MSOC Hosts No. 8 Oregon State on Tuesday
9/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Gonzaga (3-3-1) vs. No. 8 Oregon State (5-1-0)
GAME 8 | SEPT. 22 | 3 P.M. | LUGER FIELD | SPOKANE, WASH.
SERIES: Gonzaga trails, 8-19-4
FIRST MEETING: Gonzaga lost, 1-0, in Spokane, Wash., in 1983
LAST MEETING: Gonzaga lost, 3-0, in Corvallis, Ore., in 2014
LIVE VIDEO: TheW.tv | LIVE STATS:
THE CHALLENGES KEEP COMING
- Oregon State was ranked No. 8 in last week's NSCAA poll (new poll not released as of Monday), but suffered its first loss of the season in a 1-0 defeat to Portland its last time out.
- Oregon State marks GU's sixth consecutive home game and directly precedes a six-game road trip that includes stops in five states - Nevada (UNLV), Illinois (Bradley), Colorado (Denver), Oregon (Portland), and California (LMU and San Diego) - and the start to WCC play with Portland as the fourth of that six-game roadtrip.
- Oregon State marks the fourth of seven NCAA Tournament teams from last season that GU plays in 2015.
- Gonzaga was picked to finish sixth in the WCC by the league's coaches in the preseason poll.
ON THE DEFENSE:
- Gonzaga has allowed just five goals in seven games thanks to its back line and goalkeeper Chris Lowrimore.
- Lowrimore ranks 26th in the nation in goals against average (.679), 49th in save percentage (.792) and played every minute in goal for GU to rank 26th in goalie minutes (662:22).
- Lowrimore ranks No. 1 in the WCC in goals against average, second in goalie minutes and second in save pct.
- Against Milwaukee, Lowrimore recorded his third shutout of the season and fifth of his career (one combined). That ranks him sixth all-time at GU in career shutouts.
- As a team, Gonzaga is 35th in shutout percentage (0.50) and 27th in team goals-against avg. (.679).
ON THE OFFENSE:
- As a team, Gonzaga has outshot opponents 92-66 overall and 34-24 in shots on goal.
- Sophomore Ben White recorded his team-leading second goal of the season against Milwaukee. He ranks fourth in the WCC with two goals.
- White's two goals put him tops on the team in scoring with four points.
- Junior Jakob Granlund is second in scoring with 3 points (1g, 1a) and first in shots on goal (9).
- As a team GU is ranked second in the WCC in shots per game (13.17) and fifth in SOG per game (4.9).
- Gonzaga has also gotten solid production from Conner Bevans, who has spent time on both ends of the field. He's helped lead the defense, while also taking the team lead in shots with 14 to go along with one goal.
- Midfielder Colton Cavey has also taken on a bigger offensive role, ranking tied with Granlund for second on the team with 10 shots.
TAKING A LOOK AT THE ROSTER:
- Gonzaga welcomes back eight starters from last season's roster. Overall, 16 letterwinners return in 2015.
- The Zags return three of their top five scorers from 2014 (Le, Bevans, Granlund).
- GU returns four All-WCC honorable mention players in Graison Le, Connor Bevans, Ben White and David Sigurdsson.
HEAD COACH Einar Thorarinsson:
- GU is in its 21st season under head coach Einar Thorarinsson, who has 144 victories at GU - most in program history - and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2001, 2007).
