KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - At 2-0-1, the Truman State University men's soccer team is off to its best start since 2014. That season, the Bulldogs opened at 3-0-1, a mark they'll be gunning for on Friday when Lewis comes to town in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) opener. The Purple and White will then host Southern Indiana on Sunday.

Truman is coming off a commanding 6-0 win at former MIAA and future GLVC foe, Southwest Baptist, on Sunday. The Bulldogs scored three times in the first 15 minutes as part of four first-half goals before tacking on two more in the second half to cruise to victory. Those six goals were scored by four different players including Matt Yankowitz, Trevor Kaufmann, Jake Koenig, and Danny Alter.

With that being said, the defending GLVC Offensive Player of the Week, Yankowitz, turned in the performance of his career against the Bearcats. The junior forward captured the program's first hat trick since Andy Chapman did it on Oct. 21, 2012, also vs. Southwest Baptist. Yankowitz scored in the sixth, seventh and 21st minutes to go with an assist to Kaufmann in the 15th. That 2012 hat trick from Chapman also represents the last time a Bulldog finished a match with seven points, which Yankowitz was also able to accomplish.

Truman has already accounted for 10 goals in three matches and will look to keep it rolling for a couple home dates this weekend. The Bulldogs trail the all-time series with Lewis, 11-16-1, but lead Southern Indiana by three, 11-8-2. This season, the Flyers (1-1-2) are coming off their first win of the season, a 1-0 defeat of Davenport, while the Screaming Eagles (2-1) have picked up both their victories on the road.

After joining the league prior to the 2013 campaign, Truman won three straight league openers, but has dropped the last two. Last season, the Bulldogs faced both Lewis and Southern Indiana on the road in the final two weeks of the regular season as the Screaming Eagles won, 1-0 (Oct. 8), and the Flyers took it in double overtime, 4-3 (Oct. 22).

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