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TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 15-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team will travel to Searcy, Ark., for the regular-season finale before heading to Olathe, Kan., for the inaugural MIAA Men's Soccer Championship.
 
The RiverHawks (10-3-3, 6-1-2 MIAA) are set to face Harding University (4-10-3, 2-6-1 MIAA) at 7 p.m. Oct. 26 before learning their fate in the postseason. NSU and HU faced each other earlier in the season in Tahlequah, with the home side earning the 3-1 triumph.
 
Northeastern State is currently unbeaten in its last six matches (3-0-3), having conceded just four goals in that stretch and posting three clean sheets.
 
SCOUTING THE BISONS
Harding enters the season finale with a 4-10-3 record and a 2-6-1 mark in the MIAA. The Bisons have defeated Ouachita Baptist, Upper Iowa, Southern Nazarene, and Williams Baptist College. HU is currently on a eight-match winless streak, going 0-6-2 in that span. The team is being outscored 35-22 this year and is led in scoring by both Ryan Wilhelm (5g-3a=13p) and Jackson Savage (3g-3a=9p). Chase Keeney (4-7-3, 1.59 GAA, .701 S%) serves as the top goalkeeper.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Northeastern State earned a 2-0-1 record in its final three home contests of the 2012 campaign. The RiverHawks opened their final homestand with a 1-1 draw against Fort Hays State, and the team posted decisive victories over Southern Nazarene (4-1) and Ouachita Baptist (4-0). Senior goalkeeper Jordan Ladbrooke returned from injury on Senior Night to record his 10th career shutout.
 
HEADED FOR THE POSTSEASON
The RiverHawks have already qualified for the inaugural MIAA Men's Soccer Championship, which will be contested Nov. 1-3 at Soccer Field Stadium on the grounds of the Olathe District Activities Center in Olathe, Kan. The second seed will meet the third seed at 4 p.m. Nov. 1, with the second semifinal match between No. 1 and No. 4 beginning at 7 p.m. The championship match is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 3. Heading into the final weekend of MIAA action, NSU sits in second place with 20 points, one shy of Truman State and Fort Hays State. The RiverHawks are three points behind conference leaders Lindenwood. If the Lions fall to Southwest Baptist and NSU trumps Harding, then the RiverHawks will earn the tournament's No. 1 overall seed. An NSU loss to the Bisons, couple with victories by both Truman and FHSU, could send the green and white into the fourth position. Northeastern State will be in the postseason tournament, but it won't know its opponent until after the match with Harding.
 
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 second in game-winning goals (3), points (24), points per game (1.60), goals (11), and goals per game (0.73), and sixth in shots (42) and shots per game (2.80). He also ranks 17th in the nation in total goals, 23rd in goals per game, 25th in total points, and 36th in points per game.
 
WHITE UP THE SCOREBOARD
Senior midfielder Bo White has been a scoring machine so far this season. He has put in 11 goals through NSU's first 16 games in 2012, and his 0.67 goals-per-game average is third in the MIAA and 34th in the nation. He also ranks 26th in the NCAA in total goals, 30th in total points (23) and 45th in points per game (1.54). White leads the MIAA in two statistical categories. Those are total shots (79) and shots per game (5.3). He is second in game-winning goals (3), third in goals, goals per game, points, and points per game. He is also ninth in assists with three.
 
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 eight assists despite not finding the back of the net. Schmoker is currently 18th in the nation in total assists and 28th in the NCAA in assists per game (0.40). 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 second in the league table with a 6-1-2 mark (20 points). The team is one point clear of FHSU (19) and Truman State (19), while sitting three points behind Lindenwood (23). NSU has defeated Harding (3-1), Southern Nazarene (2-1 and 4-0), 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 draws with Lindenwood (0-0) and FHSU (1-1).
 
RIVERHAWKS REACH SEASON-HIGH MARK OF NO. 15
Northeastern State earned a national rank of No. 15 in the latest 2012 NSCAA/Continental Tire Polls released Oct. 23. The RiverHawks are the highest ranked team in the MIAA. NSU has now been ranked in six 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. 23. This marks the second-straight week 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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