Weekly Match Notes  I  Live Stats Link for all three matches

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 19-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team is set to play host to three opponents over a six-day span at DeLoache Field. The RiverHawks will begin their stretch run with a crucial MIAA clash with Fort Hays State (9-4-1, 5-2-0 MIAA) at 7 p.m. Oct. 18.
 
NSU will then meet Southern Nazarene (1-14-0, 1-6-0 MIAA) at 7 p.m. Oct. 20, and the team will conclude its homestand with a 6 p.m. matchup Oct. 23 with regional foe Ouachita Baptist (7-8-0).
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State currently sits at 9-4-1 overall and 5-2-0 in the MIAA. The Tigers already own a 3-2 double OT victory over the RiverHawks in Hays, Kan., on Sept. 20. FHSU has also defeated Southern Nazarene, Southwest Baptist, Harding, and Upper Iowa. The team has lost to Lindenwood, Eastern New Mexico, West Texas A&M and Truman State. The Tigers are outscoring opponents by a 35-21 margin this year, and their 2.5 goals per game average ranks 21st in the NCAA. They are also 13th in the nation in total goals. Tomas Mares (8g-2a=18p) and Diego Cabral (7g-4a=18p) are the leading scorers, while Kent Freund (4-2-1, 1.38 GAA, .800 S%) is the top goalkeeper. The team is receiving votes in this week's national polls and has reached a high of No. 9 in the nation earlier this year.
 
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene is 1-14-0 this year and 1-6-0 in the MIAA. The Crimson Storm lost to NSU earlier this year in Bethany, Okla., by a narrow 2-1 margin. The team's lone victory came Sept. 27 against Southwest Baptist. SNU is being outscored by a 46-13 margin, and the team is led in scoring by Hajime Chumpitaz (6g-3a=15p) and Aziz Tapsoba (3g-1a=7p). The top goalkeeper for the Crimson Storm is Blake Anderson (1-14-0, 3.05 GAA, .643 S%). Southern Nazarene will meet Harding two days before traveling to Tahlequah.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Ouachita Baptist boasts a 7-8-0 overall mark this year. The university is a member of the Great American Conference, but the league does not sponsor men's soccer so OBU competes as an independent. The team is being outscored 33-27 this year, and it is also being outshot 108-72. The two leading scorers on the squad are Rizvan Ceka (6g-2a=14p) and Payam Pourjavad (4g-3a=11p). The top goalkeeper is David Henley (4-7-0, 2.31 GAA, .642 S%).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Northeastern State collected a 1-0-1 road record over the weekend, picking up a 0-0 draw with MIAA-leading Lindenwood and a 5-0 victory over Southwest Baptist. The RiverHawks have now boasted four clean sheets in their last six contests, and the team has conceded just three goals in that time frame. Senior goalkeeper Jordan Ladbrooke earned the shutout against the Lions, and he split a shutout with freshman goalkeeper Eric Shephard against the Bearcats. Eight different members of the team picked up a point against SBU, and five different players scored a goal.
 
PERALTA LEAVES A MARK
Sophomore forward Juan Peralta had a monster weekend Sept. 28-30 in two shutout victories over Truman State and Upper Iowa. He recorded two goals in each game, which included the game-winner against the Peacocks, and he even had time to dish out an assist against the Bulldogs. He also brought the RiverHawks back from a 2-0 hole at No. 24 Midwestern State Oct. 7 to help give the team a draw. He currently ranks in the top 10 in the MIAA in seven statistical categories. He is first in game-winning goals (3), second in points (20), points per game (1.54), goals (9), and goals per game (0.69), sixth in shots (37), and seventh in shots per game (2.85). He also ranks 15th in the nation in total goals, 21st in goals per game, 30th in total points, and 41st in points per game.
 
PERALTA NAMED MIAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Juan Peralta was named the MIAA Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week on Oct. 2. The sophomore forward scored four goals and added an assist to help Northeastern State to two shutouts victories against Truman (4-0) and Upper Iowa (3-0). Peralta scored twice in both contests, which included the game-winning strike against UIU. He finished with five total points in the game against the Bulldogs as he had two goals and one assist.
 
WHITE UP THE SCOREBOARD
Senior midfielder Bo White has been a scoring machine so far this season. He has put in 10 goals through NSU's first 13 games in 2012, and his 0.77 goals-per-game average is tops in the MIAA and 21st in the nation. He also ranks 15th in the NCAA in total goals, 29th in total points (21) and 41st in points per game (1.54). White leads the MIAA in seven statistical categories. Those are total shots (67), shots per game (5.2), points, points per game, goals, goals per game (0.8), and game-winning goals (3).
 
SCHMOKING OUT ASSISTS
Sophomore midfielder Jordan Schmoker has been a great distributor in his first season at NSU after transferring from Division I Coastal Carolina. He has dished out seven assists despite not finding the back of the net. Schmoker is currently 14th in the nation in total assists and 21st in the NCAA in assists per game (0.46). He is second in the MIAA in assists.
 
RIVERHAWKS IN THE MIAA
Northeastern State is currently in the midst of its first year in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The RiverHawks are tied for second in the league table with a 5-1-1 mark and 16 points. The team is one point clear of FHSU (15), tied with Truman State (16) and one point behind Lindenwood (17). NSU has defeated Harding (3-1), Southern Nazarene (2-1), Truman State (4-0), Upper Iowa (3-0), and Southwest Baptist (5-0). The lone blemish on the card has been to then-No. 15 Fort Hays State, a 3-2 defeat in double overtime, and the team has also earned a 0-0 draw with Lindenwood.
 
RIVERHAWKS REACH SEASON-HIGH MARK OF NO. 19
Northeastern State earned a national rank of No. 19 in the latest 2012 NSCAA/Continental Tire Polls released Oct. 16. The RiverHawks are the highest ranked team in the MIAA. NSU has now been ranked in five polls this season. Northeastern State was ranked on three different occasions last year, reaching a season-best mark of No. 14 on Sept. 13. NSU was also ranked No. 15 (Oct. 4) and No. 19 (Sept. 27).
 
RIVERHAWKS TABBED FIRST IN CENTRAL REGION
The top two teams from each of the eight regions earn automatic bids into the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship at the end of the season. Northeastern State currently sits at No. 1 in the Central Region in the latest polls released by the NSCAA Oct. 16. This marks the first time in 2012 that the RiverHawks have earned the top spot in the region. NSU was in the South Central Region last year before realignment, and the team ended the season ranked No. 8.
 
2012 MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT
The 2012 MIAA Championship will feature the top four teams in the conference. The No. 2 seed will face the No. 3 seed in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Nov. 1, while the No. 1 seed will meet the No. 4 seed at 7 p.m. that same day. The two winners will face off in the conference championship at 11 a.m. Nov. 3. All three games will take place on the Soccer Field Stadium at the Olathe District Activities Center in Olathe, Kan.
 
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