Men’s Soccer set for home opener Saturday at Alumni Field

Saturday, September 2

Dayton, OH

3 PM

Wright State University

Saint Francis (PA)

Men’s Soccer set for home opener Saturday at Alumni Field

9/1/2023 1:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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DAYTON — The Wright State men's soccer team will host its first regular season contest of the year on Saturday afternoon as the Raiders welcome St. Francis (PA) to Alumni Field. Match time is set for 3 p.m. and fans can follow the action via live stats.

MATCH INFORMATION
Saturday, September 2 – 3 p.m. – Live Stats

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH
St. Francis (PA) opened the season with a pair of home contests, winning the season opener 2-1 over Canisius before a 1-1 draw last Sunday against Fordham. St. Francis (PA) was better on the road in 2022 than at home, compiling a 4-4-2 mark as the visiting team compared to a 2-2-2 record at home. Saint Francis (PA) is coming off a 6-6-4 overall mark in 2022, which included a 3-2-3 record in the NEC. The Red Flash saw their season come to a close in the NEC tournament, falling 1-0 to Sacred Heart.

HISTORY VS. ST. FRANCIS (PA)
The Raiders won the only other meeting between the two teams, a 1-0 win in Pennsylvania on September 14, 2019. Former Wright State standout Deri Corfe tallied the lone goal on a 29th minute strike while goalkeeper Joel Sundell turned in five saves for the shutout win.

LAST TIME OUT…
Wright State fell 5-0 at No. 11 Marshall on the road Monday night, with the hosts tallying four first half goals. Wright State finished the night with nine total shots, paced by two shots from Felix Ezekwuka as seven other Raiders tallied a shot each. Cameron Radeke and Samuel Rudjord each saw their attempts go on goal, forcing Marshall keeper Gabriel Perrotta into his only saves of the night.

PRESEASON POINTS
The Raiders got set for the season with a trio of exhibitions, traveling to face traditional power Indiana to cap the first week of preseason training (1-0 loss, 120 minutes) before home contests against Lake Erie (4-0 win, 105 minutes) and Thomas More (2-2 draw). Conner Osterholt recorded three of Wright State's six total goals, while Charlie Carpenter, Pete Schneider and Cole Werthmuller also all found the back of the net in exhibition action.

PRESEASON POLL
For the second straight fall, the Raiders were picked fourth in the Horizon League preseason coaches poll, announced Thursday afternoon. Wright State tallied 60 total points in the poll, which the league's 10 head coaches voted on.

NEW TO THE SIDELINES
Alex Van der Sluijs was named the 11th head coach in Wright State men's soccer program history in April after serving as an assistant coach with the program since last fall. Prior to joining the Raiders, Van der Sluijs had a four-season stint as the head men's soccer coach at Wilmington College, guiding the Fightin' Quakers to four consecutive winning seasons and being named the 2021 OAC Coach of the Year.

Assistant coach Chris Garcia is also a new face on the sidelines, joining the Raiders after a four-year stint as head coach at Saint Elizabeth University and having played collegiately at Seton Hall.

HORIZON LEAGUE RAIDERS
The Raiders were recognized with five Horizon League honors last fall, with Pierson Davis earning a first team selection and Reece Allbaugh, Sebastian Jimenez, Joe Kouadio and Brock Pickett all named to the second team. Pickett's work in the classroom earned him a spot on the Horizon League's All-Academic Team while Davis was also named to the All-Ohio Men's NCAA Division I team.

NEXT UP
Following the meeting with St. Francis (PA), Wright State heads back out on the road for its next two contests, including the Horizon League opener at IUPUI a week from Saturday in Indianapolis.