Men's Soccer Week 6 Notes: vs. Rockhurst | at Iowa Wesleyan

Weekly Schedule:
Wednesday, Oct. 3 – vs. Rockhurst – 4:00 pm – Kirksville, Mo.
Live Stats

Saturday, Oct. 6 – at Iowa Wesleyan – 2:00 pm – Mt. Pleasant, Iowa
No Live Stats Available

PDF Notes

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - The Truman men's soccer team steps out of MIAA action for a pair of games this week, welcoming long-time rival Rockhurst to the Bulldog Soccer Park on Wednesday before traveling to Iowa Wesleyan for a Saturday afternoon contest.

The Bulldogs (5-3-1, 3-1-1 MIAA) will play their one road contest in the month of October this weekend after starting the 2012 campaign with eight of their first nine matches away from home – including the first five MIAA games. Truman first will take on future-GLVC foe Rockhurst following the women's match against Quincy on Wednesday as the Bulldogs and Hawks are set to renew their long-time history.

Truman traveled to Oklahoma and Arkansas last weekend, picking up a split in a pair of MIAA matches – falling 4-0 at Northeastern State on Friday night before rebounding with a 3-1 win at Harding on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs were off-kilter throughout the entire NSU match, giving up a pair of goals in each half to pick up their first MIAA loss of the season.

However, Truman rebounded on Sunday against Harding with a 3-1 win after surrendering the game's first goal just 59 seconds into the contest. It took the 'Dogs 64 more minutes before they found the net, but after Andy Chapman scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season, Felix Bruner came through with his first collegiate goal in front of an insurance tally by Tony Luedecke in the 81^st minute for the two-goal win.

Nick Wallner and Drew Garrone continued their splitting of time between the pipes, as Garrone notched his first win of the season after posting a quiet 25 minutes to close the HU match.

Chapman's five goals lead the squad and rank him fourth in the MIAA, while Charlie Backus' seven assists has him two clear of anyone else in the eight-team league. He also ranks amongst the NCAA's top-25 in total assists, with an average of 0.78/game. The Bulldogs have a +4 goal differential on the season and are averaging 2.11 goals/game.

Duke Cochran is in his eighth season at the helm of the Bulldog men's soccer program and has a career record of 76-48-12. His full bio is available either online at TrumanBulldogs.com or in the full PDF weekly notes.

Weekly Recap with Coach Cochran:
To watch this week's weekly recap with coach Duke Cochran, click the video link below. If the video is not appearing, please access the full weekly notes at TrumanBulldogs.com.

Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman men's soccer is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming match information and weekly updates.

When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog men's soccer schedule page as well as the top of each weekly update.

Keep up with the Bulldogs by tracking in-game updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter (@TrumanAthletics). Also be sure to sign up for Text Caster and Newsletter updates on the TrumanBulldogs.com homepage.

Quick Look Around the League:
The eight-team MIAA has begun to see clear separation between the top half and bottom half as every team has played five of its ten scheduled league contests. Lindenwood has had the best run thus far, going unbeaten (4-0-1) for 13 points, while both Fort Hays State and Northeastern State are close in tow with 12 points each. Truman sits a solid fourth with 10 points but is just one win away from tying for first.

Harding (6 points) leads the second section, with both Upper Iowa and Southern Nazarene totaling three points behind 1-4 conference marks. Southwest Baptist (0-5) is still in search of its first MIAA point.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the top four teams will head to Olathe, Kan., for the MIAA semifinals and championship on Nov. 1 and 3.

The eight MIAA teams are joined by Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) (4-6) to comprise the NCAA Div. II Central region, with the top two teams in the region following the MIAA tournament qualifying for the NCAA tournament.

Lindenwood University, still in provisional NCAA Div. II qualifying, is ineligible for NCAA postseason competition this season but can still compete in the MIAA postseason tournament due to no automatic berths to the NCAA tournament in men's soccer.

Vitamin D – Just What the Doctor Ordered:
The Bulldogs have played five day matches this season (all with start times prior to 4:59 pm) and are a perfect 5-0 in those matches, However, in matches that start under the lights (5:00 pm start time or later), the Bulldogs are still in search of their first win, having gone 0-3-1.

Checking Out the Competition:
#16 Rockhurst “Hawks” (7-1-2)
The No. 16 Hawks visit Kirksville riding a hot start to 2012, including a 1-0-1 homestand during the weekend that saw the team tie 0-0 with then-No. 8 Quincy before thrashing Illinois-Springfield 5-1.

Rockhurst has a +14 goal differential this season, averaging 2.00 goals/game while out-shooting foes 193-82 (93-43 on goal). The Hawks have been a predominantly second-half club, out-scoring teams 15-3 in the final 45 minutes of regulation.

Mark Magee and Nick McDonald have both found pay-dirt five times this season, with eight other Hawks scoring at least one goal. Ryan Bass has played all 967 of the team's minutes in net this season, posting a 0.56 GAA with an 85.7% save percentage.

The Bulldogs and Hawks will battle for the 28^th time on Wednesday afternoon, with RU holding a 14-12-1 all-time lead. The teams will be playing for the third straight season in Kirksville, having split the previous two meetings (RU won 2-1 last season).

Tony Tocco is in his 42^nd season leading the Rockhurst program and has a career record of 607-169-59.

Iowa Wesleyan “Tigers” (3-6)
Members of the United Stats Collegiate Athletic Association, the IWC Tigers will be playing for the first time since Sept. 26 when Truman visits Mt. Pleasant on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers are 3-6 this season overall but boast a 3-1 home record.

IWC has a -3 goal differential on the season and is averaging 1.97 goals/game, led by Caio Da Costa's team-high eight. Christopher Matthews has added five for a Tiger squad that has only seen 15 players receive minutes this year. Brett Broderson is the team's keeper, posting a 2.30 GAA and a 73.1% save mark with one shutout.

Saturday will mark the fifth time the regional teams have faced off, with Truman leading the all-time series 3-1. All four meetings have been since 2005, with the Bulldogs winning the most recent match 4-0 on Sept. 11, 2009 in Mt. Pleasant.

Brocklon Chatman is in his second season with the program and has a 7-18 record at the school.

Up Next:
Truman will jump back into MIAA play to begin the stretch run, as the Bulldogs have just five league matches remaining in the 2012 season following this week's action. The 'Dogs will host Fort Hays State next Thursday (Oct. 11) at 3:00 pm before welcoming MIAA-affiliate member Southern Nazarene to Kirksville on Oct. 13 at 2:00 pm.

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