The William Woods University men's soccer team wraps up its two-game home stand on Wednesday night as they jump back into American Midwest Conference action against Harris-Stowe State University. Kickoff is set for approximately 7 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Owls saw their six-game winning streak come to an end as they suffered a tough 1-0 loss to Ottawa University last Saturday at Firley Field. An Ottawa free kick during the 36th minute led to the lone goal of the match. William Woods missed several opportunities to tie the game in the second half including two shots in the box that were saved by the Braves goalkeeper.
Good To Be Home
Last Saturday the Owls played at Firley Field for the first time in 19 days. The Owls posted a perfect 4-0 record on their longest road stretch of the year. Despite the road victories, it took a toll on WWU. “We are at home for the second straight game and we are really excited about that,” said head coach
Nathan Mason. “The four-game road trip really took a lot out of us even though we had success. It will be nice to play another game at home.”
Strength and Weakness
Despite being shut out for the first time all year on Saturday afternoon, the Owls still top the AMC in goals (39) and shots per game (21.88). William Woods will look to get back in the scoring column against one of the most porous defenses in the AMC. Harris-Stowe ranks 12th in the NAIA in goals allowed, giving up an average of 3.1 goals/game.
Even with these numbers, coach Mason is looking for his team to finish chances and play better defense against the Hornets.
“We have to finish our chances, said Mason. “On Saturday we lost a game, 1-0, where (Ottawa) had only a few chances and we had a ton. We're looking for shutouts and scoring one goal. We want to refocus for conference and go over some of our defensive strategies again because we want to be a defensive minded team and that will take us to the next level.”
Shut Out
Saturday's 1-0 loss was the first time that William Woods has been shut out in 11 games this season.
Best Of The Best
Junior
Marcelo Carreiro ranks first in the AMC in goals (9), points (20) and is tied for the lead with teammate
Joao Paulo Parra in game-winning goals with three.
High Octane Offense
William Woods leads the AMC in goals scored with 39 and in shots with 218. They have six different players -
Marcelo Carreiro (9),
Ryan Mann (6),
Joao Paulo Parra (4),
Christyan Busato (3),
Matt Steiniger (3) and
Luca Stroeter (3) - with three or more goals.
A Winning Combination
Juniors
Joao Paulo Parra and
Marcelo Carreiro are both in a tie for eighth in the NAIA in game-winning goals with three.
A Look At Harris-Stowe
The Hornets come into Wednesday's matchup 2-6-1 overall and 0-2 in the AMC. This will be the first AMC road contest for the Hornets. In previous league games Harris-Stowe was defeated 2-1 at home by Williams Baptist and lost 8-0 against Hannibal-LaGrange.
The Hornets have only scored six goals in 11 games and are led by junior Cory Loberg with two. HSSU has been shutout in its last two games.
As a team, the Hornets rank second the AMC and 28th nationally in saves/game with 6.7 saves. Goalkeeper Nick Gentry ranks 24th in the NAIA in saves/game with 6.0 saves.
Coaches Corner
“We are going back into conference play and we are going to be a refocused group. Harris-Stowe played us to a 0-0 tie last year at their place and it seems like no matter what their record is, they always are a tough opponent for our team to play.”
