TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The No. 24-ranked Northeastern State men's soccer team is set to play a pair of non-conference matches this weekend. First up NSU will welcome Ouachita Baptist to DeLoache Field for a 6 p.m. home tilt Oct. 8. The RiverHawks will then travel to Bethany, Oklahoma, for a 7 p.m. battle Oct. 10 with Southern Nazarene.

ABOUT NSU
The RiverHawks are coming off a week in which they defeated Harding at home (5-1) and then went north to knock off then-No. 22 Fort Hays State (1-0). NSU is now 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA, and the green and white has won three of its previous four matches. Senior midfielder Brenden Bombardier is coming off a monster match that saw him net his first three goals of the season against Harding. The hat trick was the first of his career and came after he had scored just once in his previous 52 career contests. Northeastern State has outscored its opponents 21-11 this year and has had 12 different goal scorers. Freshman forward Joseph Garcia leads the team in points (4g-3a=11p). Sophomore midfielder Trevor Reed is right behind Garcia with nine points (4g-1a). Senior goalkeeper Eric Shephard (6-4) has started all 10 matches in goal and has a 1.13 goals-against average and a .792 save percentage. Shephard has recorded two shutouts, including his most-recent clean sheet against the FHSU.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Ouachita Baptist University is located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and the athletics programs compete in the Great American Conference. The Tigers are 3-7 overall this season and own a 2-1 mark in the GAC. They are coming off a 2-1 win over Harding. OBU has been outscored by its opponents 29-11 so far this season. The teams most dangerous scorer is Tinashe Chigede who has netted four goals this year. The team has rotated between three different goalkeepers. Ben O'Brien (2-2-0) has the lowest goals-against average of the three at 1.80. The RiverHawks are 11-2 against OBU since 2000.
 
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON STORM
Southern Nazarene University is located in Bethany, Oklahoma, and the Crimson Storm competes in the Great American Conference. The team owns a 2-8 record this season. SNU is coming off a pair of defeats to Newman (5-1) and Dallas Baptist (2-1), but prior to that the side defeated Harding (1-0) and Oklahoma Baptist (4-2). Tommy Fiszel leads the Crimson Storm in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16). No other member of the team has more than four points this season. Both Jeff Ray (0-5) and Colton Hadlock (2-3) have split time in goal for SNU, with each making five starts. Hadlock has the lower goals-against average (3.13) and higher saves percentage (.717). Northeastern State is 8-0 all-time against Southern Nazarene, which includes a pair of home-and-home triumphs last season.

NATIONALLY RANKED AGAIN
Northeastern State's two wins last week pushed the team back inside the top 25 in the nation. NSU currently sits at No. 24 in this week's NSCAA national rankings, which were issued Oct. 6. The team received one vote last week and began the season at No. 21 in the nation. The green and white landed at No. 24 in the second week of rankings and received votes in the third poll issued.

MIAA RANKS
Trevor Reed is second in the MIAA in shots (32), tied for seventh in points (9), tied for fifth in goals (4) and tied for first in game-winning goals (2). Joseph Garcia is tied for fourth in points (10) and tied for fifth in goals (4). Freshman forward James Olmos is fifth in the MIAA in shots taken with 22, and senior defender Paul Samia is tied for third in assists with three. Eric Shephard has the second lowest GAA in the MIAA with 1.13, the second highest saves percentage (.792), and he is tied for the second most shutouts with two.

REGIONALLY RANKED
NSU moved up a spot to No. 2 in the NSCAA Division II Men's Central Region Poll. The RiverHawks are one spot behind first-place Upper Iowa.

BOMBARDIER BRINGS HOME HARDWARE
Brenden Bombardier was named the MIAA Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week on Oct. 6. Bombardier earned the award after dropping a hat-trick against Harding. This was his first-career award and he became the second player on the team to receive the laurel this year after Trevor Reed (Sept. 8).

-GoRiverHawksGo.com-