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This Week
The Westminster men's soccer team is headed west to play three games over the weekend. They will play two games at the Cougar Classic hosted by Azusa Pacific University with a game at The Master's College in-between.

The trip begins with a 10:30 a.m. game on Thursday, August 27, against Westmont at Azusa Pacific to open the Cougar Classic. The Griffins will then face The Master's College during the Cougar Classic off day on Friday, August 28 at 5:00 p.m. Then on Saturday, August 29, Westminster will face Azusa Pacific in the final game of the road trip and the Cougar Classic.

Westminster will begin the year after going 9-7-2 in 2008. The Griffins will again be playing for a trip to the Unaffiliated Conference Tournament, to earn a trip to the NAIA National Championships.

Westminster returns several key contributors from the 2008 team, led by senior goalkeeper Val Campbell. Campbell made 16 stars between the pipes last season and finished with a goals against average of 1.20.

Ticket Information
Tickets for the games on Thursday and Saturday at Azusa Pacific will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. They will be available the day of the games at the gate.

Admission is free to the game at The Master's College on Friday evening.

Live Stats
Live stats will be available for the two games taking place at Auzsa Pacific on Thursday and Saturday. You can access the live stats by going to westminstergriffins.com and clicking on Live Stats.

Westminster Men's Soccer Quickly
•Westminster was 4-6-1 in games played away from Dumke Field in 2008.

•The Griffins are 3-15-1 all-time against this week's three opponents.

•The 2008 team went 2-0-1 in its first three games.

Scouting Westmont
Westmont opens the 2009 season with their game against Westminster. Westmont went 12-7-2 in 2008 and finished sixth in the GSAC with a 4-4-2 record. They received 86 points in the NAIA Coach's Top 25 Pool that was released on August 18. That put them just outside the top-25 in 27th position.
Series Record: Westmont leads, 3-0-0
Last Meeting: Westmont def. Westminster, 2-0 (9/21/06)

Scouting The Master's
When The Master's faces Westminster on Friday night it will be the second game of the week for both teams. The Master's will face Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday, August 26 prior to facing the Griffins. The Master's went 11-3-4 in 2008 and placed fourth in the GSAC with a 5-2-3 record. They received 11 points in the preseason top 25 poll released on August 18.
Series Record: The Master's leads, 9-2-1
Last Meeting: The Master's def. Westminster, 1-0 (8/25/07)

Scouting Azusa Pacific
Azusa Pacific is the host of the Cougar Classic. They will face Simon Fraser prior to their game with the Griffins. Azusa Pacific finished 2008 with a 13-4-3 record and won the GSAC by going 8-1-1 in conference. They enter the 2009 season ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Coach's Poll with 417 total points.
Series Record: Azusa Pacific leads, 3-1-0
Last Meeting: Azusa Pacific def. Westminster, 4-0 (9/23/06)

Offensive Notebook
Westminster only three players that found scored goals in 2008. Those three players combined to score just six goals, led by the four from Jeff Gardner. Isaac Green and Tysen Gehring are the other two returners that scored a goal last season.

Along with Green, Spencer Luczak. Bobby Ward, and Justin Solomon are the only returners with an assist in 2008. Green was second on the team with his three helpers. Ward and Luczak each had two assists last season.

Defensive Notebook
Val Campbell returns to defend the net after making 16 starts in 2008. Campbell recorded a .765 save percentage while posting a 1.20 goals against average.

Look for Gehring, James Milgate. Gary Gonzalez, Noah Gayfield, and Jordan Brough to get time on the back line in front of Campbell. Westminster opponents took 206 shots in 2008 with 99 of those being on goal.

Next Week
Westminster opens the 2009 home slate with a pair of games on Dumke Field. They make their home debut on Saturday, September 5, when they face MidAmerica Nazarene at 3:00 p.m. On Sunday, September 6, the Griffins face Kansas Wesleyan at 12:30 p.m.