Men's Soccer 9/22/2014 1:04:00 PM

Men's Soccer To Kick Off PSAC Play Wednesday

MILLERSVILLE VS. SLIPPERY ROCK
	Millersville Marauders 2014 Record: 1-4-1 Last Game: 1-2 L vs. District of Columbia Coach: Steve Widdowson, 8th season Roster \| Schedule \| Statistics
	Slippery Rock The Rock 2014 Record: 3-2 Last Game: 3-1 W vs. California Coach: Andy Hoggarth, 1st season Roster \| Schedule \| Statistics
	Game Information Date: September 24, 2014 \| Start Time: 3 p.m. Location: Pucillo Field \| Directions Live Stats \| Twitter \| Instagram \| #HoistTheColors Series Records: 15-10-2 (.593) Streak: Ville, 1 First Meeting: 1994 (MU 4, SRU 1) Last Meeting: 2013 (MU 2, SRU 1)

Game Overview

The Millersville men's soccer team faces off against its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponent in the Slippery Rock Wednesday, Sept. 24. The Marauders (1-4-1) most recently suffered a crushing defeat against the District of Columbia Firebirds. Millersville was able to able to strike for a quick goal in the first 10 minutes of play courtesy of forward Jesse Zimmerman. However, the Firebirds struck back scoring two unanswered goals to beat the Marauders, 2-1. With the loss, Coach Widdowson's squad is now winless in their last four matches. The Rock cruised to a 3-1 victory over California University in their PSAC season opener. Three different Slippery Rock players tallied goals.

Series History

The series between these two PSAC opponents dates back to 1994 where the Marauders were victorious over The Rock, 4-1. The series has since been very competitive, with both schools trading win back-and-forth. Last season both teams went on to meet each other three times, with two of the matches occurring in post-season play. The Rock defeated Millersville in penalty kicks during the PSAC tournament. However, the Marauders had the last laugh as they defeated Slippery Rock 2-1 to advance to the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship game,

The Last Meeting

The Marauders last met The Rock during the NCAA Division II Tournament where the Marauders won, 2-1. The game-winning goal came courtesy of Clark Habecker in the 52nd minute of play. Slippery Rock had multiple opportunities to score in the second half, but a Millersville defense that refused to quit did not allow the Rock to score at all in the final frame. The Rock scored their only goal of the game on a 25-yard shot by Brandon Chiu that was aided by the November wind. The victory helped vault the Black and Gold into the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship game for the second time in the last three years.

Zimmerman Honing His Craft

Freshman forward Jesse Zimmerman has begun to come into his own as he is coming off one of the best performances of his young career. Zimmerman tallied his first collegiate goal on Sept. 7 when he scored the game winner against West Virginia Wesleyan. Most recently he has begun to put more shots on net, tallying five in games against LIU Post and District of Columbia which led to his second goal of 2014 in the District of Columbia affair.

Scouting The Rock

The Rock is coached by Andy Hoggarth who is in his first season at Slippery Rock. Hoggarth spent the 2013 season as an assistant coach with the University of Akron women's soccer team. Prior to that appointment, he served as the head coach of both the men's and women's soccer teams at nearby Thiel College for six seasons from 2007-12. Slippery Rock opened its season with a 2-1 loss to the University of District Columbia. It was a bittersweet loss as the Firebirds are coached by former SRU men's soccer standout and head coach Matt Thompson, who graduated from The Rock in 1998 and went on to lead the program to 76 wins and three conference titles from 2004-09 as a head coach. Sophomore forward Dom Francis has been The Rock's most dangerous goal scorer so far as he's tallied three goals on eight shots.

Players Mentioned

MILLERSVILLE VS. SLIPPERY ROCK
	Millersville Marauders 2014 Record: 1-4-1 Last Game: 1-2 L vs. District of Columbia Coach: Steve Widdowson, 8th season Roster \| Schedule \| Statistics
	Slippery Rock The Rock 2014 Record: 3-2 Last Game: 3-1 W vs. California Coach: Andy Hoggarth, 1st season Roster \| Schedule \| Statistics
	Game Information Date: September 24, 2014 \| Start Time: 3 p.m. Location: Pucillo Field \| Directions Live Stats \| Twitter \| Instagram \| #HoistTheColors Series Records: 15-10-2 (.593) Streak: Ville, 1 First Meeting: 1994 (MU 4, SRU 1) Last Meeting: 2013 (MU 2, SRU 1)