Last Time Out: The Redhawks had their best weekend at home last week, posting a pair of shutouts and earning their first conference victory. Behind true freshman goalkeeper Jake Feener, who made his collegiate debut, the Redhawks took San Jose State to a 0-0 double overtime draw on Oct. 8. Two days later, Nico De la Cruz scored with 11 seconds left in regulation to help guide Seattle U to a 1-0 stunner over Sacramento State.
Agoos' Thoughts: "We have a tough road trip ahead of us, facing two good teams on the road. It is a little strange to play the same teams back-to-back in Sacramento State and San Jose State. We will be tested this weekend on the road, but we are excited to get back out there and play," said head coach Brad Agoos.
Follow the Game: Fans can follow all the Redhawk men's soccer action this weekend by logging onto www.GoSeattleU.com. Live stats will be available for their matches versus CSUS and SJSU. Live Twitter and Facebook updates will also be available.
Feener Named Player of the Week: A collegiate debut could not be scripted more perfectly, as it was for true freshman goalkeeper Jake Feener. He posted a pair of shutouts and helped guide the Redhawks to their first conference victory of the season this past weekend. He capped off his pair of clean sheets and 12 save weekend by earning MPSF Player of the Week honors. He is the second SU player to earn the honor this year.
A Weekend of Firsts: The Redhawks put together their first unbeaten weekend at home versus San Jose State and Sacramento State, going 1-0-1. They earned their first conference victory of the season versus the Hornets of CSUS, behind a last second goal. Also, freshman 'keeper Jake Feener tended to the goal in both contests to make his collegiate debut.
Versus Ranked Opponents: The Redhawks have played a pair of ranked opponents this season. They kicked off the year with then-No. 5 Tulsa on Sept. 4, and most recently took on then-No. 24 Portland on Sept. 26. Versus both ranked teams, SU has played very competitively and their offense has only been outscored 4-2 by the ranked squads.
In the MPSF: After going unbeaten this past weekend, the Redhawks are currently in second place in the MPSF Pacific Division.
De la Cruz's Goal Seals Conference Victory: The Redhawk freshmen continue to make major impacts in the Seattle U lineup. Freshman Nico De la Cruz made his first career goal a memorable one, as he scored the game-winner with 11 seconds left in regulation versus Sacramento State on Oct. 10, to give SU their first conference victory of the season. The newcomer has started in all 10 games this season.
Scouting Sacramento State: In their last match, Seattle U snapped Sacramento State's eight-game unbeaten streak. The loss was also the Hornets' first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation loss since Oct. 8, 2009, when the team fell to San Jose State, 2-1. CSUS is 5-3-3 overall and fall to 0-1-2 in the MPSF following their shutout loss to the Redhawks. Sac State has yet to score a goal in conference play in 2010.
The Hornets are led by junior midfielder and striker Chris Bettencourt, who has both three goals and assists for nine points on the season. Another top contributor is senior midfielder Fernando Cabadas, who two goals and three assists for seven points on the year.
Defensively, Sacramento State has employed two freshmen goalkeepers this season. Cesar Castillo has started nine games this season and has a 4-2-3 record, 39 saves and a 0.848 goals against record. Playing the remainder of the minutes is Federico Antonelli, who has eight saves and a 1.52 goals against average.
Scouting San Jose State: The Spartans of San Jose State are coming off a weekend of overtime contests. They took the Redhawks to a 0-0 double overtime draw in Seattle on Oct. 8. Two days later they returned home to fall 2-1 to CSU Bakersfield in overtime. SJSU currently is sporting a 6-4-2 overall, 0-1-2 MPSF record.
Leading the squad is Josh Boemecke, who has seven goals in 12 games for 14 points. He leads the MPSF in goals scored this season. Nick Cucar leads the team in assists, with three. He also has a goal on the year.
Defensively, Jonathan Lester has taken a majority of the minutes between the pipes for the Spartans. He has seen action in nine games, tallying 31 saves for a goals against average of 3.44. He is sixth in the MPSF in saves and saves per game.