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SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College men's soccer team begins a stretch of seven straight road games to close the season with a trip to Iowa for a pair of games this weekend. Westminster opens the trip on Saturday when they face fifth-ranked Ashford (Iowa) at the AU Soccer Field. The Griffins will then play at Saint Ambrose (Iowa) on Sunday at the Davenport Soccer Complex. Both games will begin at 11 a.m. MDT.

Saturday's game at Ashford will be streamed live and have live stats available. You can access the live features with links found in the calendar section of WestminsterGriffins.com.

GRIFFIN NOTEBOOK
After taking a week off, Westminster travels to Iowa at 5-6 on the season and 0-2 in Frontier Conference play. They went 1-1 in two home games the week before, falling to Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and defeating then-No. 23 Cal State San Marcos.

The Griffins are averaging 0.91 goals per game this season with 10 total goals. They attempt 10.9 shots per game while putting 45.8 percent of those attempts on goal. Westminster has taken 85 of their 120 total shots after halftime and have tallied seven assists on their 10 goals.

Griffin opponents are scoring 1.36 goals per game with nine assists on 15 goals scored. The opposition has taken 119 shots for an average of 10.8 per game while putting 53.8 percent of those attempts on frame. Westminster notched 49 saves on the year with a 76.6 save percentage.

AGAINST THE OPPOSITION
Westminster won the only other meeting with Ashford as they claimed a 1-0 overtime victory last October at Dumke Field. Sunday's game with Saint Ambrose will be the first-ever meeting for the two teams.

LOOKING BACK
Rocky Mountain used a 12th-minute goal from Chris Jermy to hand the Griffins a 1-0 loss on Sept. 27. The Griffins had an 11-7 edge in shots during the game with four of those attempts on goal. The game featured 26 fouls and four yellow cards. Logan Butzier took the loss with two saves.

Westminster bounced back and rode a goal from Jordan Conroy in the 27th minute to upset 23rd-ranked Cal State San Marcos on Sept. 29 at Dumke Field. The Griffins overcame a 15-9 deficit in shots and an 8-2 deficit in corner kicks to earn their second win over a ranked opponent this season. Butzier came up with six saves for his fourth shutout of the season.

NEED TO STRIKE FIRST
In every game this season the team that has scored first has gone on to win that game. Only once this season has a game been tied after the first goal of the game was scored. That came in the Griffins 2-1 win over The Master's (Calif.) on Aug. 24. That game was also the only game this season that the losing team wasn't shutout.

SCORING FROM SMITH
Senior Ryan Smith continues to be the top scoring threat for the Griffins in 2013. Smith has scored four goals on the season while taking a team-best 37 shots. The senior notched the game-winner against Jamestown (N.D.) and now has seven winners in his Westminster career.

HELP FROM DUENAS
Junior Manuel Duenas notched his second career goal in the team's 2-1 win over The Master's. For Duenas, it was his first career game-winner and came on his first shot of the season. He recorded his first assist of the year against MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) as his service from a free kick led to the game-winner.

BUTZIER IN NET
Junior Logan Butzier has started in goal in nine of the team's 11 games this season. He has compiled a 5-4 record in those starts with four shutouts. Butzier has notched a 0.97 goals-against-average and is 31st in the NAIA in that department. He has made 35 saves with an .814 save percentage.

FOLLOWING THE GRIFFINS
To keep up with all of the latest news and information about the Westminster men's soccer team, fans are encouraged to "Like" the Griffins on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. And as always, make sure to visit WestminsterGriffins.com for all things Griffins during the 2013 season.

GAME WITH DIXIE RESCHEDULED
The game with Dixie State that was postponed due to lighting on Sept. 7 has been rescheduled to take place on Nov. 3. It will begin at 4 p.m. from Hansen Stadium in St. George, Utah.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Griffins travel to Montana to complete Frontier Conference play for the season. They visit Rocky Mountain on Oct. 18 and then play at Great Falls (Mont.) on Oct. 20.