Men's Soccer Set for Final SoCon Game
Men's Soccer Set for Final SoCon Game

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Wofford snapped an 11-game winning streak for ASU, and now Appalachian State men's soccer (8-3-4, 3-1-2 SoCon) looks to rebound in its final Southern Conference contest against Davidson (7-7-2, 2-2-1 SoCon) on Saturday. With championship implications on the line, kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.

THE BROKEN STREAK

- Prior to Tuesday, Appalachian State had built an 11-game unbeaten streak, one match short of the ASU record of 12 set in 1975 and '78. At the time, it was the third longest unbeaten streak in Division I men's soccer after New Mexico and Cornell.

- The streak officially lasted 51 days and tied school records with back-to-back ties and four consecutive shutouts.

- Since the two squads first met in 1995, Wofford's only wins over ASU have come in the teams' most-recent two meetings in Boone.

CHAMPIONSHIP OUTLOOK

- UNCG can clinch the SoCon regular-season outright with a win over Elon on Saturday. If UNCG loses or ties, Appalachian will earn at least a share of the SoCon crown with a win over Davidson. The Apps' have not won the Southern Conference regular season since 1989.

FAMILIAR TURF

- Appalachian's historical unbeaten streak began on Davidson's home turf. At the Davidson adidas Classic, the Apps tied Gardner-Webb (0-0) and defeated Detroit (2-0) on Sept. 9 and 11. The Black and Gold's 1-0-1 weekend secured first place at the tournament and four Mountaineers were named to the all-tournament team: Mark Bridges, Sean Dreybus, Ryan Duffy and Lee Williams.

IN THE RECORD BOOK

- Goalkeeper Danny Free has six shutouts on the season, tied for fifth most by a Mountaineer. He stands one shutout away from tying the school-best of seven, last set in 2002 by Greg Brooks.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS

- In the latest NCAA statistics report (including games through Oct. 24), Appalachian State ranks 4th in the nation in goals-against average (0.40), 4th in shutout percentage (9 of 14) and 5th in save percentage (88.7%), leading the SoCon in all three categories.

- As an individual, Danny Free leads the SoCon in goals against average (0.46) and save percentage (88.9%). He is ranked among the nation's top 10 goalkeepers in both statistics.

APPS' LAST TIME OUT

- On Tuesday, Wofford scored in the 13th minute to take an early lead over Appalachian. With the Mountaineers pressing hard, the Terriers defense held strong throughout the match. After 26 ASU shots and a wild ending that included a penalty-kick save by Danny Free, the Apps failed to level the score, and Wofford picked up the 1-0 win.

- Senior Sean Dreybus leads the Mountaineers with six goals, while classmate Mark Bridges and freshman Nicholas Skoda each have four assists.

DAVIDSON SERIES HISTORY

- Appalachian leads the all-time series, 28-20-4. The Mountaineers have defeated the Wildcats in each of the last three editions, including a 2-0 win last year. In 2006 and '07, the teams tied 1-1, and Davidson's last win came 2-1 in '05.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

- In his 11th season with Davidson, coach Matt Spear will be playing for his 100th career win on Saturday.

- Tuesday's game against No. 24 Furman saw a 54th-minute free kick give the Paladins a 1-0 victory over Davidson. Martin Ontiveros bent his kick just under the crossbar to score the day's only goal as the Wildcats fell back to even in conference play.

- Davidson's season is highlighted by a 1-0 victory over No. 2 North Carolina on Oct. 17. Jake Keator fired a perfectly-placed strike from 25 yards into the top right corner of the goal to secure the lead in the 82nd minute. The loss was UNC's second of the season, and the win was Davidson's second over a top-10 team in three seasons after defeating No. 6 Duke in 2009.

- Brian Mcgue and Max Riehemann lead the Wildcats with three goals each, while Mcgue and Alex Givens each have three assists. Goalie Chip Sanders leads the SoCon with eight shutouts, averaging 0.97 goals-against with 68 saves on the year.

DAVIDSON QUICK FACTS

Location: Davidson, N.C.
Enrollment: 1,900
2010 Record: 7-7-6
2010 SoCon Record/Finish: 1-3-3 (t-6th)
Head Coach: Matt Spear (Davidson, 1993)
Record at DC: 99-98-19 (11th season)
Coach Career Record: Same

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