Men's Soccer Opens WCC Play at Portland
10/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
GAME 12 | OCT. 11 | 1 P.M. | MERLO FIELD | PORTLAND, ORE.
SERIES: Gonzaga trails, 12-24-6
FIRST MEETING: 1981 - Gonzaga lost 1-0 in Portland
LAST MEETING: 2014 - Gonzaga won 2-1 (ot) in Spokane
LIVE VIDEO: TheW.tv
LIVE STATS: PortlandPilots.com
GAME NOTES: Gonzaga
ROAD WARRIORS CONTINUE
- After a six-game homestand in which Gonzaga went 3-2-1, the Zags are on the road for six, the fourth of which comes at Portland. It also marks the opening to WCC play for both teams.
- The road trip includes stops in five states - Nevada (UNLV), Illinois (Bradley), Colorado (Denver), Oregon (Portland), and California (Loyola Marymount and San Diego).
- Last season, Gonzaga finished fifth in the WCC standings with a 3-3-1 league mark.
- The Zags played Portland twice in 2014, once as a non-conference game, which the Pilots won 1-0.
- In the league contest between the two, Gonzaga defeated Portland with an overtime goal from departed senior Lars Ludwigs.
ON THE DEFENSE:
- Gonzaga has recorded four shutouts this season and allowed more than one goal only two times - a 2-1 double-overtime loss to Hartwick and a 2-1 defeat against No. 8 Denver - both NCAA Tournament teams.
- Dating back to last season, Gonzaga has gone 12 of 13 games and 17 of the last 20 without allowing more than one goal in regulation. The two goals that Denver scored in regulation the last time out snapped a 12-game streak.
- Goalkeeper Chris Lowrimore ranks 36th in the nation in goals against average (.792), 86th in save percentage (.743) and played every minute in goal for GU to rank 22nd in goalkeeper minutes (1022:22).
- Lowrimore ranks No. 1 in the WCC in goals against average and goalkeeper minutes and second in save pct.
- Against Bradley, Lowrimore recorded his fourth shutout of the season and sixth of his career (one combined). That ranks him sixth all-time at GU in career shutouts.
- Gonzaga is the only team in the WCC to have allowed less than 10 goals this season with nine.
ON THE OFFENSE:
- As a team, Gonzaga has outshot opponents 149-96 overall and 55-35 in shots on goal. - Sophomore Ben White recorded his team-leading third goal of the season against Bradley, despite spending most of his time as a defender this season. He added an assist at Bradley and has a team-high seven points on the year.
- Junior Jakob Granlund is second team with five points (2g, 1a), and is tied for first in the WCC and 49th in the nation with two game-winning goals after scoring the eventual winner against Oregon State.
- Granlund ranks first on the team in shots (26), shots on goal (14) and first in WCC in SOG/game (1.40).
- As a team, GU is ranked first in the WCC in shots per game (13.55) and second in SOG per game (5.00).
- Sophomore Christo Michaelson notched his first-career goal against Oregon State, knocking in a 40-yarder to catch the goalkeeper out of position, then added a second at Bradley.
- Local junior college transfer Alec Johnson - from North Idaho College - notched his first-career goal at Gonzaga, deflecting in a free kick off the foot of Colton Cavey.
- Cavey's assist tied him with freshman Jake Kempf for the team lead with two on the season.
HEAD COACH Einar Thorarinsson:
- GU is in its 21st season under head coach Einar Thorarinsson, who has 147 victories at GU - most in program history - and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2001, 2007).
