DAYTON — The Wright State men's soccer team will stay home to host Bellarmine for its final nonconference game of the season on Tuesday, October 22 at 7 p.m. The game will have live stats and ESPN+ livestreaming provided.
MATCH INFORMATION
Tuesday, October 22 – 7 p.m. –
Live Stats –
ESPN+
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Bellarmine is currently 3-5-3 on the season, going 0-3-1 in the ASUN. They recently fell to the University of North Florida 3-0 after defeating IU Indy 1-0 on Tuesday, October 15. The game-winning goal game from redshirt-sophomore midfielder Calle Sjoberg.
The Knights rank 16th in the nation for shot accuracy (.484) and lead the ASUN with a .364 shutout percentage.
HISTORY VS. BELLARMINE
Wright State will meet Bellarmine for the ninth time in program history, but the first since early in the 1987 season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders moved to 2-3-1 in the Horizon League after falling to Oakland 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. The lone Raider goal came from
Brock Pickett in the 49th minute. Burkett took the free kick, placing it in the box for Pickett to sink his first goal of the season.
Wright State finished with ten shots with two on goal.
Uleto Fuentes led the way for Wright State, recording three shots, followed by
Brian Burkett and
Cole Werthmuller with two shots each, one on target by Werthmuller.
Edwin Espinal-Elvir,
Conner Osterholt, and Pickett each had one shot on the day. Goalkeeper
Joel Shaw logged the full 90 minutes, ending the day with three saves.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: BROCK PICKETT
Wright State senior midfielder
Brock Pickett was named the Horizon League Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, September 16. Pickett was the first Raider to receive HL weekly honors since the 2021 season. He earned the honor after logging a full 90 minutes of play against HL opponent IU Indianapolis. The Bay Village, Ohio native Played an integral part in allowing only two shots on goal, with four attempts total, from IUI.
BACK-TO-BACK PLAYER OF THE WEEK: COLE WERTHMULLER
Wright State forward
Cole Werthmuller was named the Horizon league Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday, September 30.
Werthmuller logged 115 minutes over two games, helping lead the Raiders to a 2-0 week to earn the honor. Over the two games, Werthmuller recorded four shots, putting three on target. He started the week, adding the game-winning goal against Butler.
The Medina, Ohio native earned his first weekly honor on September 23. He earned the acknowledgment after logging all 180 minutes of play over two games, preventing shutout losses and leading the team to tie with Eastern Illinois and HL opponent Milwaukee. Over the two games, the senior recorded 15 shots, six on target, for three goals, all scored with headers.
IN THE LEAGUE
The Raiders are currently tied for fifth in the Horizon League. They sit alongside Northern Kentucky (1-1-4), IU Indy (2-3-1), and Milwaukee (2-3-1). Robert Morris (4-1-1) holds the top spot with 13 points, followed by Oakland (3-1-2) with 11 points. Green Bay and Purdue Fort Wayne are tied for third with ten points and a 3-2-1 conference record. Below the Raiders are Detroit Mercy (1-2-3) with six points, and Cleveland State with four points and a 1-4-1 conference record.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
The Raiders currently rank 11th in the nation for total goals (30). WSU ranks 17th in scoring offense (2.14), tenth in shot accuracy (.497), and 33rd in shots on goal per game (6.07). With 30 goals and 25 assists, the Raiders rank 18th in the NCAA in total points (85), and 24th with 6.07 points per game.
Cole Werthuller is sitting 26th in the nation in total goals, scoring eight on the season, ranking 30th in goals per game (.62).
TAKING NOTICE
The United Soccer Coaches released its weekly rankings on Tuesday, October 1, ranking Wright State ninth in the NCAA DI North Region. The recognition came as the Raiders held a 5-3-2 record, previously defeating Purdue Fort Wayne in a 4-0 shutout and Butler, 3-2. The Raiders sat just below fellow Horizon League member Green Bay, who held a 7-3-0 overall record.
RETURNING ALL-LEAGUE TALENT
Wright State returns Horizon League All-Freshman Team honoree
Henry Hutchinson. At the conclusion of his first season, Hutchinson started nine matches and played in 13 of the team's contests. He logged 720 minutes, tallying 25 or more minutes in 10 matches, with seven matches of 60-plus minutes.
MEET THE COACHES
The Raiders are led by second-year head coach
Alex Van der Sluijs. Van der Sluijs joined Wright State as an assistant coach in April 2022, being named head coach just a year later. He put up a 4-9-5 overall record and 3-4-2 league record his first season, leading the program to the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals. Joining Van der Sluijs on the sidelines is second-year assistant coach
Chris Garcia and third-year assistant coach
Adam Maloney.
MEET THE SQUAD
WSU welcomes many new faces with 18 newcomers – nine freshmen and nine transfers – to this season's 32-player roster. Of the nine transfers, there are three sophomores and six juniors. The Raiders return 14 players with one redshirt freshman, five sophomores, two juniors, five seniors, and one graduate student.
ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE
Wright State welcomes players from across the globe with 15 international student-athletes on the 2024 roster. Ten Raiders hail from Europe, representing six countries across the United Kingdom, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe. Additionally, four players represent North American countries, and one athlete comes all the way from Australia.
CURRENT CAREER LEADERS
NEXT UP
The Raiders will be one the road, traveling on Saturday, October 26 for a 1 p.m. game at Detroit Mercy. Fans can keep up with the action through ESPN+ livestreaming or on live stats.
