Griffins Set for Weekend in Idaho
The Westminster men's soccer team heads north this weekend to play a pair of non-conference games in Nampa, Idaho. The Griffins (0-1) will begin the trip against Hawaii Hilo from the Pac West on Thursday at 3 p.m. MT. They will then face Northwest Nazarene from the GNAC on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MT.
 
Both games will be played at the NNU Soccer Field. Live stats and video will be available for both games with links available at WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
New Era for Westminster Men's Soccer
The Griffins will embark on a new path this season as Josh Pittman takes over as head coach. Pittman was named the new coach in March after Chris Dorich retired after 32 years as the team's only head coach. Pittman served last season as head coach at Dixie State where he led the Red Storm to 10-2-4 record and a runner-up finish in the Pacific West Conference. He has 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, all of which were at the NCAA Division II level, and over 20 years of soccer experience as a coach and player. He also has 11 years of experience in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, including seven seasons at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) where he launched the program from the beginning.
 
Experience Returning
The 2016 roster features 21 players that were on the roster last season. That group includes eight players that started the 2015 season finale against South Dakota Mines. The returning players accounted for 91 percent of the team's total goals last season to go with 82 percent of the total shot attempts. The roster consists of nine seniors, nine juniors, eight sophomores, and eight freshmen.
 
Looking Back
Westminster opened the new season on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to Eastern New Mexico in Grand Junction, Colo. After falling behind 2-0 early in the first half, the Griffins responded with a goal from Preston McIllece just after halftime. They were applying pressure late and were caught on a counter from ENMU for the final tally in the 88th minute.
 
Quickly
• While the 2016 team returns most of the offense from last season, they enter the weekend having gone 14 games since posting multiple goals in a game. The team is just 1-12-1 during that span and they have been shutout six times.
 
• Preston McIllece scored the team's lone goal in the season opener. A freshman from Sandy, Utah, McIllece played the entire 90 minutes against ENMU and scored on hos only shot attempt.
 
• Cristian Alfaro tallied an assist on the McIllece goal for his first career point. Alfaro played 76 minutes in the opener and added one shot to his assist.
 
• Jonnathan Rodriguez returns this season after tying for the team lead with three goals in 2015. The junior led the Griffins with 14 shot attempts and eight shots on goal while playing in 14 games. Rodriguez took one shot in the opener and put it on goal.
 
• The defense will look for Matthew Warne to play a pivotal role in 2016. Warne, a junior, made 15 starts last season and was third on the team with 1,295 minutes of action. He started and played all 90 minutes on Saturday.
 
• The Griffins will also look to the experience of Warren Cook to provide leadership in the midfield. A senior, Cook has played in 53 games with the Griffins while making 40 starts. He has tallied over 1,000 minutes each season at Westminster and finished with 1,245 in 2015. Cook finished with 76 minutes played in the season opener.
 
• Max Medley got the start in goal against Eastern New Mexico. The sophomore recorded three saves and faced 11 shots in his Griffin debut.
 
Match Facts: Hawaii Hilo
• The Griffins and Vulcans will play for the first time on Thursday.
• The game will be the season opener for Hawaii Hilo.
• This Vulcans finished 4-12-1 in 2015 and were 11th in the Pac West with a 3-8-1 mark.
• Gene Okamura takes over as head coach this season and has only seven returning players.
 
Match Facts: Northwest Nazarene
• Westminster is 27-2-2 all-time against NNU and hasn't played any team more than the Crusaders.
• NNU went 1-0-1 at home last weekend to begin the season.
• They average 3.00 goals per game with Logan Wood leading the team with six points.
• Ryan Foo played every minute in goal and posted a 1.80 GAA and .789 save percentage.
 
Looking Ahead
The Griffins will open conference play next weekend with a pair of games in Colorado. They visit UCCS on September 16 before playing at MSU Denver on September 18.