 11 years. The draw also went down as the highest ranked win or tie in head coach Kevin Wilhelm's career.
 
Slippery Rock is seeking its first win against a nationally ranked side since defeating No. 21 Millersville University in the 2015 PSAC Championship, a match that was coincidentally held in Erie, Pennsylvania.
 
PRIMED FOR PRIME TIME
Slippery Rock had not played a game that started at 6 p.m. or later since Sept. 21, 2022 coming into this season, but will be playing under the lights for the second time this year.
 
Falling in a 1-0 defeat at Walsh University Sept. 11, The Rock are looking for their first prime time victory since a 1-0 win at California (Pa.) two years ago.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Halfway through the conference slate, The Rock are situated third in the PSAC West with eight points on two wins and two draws. All teams in the PSAC West have played five of their 10 league games, so The Rock currently control their own destiny in qualifying for the PSAC Tournament.
 
The top three seeds in both the PSAC West and East will advance to the conference postseason.
 
PSAC West standings (as of Oct. 22, 2024)
1. Lock Haven – 12 points
2. Gannon – 11 points
3. THE ROCK – 8 points
4. Seton Hill – 7 points
5. California (Pa.) - 2 points
6. Pitt-Johnstown - 1 point
 
RECORD WATCH
Now in his senior year, Pla Hernandis continues to rise through the ranks in several different school records. The true nine ranks just inside the top five all-time with 144 total shots. Moving up to fourth will require more than 28 additional shots, as Ray Aubel holds the spot with 172 (1958-63).
 
Pla Hernandis also ranks 15^th with 24 career goals, jumping past a two-way tie between Ed Mocarsky and John Sklarski for 16^th. Pla Hernandis is one goal away from tying former SRU head coach Matt Thompson's 25 goals for 14^th all-time.
 
While Pla Hernandis ranks third in shots on goal with 68, Jorde moved up to 14^th all-time with 32 shots on target. Jorde is a dozen shots on goal outside of the top 10.
 
In net, Davies is now one appearance away from tying with Tom Allman for 10^th all-time with 33 cameos in goal.
 
If Pla Hernandis starts against Gannon, he will tie Alex Swartz (2008-11) for 19^th all-time with 58 career starts.
 
THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 9-2-2
PSAC West Record: 3-0-2
Home Record: 5-2-1
Away Record: 3-0-1
PSAC West Rank: 2^nd of 6
Streak: W5
Last Five: 5-0
Head Coach: Billy Colton | 6^th season at Gannon (77-19-9, .776)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
GANNON SCOUTING REPORT
The Golden Knights are the last undefeated team in conference competition, looking to improve upon a 3-0-2 mark within the PSAC West. The Golden Knights' two draws came from their first two league games of the year, drawing Seton Hill, 2-2, and Slippery Rock, 1-
1.
 
GU also enters Wednesday on an eight-game unbeaten streak, going 6-0-2 overall since a 3-1 loss to Adelphia Sept. 17.
 
The Golden Knights lead all of Division II in goals per game (3.5), assists per game (3.6), points per game (10.7) and shots on goal per game (10.1).
 
Per Kristian Lauvstad leads Gannon with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. The true freshman from Nesoya, Norway sits atop the PSAC with 1.5 points and 0.6 goals per game. With 10 points from as many assists, fellow Norway product Herman Aanberg leads D-II nationally in assists.
 
Goalkeeper Andre Moraes (8-2-2) has allowed just 10 goals this season in 12 appearances, earning a 0.83 GAA and a .737 save percentage. The redshirt sophomore from Sao Bernardo do Campo, Brazil leads the PSAC with six shutouts.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will play its first home game in 14 days 3 p.m. Saturday against Pitt-Johnstown at James Egli Field. The Rock will also be celebrating Senior Day prior to the match.





To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official Athletic Communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).