Rockhurst men's soccer continues Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play with two matches this week, hosting unbeaten Lincoln on Wednesday (Sept. 23) before traveling to Fayette, Iowa, to face Upper Iowa on Saturday (Sept. 26).
The Hawks enter the week with a 3-3-2 overall record after battling Quincy to a scoreless draw Saturday at Bourke Field. Rockhurst will look to build on a strong recent stretch that included a 5-2 road victory over Missouri S&T last Wednesday.
Rockhurst has found the back of the net 11 times through eight matches, with the scoring coming from throughout the lineup. Ten different Hawks have scored this season, led by Tommaso Silanos with two goals. Silanos scored both of his goals in last Wednesday's victory at Missouri S&T, helping the Hawks erase a second-half deficit and pull away for the 5-2 conference road win. Nine other Rockhurst players have scored one goal apiece this season.
Troy Lor has helped lead the Rockhurst attack as a playmaker, posting a team-high two assists. Four other Hawks have also recorded an assist, giving Rockhurst contributions from throughout the lineup. Freshman goalkeeper Luke Strueby has continued to settle into the starting role for the Hawks. Strueby has allowed just two goals over his last 360 minutes in goal while collecting seven saves and posting a .778 save percentage. His recent stretch includes the full 90 minutes in Rockhurst's shutout against Quincy.
Lincoln comes to Kansas City as one of the GLVC's remaining unbeaten teams, entering the week with a 3-0-3 overall record and a 2-0-2 mark in conference play. The Blue Tigers have scored 10 goals this season and have put 44.9 percent of their shots on goal. Jonathan Nemorden leads the Lincoln attack with three goals in five starts. Ackeem Mullings has also been a key part of the Blue Tigers' offense with two goals and is one of Lincoln's leaders in shot attempts. Lincoln has used a pair of goalkeepers this season, with Vincent Osei leading the team in minutes played. Rockhurst has controlled the young all-time series between the programs, holding a 4-0-1 record against Lincoln. The only match the Hawks have not won came in the teams' most recent meeting, when Rockhurst and Lincoln played to a draw in Kansas City.
Rockhurst will hit the road Saturday for its second match of the week when the Hawks travel to Upper Iowa. The Peacocks enter the week with a 1-4-2 overall record and a 1-4 mark in GLVC play. Upper Iowa is coming off its first victory of the season and will look to build on that result when it returns home. The Peacocks are currently 0-2 on their home field. Upper Iowa has scored four goals through seven matches and averages approximately eight shots per game. Timur Nagy has been the Peacocks' biggest offensive threat, leading the team with two goals while adding an assist. Nagy has been directly involved in three of Upper Iowa's four goals this season.
Rockhurst will look to continue building momentum in conference play as the Hawks face two GLVC opponents with different starts to the season, an unbeaten Lincoln squad at home Wednesday before a road test against Upper Iowa on Saturday.
