The Rockhurst men's soccer team enters the final stretch of the regular season with a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference matchups this week. The Hawks will host William Jewell on Wednesday (Oct. 21) at Bourke Field for their final home match of the season before traveling to Springfield, Illinois, to face Illinois Springfield on Saturday (Oct. 24).
The Hawks enter the week looking to regain their offensive rhythm after going scoreless in their last three contests. Rockhurst's most recent goal came in a 1-0 victory over conference-leading Maryville on Oct. 3, when the Hawks handed the Saints their first GLVC loss of the season.
Since that victory, Rockhurst has battled No. 11 Drury to a scoreless draw in Springfield before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat at Missouri-St. Louis on Oct. 10. The Hawks will look to capitalize on their final two home opportunities before closing out the regular season on the road.
Rockhurst has scored 15 goals this season, with freshman Riley McGill leading the offensive attack with three goals. Tommaso Silanos has contributed two goals, while 10 other Hawks have found the back of the net. Nick Marchetti leads the team with three assists, while Troy Lor and Daniele Ciancaglini have each recorded two assists and one goal. Defensively, freshman goalkeeper Luke Strueby continues to anchor the Hawks in goal after earning back-to-back GLVC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12. Strueby's recent performances have included a nine-save shutout against nationally ranked Drury and a three-save effort against Missouri-St. Louis.
William Jewell enters Wednesday's matchup with a 2-11-2 overall record and a 1-9-2 mark in GLVC play. The Cardinals' most recent victory came against Truman State, a team that previously defeated Rockhurst at Bourke Field earlier this season. The Cardinals have scored 13 goals this season, with Daniel Pirillo accounting for six of those goals to lead the offense. Two other William Jewell players have scored multiple goals this year. William Jewell has utilized several goalkeepers throughout the season as the Cardinals look to finish the conference schedule on a positive note.
Illinois Springfield enters the week with a 1-11-3 overall record. The Prairie Stars' lone victory of the season came against Missouri-St. Louis on Sept. 26. Despite their record, the Prairie Stars have produced 20 goals offensively this season while allowing 41 goals on the defensive end. Robin Lemke and Genti Selemani lead Illinois Springfield with six goals apiece, combining for 12 of the team's 20 goals. Four Prairie Stars have also contributed two assists each. In goal, Kevin Kardel has handled the majority of the duties for Illinois Springfield, making 13 starts and recording 68 saves this season.
Following Sunday's home finale against Illinois Springfield, Rockhurst will travel to Bolivar, Missouri, on Tuesday (Oct. 27) to face Southwest Baptist at 1:30 p.m. in its final regular-season contest. The matchup was originally scheduled for Oct. 14 but was postponed due to expected rain in the Bolivar area. The rescheduled contest will conclude the Hawks' GLVC regular-season schedule.
