Men’s Soccer Stays Home to Host Eastern Illinois

Tuesday, September 17

Dayton, OH

7 PM

Wright State University

Eastern Illinois

Photo by: Alexis Sherman

9/16/2024 2:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

DAYTON – The Wright State Men's Soccer team will be staying at home as they host Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, September 17. The midweek non-conference matchup is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Fans can keep up with the action in-person with free admission, or online through live stats.

MATCH INFORMATION
Tuesday, September 17 – 7 p.m. – Live Stats

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Eastern Illinois is currently 1-3 on the season, their lone win coming against the University of Chicago in the 2024 season opener. The Panthers were predicted to finish sixth in the Ohio Valley Conference preseason poll, ahead of Western Illinois and Southern Indiana.

HISTORY VS. EASTERN ILLINOIS
This is the second straight season Wright State has met Eastern Illinois, with sides battling to a 1-1 draw in Illinois last September, while the Raiders continue to lead the all-time series 8-5-1.

LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders started off Horizon League conference play on Saturday, upsetting IU Indianapolis, previously voted fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, 2-0. The shutout victory comes from goals by Edwin Espinal-Elvir and Jonah Williams. WSU outshot IU Indy 14-4, putting up ten shots on goal to IUI's two, and bested the Jaguars in corner kicks 5-3. Wright State's defense was strong, putting up two team saves, blocking both of IUI's shots on goal.

Wright State first got on the board in the 27th minute, as Werthmuller sped down the pitch, passing to Hutchinson. Hutchinson snuck it past a Jaguar defender to Espinal-Elvir to put it in the upper left corner with a header. The Raiders raised their advantage to two in the 75th minute, as Williams earned a penalty kick after drawing a foul in the box.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wright State senior midfielder Brock Pickett was named the Horizon League Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, September 16. Pickett is 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.

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

	at WSU	Collegiate Total
Goals	9 - Conner Osterholt	9 - Conner Osterholt
Assists	5 - Cole Werthmuller	9 - Brady Shapiro
Points	20 - Conner Osterholt	20 - Conner Osterholt
Saves	57 - Alessandro Malterer	57 - Alessandro Malterer
Shots	72 - Cole Werthmuller	72 - Cole Werthmuller
Shots on Goal	34 - Cole Werthmuller	34 -Cole Werthmuller

NEXT UP
Wright State will be on the road, traveling to Wisconsin to take on Milwaukee on Sunday, September 21 at 2 p.m. Raider fans can keep up with the action through live stats.