SALEM, Ore. – Warrior Field - Corban University - 12 p.m. on Saturday. That is where and when the NAIA Men's Soccer Match of the Week will be played. The match features the No. 7-ranked Corban University Warriors and the No. 20 Rocky Mountain College Battlin' Bears.
Live stats and live video broadcast for this weekend's games
In a weekend for the Warriors that undoubtedly features their toughest opponents to date this year, excitement is sure to be in the air. First on Friday, the Warriors will take on The College of Idaho Yotes (5-2, 4-2), who sit just behind Corban in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings. The Warriors hold the all-time series lead against the Yotes, 26-25-2.
After Friday's match which is sure to be a hard-fought game, Saturday's game then features the only two ranked CCC squads.
No. 20 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (10-1, 5-1 CCC) at No. 7 Corban (10-0, 5-0 CCC)
Facts and key storylines going into the Saturday's marquee matchup:
• When looking at this year's NAIA Match of the Week, the home team has gone 3-2-1 through six games. Additionally, the higher-ranked team has owned a 4-1-1 mark with the lone loss occurring when (RV) Roosevelt (Ill.) defeated then-No. 23 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), 3-2, in overtime on Oct. 3.
• The average margin of victory in the NAIA Game of the Week is 1.3 goals. Two of the matches have been decided in overtime.
• Corban, who boasts its highest national ranking in history, is yet to be scored upon through a 10-0 start. The feat of 10-straight scoreless matches is a Corban school record. The NAIA regular season record for fewest goals allowed in a season is four (in 15 matches), accomplished by former member Maine-Farmington in 1988.
• Rocky Mountain leads the all-time series, 1-0. The only time these two teams previously met was Sept. 4, 2010 when the Battlin' Bears won in Salem by a 2-1 score.
• For Corban, goalkeeper Jordan Farr has racked up nine shutouts on the year, ranking him tied for first overall in the NAIA.
• Quamie Dinnall serves as the Warriors most dynamic attacking threat with six goals and eight assists thus far on the year. The eight helpers is good for eighth-most in the NAIA.
• Nathaniel Cheney ranks second on the team with five goals and two assists, while Armando Guevara has scored four and dished out two assists.
• Head Coach Aaron Lewis led Corban to its first four CCC regular-season championships as a player from 1995-1998, earning CCC Player of the Year honors twice during that time. He then returned to Corban as the head coach in 2013 and led Corban to it's fifth-ever CCC regular-season championship that same year.
• Lewis was the first-ever NAIA player to be drafted in the MLS Draft when then Dallas Burn (FC Dallas) selected him with the 35th overall selection in the 1999 college draft. After his time in Dallas, Lewis played professionally indoors for the Portland Pythons of the World Indoor Soccer League.
• The Warriors have won each of the last two CCC Tournament titles en route to advancing to the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round.
• Rocky Mountain joined the CCC as affiliate members in soccer beginning this season.
• The Battlin' Bears are the No. 1 scoring team in the NAIA with 52 goals, which ranks them third in goals scored per game (4.730). On the defensive side, they have held their opponents to 15 goals in 11 matches (1.4 gpg).
• Senior Jack Clancy, a midfielder from Westmeath, Ireland, leads the Battlin' Bears with 11 goals in 11 matches and seven assists for a total of 29 points. The 2014 Honorable Mention All-America pick stands No. 8 in the NAIA in points and 10th in goals.
• Freshman forward Steven Forbes, from Balloch, Scotland, has played in all 11 matches and ranks No. 8 in the NAIA in total assists (8).
• Two more freshman who are making their mark are Nolan Sherwood with eight goals, and Donovan Luce, who has contributed seven goals.
• The Battlin' Bears have been without their captain and two-time First Team All-Conference performer Eddie Cass, who has been injured for six games due to a lower leg injury he suffered against Oregon Tech.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Cole Catlin has recorded 21 of the team's 27 saves, while allowing 10 goals.
• Coach Richard Duffy is in his seventh season as the head men's soccer coach at Rocky Mountain, where he has compiled a 64-43-4 record.
• Duffy was a third team All-America selection for Mary (N.D.) in 1999. In 2001, Duffy moved to Billings and served as an assistant for the Rocky Mountain women's soccer program.
• In 2012, Duffy led the men's program to their first-ever national championship appearance in only its fourth year of existence. In 2014, the Battlin' Bears compiled an 11-10 record, while losing in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round at Texas at Brownsville, 3-2.
Some information provided by NAIA National Office, Corban Sports Info Office, and Rocky Mountain…
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