MIDWAY, Ky. — The Midway men's soccer team returns to River States Conference action on Thursday when it hosts Indiana University East at 1 p.m. at Midway Turf Field.
The Eagles enter the matchup with a 6-1-2 overall record and a 1-0-0 mark in RSC play. Midway has won six consecutive matches and is unbeaten in its last seven contests.
IU East enters Thursday with a 3-4-2 overall record and an 0-1-0 mark in conference play.
Midway has had the advantage historically in the series, holding a 6-4-0 all-time record against the Red Wolves.
LAST TIME OUT
The Eagles continued their winning ways on Saturday with a 6-2 victory over Boyce College at Midway Turf Field.
Midway fell behind 1-0 in the 31st minute before George Spencer took over. The senior scored three consecutive goals, finding the equalizer in the 38th minute before adding another less than five minutes later to send Midway into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
Spencer completed the hat trick in the 48th minute to extend the lead to 3-1. After Boyce cut the deficit to one, Nahuel Cruz responded just minutes later to make it 4-2.
Elijah Orren put the match away with two goals over the final 17 minutes, scoring in the 73rd and 85th minutes to produce the 6-2 final.
Spencer finished with three goals on six shots, putting five on frame, while Orren recorded two goals and an assist.
The Eagles held an 18-8 advantage in shots, a 14-5 edge in shots on goal and a 5-1 advantage in corner kicks.
BREAKING RECORDS
Midway's current run has rewritten multiple marks in the program record book.
The victory over Boyce was the Eagles' sixth consecutive win, setting a new program record. The previous mark of five straight victories was set by the 2017 team.
Midway has also gone unbeaten in seven consecutive matches, another program record. The streak began with a 1-1 draw against Cleary on Sept. 11 before the Eagles rattled off six consecutive victories over Transylvania, Bryan, Governors State, Cincinnati-Clermont, Kentucky Christian and Boyce.
The previous unbeaten record was six matches, also set in 2017. That team closed the season with a 1-1 draw against WVU Tech in the RSC Championship, falling in penalties, before the streak ended with a 2-0 loss to Union (Ky.) in the following season opener.
The Eagles have outscored their opponents 25-6 during the seven-match unbeaten streak and 24-5 during the current six-game winning streak.
Spencer has also added his name to the record book. His hat trick against Boyce was his second of the season after scoring three goals against Cincinnati-Clermont on Sept. 25. The two performances marked the 12th and 13th hat tricks in program history, with Spencer becoming the eighth different Eagle to accomplish the feat.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Midway has scored 27 goals through its first nine matches while allowing 13. The Eagles are averaging three goals per match and have outshot their opponents 140-95.
The Eagles have put 79 shots on goal compared to 43 by their opponents. Midway has also generated a 51-35 advantage in corner kicks.
The offense has been particularly productive after halftime. Midway has scored 17 of its 27 goals in the second half compared to 10 in the opening 45 minutes.
Spencer leads the attack with nine goals and one assist for 19 points. He has put 19 of his 31 attempts on goal and enters Thursday having scored seven goals over his last three matches.
Saleh Ekuchi has provided another major piece of the Eagles' attack. The senior has five goals and a team-high six assists for 16 points, while Miles Ezell has three goals and three assists.
Orren enters the matchup with four goals and one assist after his two-goal performance against Boyce. Rhys Dickson has added a goal and four assists.
Midway has also received production throughout the lineup, with nine different players scoring at least once this season.
In goal, Landon Sorrell and Connor Vincent have split time. Sorrell has recorded 17 saves, while Vincent has made 13 stops. Each goalkeeper has recorded a shutout.
SCOUTING IU EAST
IU East enters Thursday having scored 13 goals through nine matches while allowing 17.
Aiden Billiter has been the primary scoring threat for the Red Wolves. The senior has scored five goals and added one assist for a team-high 11 points. His five goals account for nearly 40 percent of IU East's scoring this season.
Filipe Godoi follows with three goals and has been one of the Red Wolves' most active attackers, attempting a team-high 25 shots and putting 16 on goal.
Jaiden Earls has added one goal and a team-high three assists, while Noah Backhaus, Landen Finch, Brody McKinney and Santiago Morales have each scored once.
Elijah Williamson has handled the majority of the work in goal for IU East. He has started all nine matches and recorded 39 saves with a .709 save percentage and two shutouts.
The Red Wolves have attempted 95 shots this season, putting 50 on goal. Their opponents have attempted 135 shots and put 63 on frame.
RIVER STATES CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
After scoring four goals over two games
George Spencer was named the River States Conference Player of the Week last week. He is the fourth different Eagles to earn conference honors this year.
Sept. 7–13
Sept. 14–20
Sept. 14–20
- George Spencer — Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 28 - Oct 4
LAST MEETING
Midway and IU East have developed a competitive series, with the Eagles holding a 6-4-0 advantage through the first 10 meetings between the programs.
Midway will look to add another victory to that mark Thursday while extending its historic winning and unbeaten streaks in its second RSC match of the season.
About Midway University Athletics
Midway University competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and its 29 athletic teams are part of the River States Conference, Mid-South Conference, Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association and USA Archery. For more information about Midway University Athletics, please visit www.gomidwayeagles.com or contact Tyler Beck at 859-846-5366.
