Complete Release | PDF

SALT LAKE CITY – The Westminster College men's soccer team will travel to California this weekend to take on two ranked opponents. Westminster opens at No. 23 Concordia (Calif.) on Thursday at 4 p.m. They will then conclude the trip on Saturday at No. 12 Biola (Calif.) at 5 p.m.

Saturday's game will have live video available with both games having live stats available. Links for the live features can be found in the calendar section of WestminsterGriffins.com.

GRIFFIN NOTEBOOK
The Griffins enter the week at 3-2 overall this season with all games having been played at Dumke Field. They are coming off a 1-2 Labor Day Weekend that saw them claim a 2-0 victory over fourth-ranked MidAmerican Nazarene. Westminster has scored five goals this season while attempting 11.4 shots per outing.

On the defensive end, Westminster has given up just four goals and they have a team goals-against-average of 0.78. Griffin opponents are getting 7.4 shots per game and only once has an opponent taken more shots in a game than the Griffins.

AGAINST THE OPPOSITION
Westminster has compiled a 3-1 record all-time against Concordia but Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting in Irvine. The two teams last met in 2003 when CUI won 4-0 in Salt Lake City.

Biola enters Saturday's game with an 8-4-2 edge in the all-time series. The Eagles are 2-1-2 in home games against the Griffins and they have won two straight and six of the past seven meetings.

LOOKING BACK
Westminster went 1-2 at the Westminster Labor Day Classic. They suffered a 2-0 loss to Bellevue (Neb.) in the opener on Aug. 30. The Griffins then dropped a heartbreaker to Midland (Neb.) on Sept. 1. Midland tallied the game-winner in the 106th minute of play for the 1-0 win.

The Griffins responded on Sept. 2 with a 2-0 upset of No. 4 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.). Trenton Petersen notched a first-half goal off a free kick by Manuel Duenas. Ryan Smith then scored on a breakaway in the 81st minute to seal the victory.

NEED TO STRIKE FIRST
Through Westminster's first five games this season the teams that has scored the game's first goal has gone on to win the game. After scoring first against Jamestown (N.D.) and The Master's (Calif.) in the first two games of the year, Westminster allowed the first goal the next two times out in defeat. Petersen's 33rd-minute goal against MidAmerica Nazarene was the winner in that contest.

ROLLING AT DUMKE
With three wins at home to start the year, Westminster continues its dominance of games played at Dumke Field. Since moving to the facility in 2005, the Griffins have compiled a 53-18-4 (.733) record on the turf. They have never had a losing record at the facility and over the past four years the Griffins are 23-8-1 (.734) at home.

SCORING FROM SMITH
Senior Ryan Smith has started the 2013 season right where he left off the 2012 campaign. Smith has scored three goals in the season's first five games. The senior notched the game-winner against Jamestown and now has seven winners in his Westminster career.

Smith is averaging 5.2 shots per game to rank 17th in the NAIA and his 3.0 shots on goal per outing is 19th in the country. He has led the team in shots in all five games this season while putting .577 percent of his shot attempts on goal.

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 MNU as his service from a free kick led to the game-winner from Petersen.

BUTZIER IN NET
Junior Logan Butzier has started in goal in four of the team's five games this season. He has compiled a 3-1 record in those starts with two shutouts. Butzier sits 20th in the NAIA with his 0.48 goals-against-average while also making 17 saves and posting a .895 save percentage.

LOOKING AHEAD
Westminster returns to Dumke Field for the start of a four-game winning streak. They face Johnson & Wales (Colo.) on Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. before welcoming Great Falls (Mont.) to town on Sept. 21 at 2 p.m.