SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga men's soccer team play their 11th and final road game of the season Friday at Saint Mary's, and then welcome Pacific for a Sunday matinee.
The Zags (3-11-1, 1-2-1 West Coast Conference) are looking for their third win away from Luger Field this season. Gonzaga meets Saint Mary's and Pacific for the second time this season, with both earlier games finishing as one-goal differences. On Oct. 3, the Bulldogs rallied for a dramatic 4-3 victory at home over Pacific. Two days later, Saint Mary's held off the Zags in a 1-0 decision.
"The guys are familiar with these teams, so that will help," Gonzaga Head Coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "I think this weekend's games will play out differently. All the teams are plus or minus different players due to injuries and yellow card suspensions."
Gonzaga followed a bye week with a 2-0 setback to San Diego and a scoreless draw with Loyola Marymount in its most recent outings at home last week. USD used a pair of goals in the second half to pull away from the Zags. The Bulldogs held the conference's top offense to just five shots in the first half. Last Sunday, Gonzaga put nine of its 18 shots on goal in the 110-minute scoreless match with LMU. Chris Lowrimore ended with his shutout of the season, making four saves in the net.
Lars Ludwigs took a combined five shots in last week's games. The redshirt senior placed three on goal. Conner Bevans leads GU with 38 shots and 19 shots on goal. He is fifth in the WCC averaging 2.53 shots per contest. Ludwigs and Clark Phillips both have 28 shots this season. In the net, Lowrimore has made 42 saves with a .667 save percentage. The redshirt junior is currently fifth in the conference averaging 4.2 saves per game.
Saint Mary's (8-5-2, 1-2-0 WCC) has won three of its last five, but rides into Friday's matchup with Gonzaga after a 2-1 home loss to San Francisco. The Gaels' defense has four shutouts this season, while goalkeeper Andre Rawls has a .792 save percentage. Rawls is second in the conference with 76 saves and a 5.07 saves per game average. Alex Braman's lone goal of the season was a game-winning header in the 84th minute in the first meeting with Gonzaga. Michael Semenza leads SMC with four goals and five assists.
In its first season after a nearly 30-year hiatus, Pacific (2-12, 0-3) is looking for its first West Coast Conference victory. The Tigers are on a seven-game losing streak, including a 4-1 loss in their last game against Santa Clara. Tristan Blackmon leads the WCC with seven goals and 16 points. The freshman has added a pair of assists this season. He had a brace in the loss to the Zags with two headers that were only four minutes apart in the second half. Josh Adachi made five of his 67 saves against Gonzaga.
Friday's game in Moraga, Calif., is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday's start time at Luger Field is 1 p.m. Both games will have live video on TheW.tv and live stats on GoZags.com.
"All the remaining games are counters," Thorarinsson said. "The guys have confidence, but we need to find the back of the net to show for our confidence. For Sunday, it's always nice to be home and play on our own very well taken care of facility."
