MSOC Quarterfinals Preview

Men's Soccer ODAC Quarterfinals Preview

No. 4 Hornets Host No. 5 Royals on Saturday

10/26/2023 11:08:00 AM

By: Matt McIntosh '23
WINCHESTER, Va. - The No. 4 Shenandoah University men's soccer team is set to host a conference tournament game for the first time ever as No. 5 Eastern Mennonite University comes to campus on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the 2023 ODAC Men's Soccer Tournament.

The Hornets (8-4-4, 5-2-3 ODAC) finished with 18 points in the conference standings to earn hosting rights while the Royals (7-6-4, 4-3-3) finished three points behind SU.

ABOUT SHENANDOAH

In the preseason poll, Shenandoah was projected to finish 10th and changed that narrative by earning the most conference points in program history in coach Brandon Kates' second year at the helm.

SU scored 33 goals in the regular season led by Nathan Yared who posted 10 goals. Yared leads the ODAC in goals and points. Chinedu Ikem and Kyle Welch round out the top three point scorers for the Hornets as they tallied 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Goalie Travis Jett has an 8-4-4 record making 50 saves in his 15 starts. The fifth-year has two shutouts with a 1.33 goals-against average.

ABOUT EMU

SU's opponent, EMU, was in a similar preseason situation as the Hornets. The Royals were projected to wrap up the season in 13th place but 15 conference points earned them the fifth seed.

EMU is led by Ford DeVault who has seven goals and one assist for 15 points. Ariel Bonilla leads the Royals with seven assists while adding a pair of goals. Mesa Dula rounds out their top three with five goals.

EMU's goalie, Andrew Arledge, has a 6-5-4 record with a 1.40 goals-against average. Behind second-year head coach Justin Carey, the Royals improved its win total by six games from 2022 to 2023.

SERIES HISTORY

Shenandoah is 8-16-4 all-time versus Eastern Mennonite but is 3-0-2 in the last five meetings between the squads.

The Hornets defeated the Royals 2-1 back on October 18th with Yared and Xavier Thompson scoring for SU. EMU added its only goal in the 86th minute.

The last EMU win at Shenandoah came back in 2017 as the Hornets have won the last three times at home.

SU is 6-1-1 at home this year while EMU is 1-3-3 on the road in 2023.

ODAC TOURNAMENT FIELD

  1. Washington and Lee (10-3-4, 8-1-1)
  2. University of Lynchburg (12-3-1, 7-2-1)
  3. Virginia Wesleyan University (12-2-2, 6-2-2)
  4. Shenandoah University (8-4-4, 5-2-3)
  5. Eastern Mennonite University (7-6-4, 4-3-3)
  6. Roanoke College (7-9-1, 5-5)
  7. Hampden-Sydney College (6-5-6, 3-3-4)
  8. Averett University (6-4-7, 3-3-4)

UP NEXT

The winner of the match will head on to the semifinals next Wednesday.

#GoSUHornets
 
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