TAHLEQUAH -- The NSU Men's Soccer team will open Great American Conference play this weekend when they travel to face Fort Hays State Thursday evening and Newman on Saturday afternoon.
Live stats for both matches can be found on goriverhawksgo.com
First Touches
1. The RiverHawks are 2-2 this season after non conference play, and are on a one-match win streak after beating Oklahoma Christian on Saturday. Six RiverHawks have recorded goals this season, including
Aaron Ugbah,
Matthew Corness,
Ben Watson,
Ameer Madden,
Tom Singhgolden and
Jameson Biles.
Justin Hinman has been the main man in net for NSU, racking up 12 saves.
2. NSU has an all-time 7-9-5 record against Fort Hays State, with the last NSU win coming on Nov. 16, 2017. The last time NSU won in Hays was Nov. 1, 2015, a 1-0 victory. Against Newman, NSU is 12-9-2. This is the first matchup between the schools since Sept. 30, 2011, a match that NSU won 1-0.
3. NSU Head Coach
Rob Czlonka is in his ninth season as head coach of the RiverHawks. NSU has known a lot of success under Czlonka, having qualified four times for the NCAA Tournament, including two trips to the NCAA Elite 8 (2015, 2017) and two trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 (2014, 2018). Czlonka entred the season with fourth-best winning percentage among active NCAA Division II head coaches and needs two wins to reach 100 in his career.
4. Fort Hays State is 1-3 on the season, with their lone win being a 3-0 win over Rockhurst on Sept. 5. The Tigers have netted just three goals this season, those coming from Sergio Villalba, Alonso Rodriguez and Joey McCain. Cullen Fisch has recorded 16 saves in net for the Tigers. The Tigers edged out NSU as the preseason pick to win the GAC.
5. Newman is 1-1 this season and will face Rogers State Thursday before hosting the RiverHawks. Victor Rubio Lopez leads the Jets with two goals and four shots on goal. Chase Bowman has recorded three saves in net for Newman.
Up Next: NSU will return to Tahlequah for two home matches against GAC foes. They will face Southern Nazarene on Sept. 26 and Oklahoma Baptist on Sept. 28.
