Raiders set for quick trip to Purdue Fort Wayne

Saturday, September 23

Fort Wayne, IN / Hefner Soccer Complex

7 PM

Wright State University

Purdue Fort Wayne

Photo by: Joseph Craven

9/22/2023 10:35:00 AM | Men's Soccer

Watch on ESPN+Follow Live Stats

DAYTON — The Wright State men's soccer team returns to Horizon League play on Saturday night with a quick trip north to take on Purdue Fort Wayne. Match time is set for 7 p.m. and fans can follow the action via live stats and watch on ESPN+.

MATCH INFORMATION
Saturday, September 23 – 7 p.m. – Watch - Live Stats

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne is 3-2-1 overall and 2-0 in Horizon League play, entering Saturday's match on a three game win streak. Purdue Fort Wayne has not played since a win at Green Bay last Saturday and have tallied two of their three wins on the road. The Mastodons also defeated Milwaukee on the road in their other HL matchup to date, which is the lone common opponent with the Raiders so far this season.

HISTORY VS. PURDUE FORT WAYNE
The Raiders currently have an all-time series lead of 14-1-1 against the Mastodons, with a 2-1 victory last October. Purdue Fort Wayne's last victory in the series came in 2005 (5-1 decision in Fort Wayne) while the Raiders have gone 11-0-1 in the 12 meetings since, including wins in all three matchups as Horizon League opponents.

LAST TIME OUT…
A scoreless match with under 15 minutes to play turned into a 3-0 victory for Wright State over Bowling Green on Tuesday night at Alumni Field, with second-half goals from Henry Hutchinson, Felix Ezekwuka, and Cole Werthmuller fueling the late charge and giving the Raiders their second-straight victory.

WHO'S THE SCORER?
Entering Saturday's game at Purdue Fort Wayne, Wright State has tallied nine goals this season, each coming from a different player. Reece Allbaugh's 18 total shots (six on frame) are the most attempts from the goal-scoring bunch, while Uche Odemena has been the most efficient goal scorer, finding the back of the net once despite only two shot attempts (both on frame).

THREE'S COMPANY
The three second half goals by Wright State on September 19 against Bowling Green matched the most goals in a game this season for the Raiders, who also found the back of the net three times in a 3-3 draw against Saint Francis (PA) on September 2.

FIRST BUT NOT LAST
Wright State's 1-0 win over Milwaukee on September 16 was the first victory for Alex Van der Sluijs as Raider head coach. Van der Sluijs, who spent the 2022 season as a Raider assistant, is no stranger to winning, having racked up 38 victories in four seasons at the helm of Wilmington College prior to coming to Wright State.

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 Purdue Fort Wayne, Wright State returns home to Alumni Field for a Tuesday night matchup against Western Michigan. Tuesday's match is expected to be streamed on ESPN+ and is slated for a 5 p.m. start.