The Westminster men's soccer team returns to action this weekend as they host a pair of games to start Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The Griffins will host MSU Denver at 5 p.m. on Friday and then play UC Colorado Springs on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Both games will be played at Dumke Field and are part of a double header with the Westminster women's soccer team. Tickets for the two games are on sale now by visiting
WestminsterGriffins.com/tickets.
COVERING THE GRIFFINSBoth games of the weekend will be carried live on the new Griffins TV Game Central portal that is available at
portal.stretchinternet.com/westminster. The coverage will not have audio commentary.
There will also be live stats available for both of the contests from Dumke Field. Access to all live features are available at
WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
FOLLOWING WESTMINSTER MEN'S SOCCERMake sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube for the latest news about the Griffins.
Fans can stay connected with Westminster Men's Soccer by following @westminstersoccer soccer on Instagram.
ABOUT WESTMINSTERWestminster turns its attention to RMAC play after going 1-1 during the opening weekend of action. After falling to Hope International, 1-0, on Sept. 5, the Griffins defeated Bellevue, 2-1, in overtime on Sept. 6.
The Griffins are averaging 1.0 goals per game and they rank eighth in the RMAC in that category. The team is taking 4.5 shots per game and they put 44.4 percent of those shots on goa. Westminster has taken nine corner kicks and scored one goal on a penalty kick.
Westminster begins the week leading the conference with a 0.96 goals-against-average and with just two goals allowed. The team is ninth in the league with 11 saves and they have .846 save percentage. The opposition is taking 13.5 shots per game with 48.1 percent on frame. The Griffins have surrendered 14 corner kicks.
Matthew Warne and
Ivan Lezama scored the two Griffin goals against Belleuve. Lezama scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in overtime and he is tied for second in the RMAC in game-winning-goals.
Jacob Smith has attempted a team-leading three shots and joins Lezama, Warne, and
Josh Jackson for team honors with one shot on goal.
Taylor Ruff earned the win against Bellevue with seven saves and he ranks second in the conference with a 0.93 GAA. His .875 save percentage is tops in the league and he is second with an average of 7.0 saves per game.
Sean Lyne made four saves against Hope International and is fourth in the RMAC in GAA (1.00) and fifth in save percentage (.800).
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION• MSU Denver – The Roadrunners come to town at 2-1-1 on the season and coming off a 2-1 win over then-No. 24 ranked Northeastern State on Sept. 13. They are 0-1 in road games after a 5-2 loss at Dixie State in the season opener on Sept. 4. MSUD averages 2.25 goals per game and they take 19.75 shots per contest to lead the RMAC. Dustin Berg leads the conference with three goals and eight points while ranking third with two assists. Hayden Rus has a 0.93 GAA and .824 save percentage in three starts.
MSU Denver holds an 11-3-1 leads all-time against the Griffins and they have gone 4-3 in games in Salt Lake City. The two teams haven't met since the Griffins took a 3-1 decision at Dumke Field on Aug. 30, 2008.
• UC Colorado Springs – The Cougars begin the week at 2-1 on the season and winners of two straight. They defeated then-No. 14 Fort Hays State, 4-2, on Sept. 11 and then defeated Newman, 2-1, on Sept. 13. UCCS plays at Colorado Mesa on Friday before making the trip to SLC. The Cougars led the RMAC at 2.67 goals and 3.0 assists per game and they attempt 19.33 shots per outing. JR Calhoun and Sebastian Hertzberg have scored two goals apiece to lead the team while Hertzberg and Jake McAllister have three assists each. Peter Vorgin has made five saves in two games played.
UCCS holds a 7-6 edge in the all-time series against Westminster and the teams are 3-3 when playing in Salt Lake City. UCCs has won three straight and five of the past six meetings between the two teams. They haven't played since a UCCS 4-3 overtime victory on Sept. 28, 2007 in Colorado Springs.
STABILITY AT DEFENSEAaron Rees anchors the Griffin defense as the senior enters the week having played in 58 games and 4,944 minutes as a Griffin. Rees has started 24 straight games going back to the 2013 campaign. He played all 187 minutes of the first two games of the season and was a key part of a defense that finished 2014 with a goals-against-average at 1.02.
SOLID KEEPINGSean Lyne and
Taylor Ruff combined to post a 0.96 GAA and .846 save percentage during the season's first two games. Lyne started the opener against HIU and made four saves in a tough 1-0 loss. Ruff then came up with seven stops to earn the overtime victory against Bellevue the next day. Together the keepers have Westminster leading the RMAC in goals-against-average and goals allowed.
RMAC PRESEASON POLLWestminster begins its first season in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2015 and they were picked to finish tied for 10th in a poll of the league's coaches that was released last month. The Griffins received 18 points in the poll to tie with fellow conference newcomer, South Dakota Mines. Colorado Mines was chosen as the favorite to win the RMAC title this season. The RMAC schedule features 14 games overall with 10 counting – five home and five road – towards the season standings.
UP NEXTThe Griffins will begin a span of three consecutive road games next week when they play at Colorado Mesa on Sept. 25 and at Regis on Sept. 27.
