Men's Soccer | 10/16/2014 9:19:00 AM

 
STORYLINE
The Huskies return to PSAC play this weekend with a pair of matches at Slippery Rock and California (PA) Friday and Saturday. The matches have large implications in the PSAC standings – Bloomsburg is in a three-way tie for second place with 12 points along with Lock Haven and West Chester, three points behind first place Mercyhurst. Slippery Rock owns nine points while California has six.
 
LAST MEETING VS. SLIPPERY ROCK
The Huskies dropped a 2-1 score to then-No. 15 Slippery Rock at home on Oct. 11, 2013. Rock scored first at 23' and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. Bloomsburg scored the equalizer in the 62nd minute on a shot from Spencer Conrad (Enola/East Pennsboro), but The Rock quickly answered with a goal from Brandon Chiu in the 64th minute. Bloomsburg held a 17-16 edge in shots.
 
SCOUTING SLIPPERY ROCK
The Rock is the defending PSAC champion, notching a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over Mercyhurst in the 2013 PSAC Championship Game to reach the NCAA Tournament where it saw its season end with a 2-1 loss to Millersville. Picked fourth in the PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll, The Rock brought back its top two scorers from last year's 13-4-3 team including PSAC Championship Game MVP forward Stephen Donnelly and fellow forward Dom Francis.

Peter Boylan leads the team in scoring with six goals while Donnelly, Francis and Mike Ilodigwe have all tallied five apiece. Steven Rerick has been the keeper seeing the lion's share of time in net with a 1.81 GAA in nine starts. Donnelly ranks fourth in the PSAC in points with 17.

In all, The Rock ranks third in the PSAC in scoring at over 2.3 goals per game and sixth in goals allowed, surrendering 1.73 goals per contest.
 
LAST MEETING VS. CALIFORNIA (PA)
Bloomsburg came away victorious, 3-2, at home over the Vulcans on Oct. 12, 2013. Cal took an early lead off a goal from Jeffrey Kyei in the 15th minute, but the Huskies tied just three minutes later when Fran Miller (Doylestown/Central Bucks East) scored off an assist from Nate Conrad (Enola/East Pennsboro). Anthony Manero (Richboro/Council Rock North) scored what would turn out to be the game-winner in the 55th minute.
 
SCOUTING CALIFORNIA (PA)
The Vulcans have dropped their past two matches, losing 2-0 at Davis & Elkins and also dropping a 4-3 score at home to Seton Hill in their only two contests of October thus far. Cal ranks eighth in the conference in scoring at 1.45 goals per game while opponents are averaging exactly two goals per match against the Vulcan defense.

Kyei and Djordje Babic lead the offense with three goals apiece while Russell Tattersall and Nathan Delgado each have a pair of scores. Shane Donovan has been the only man in net this year for the Vulcans, playing all 1,010 minutes with a 1.96 GAA and 31 saves.

IN THE RANKINGS
Friday's match will see a pair of regionall ranked teams – Slippery Rock was ranked fifth in the latest NSCAA Atlantic Region standings while Bloomsburg was sixth. Both Bloomsburg and The Rock were among teams receiving votes in the national Top 25 as well. California (PA) is not ranked.

CONRAD ADDS TO POINT TOTAL
Huskies junior Spencer Conrad (Enola/East Pennsboro) is the reigning PSAC Men's Soccer Athlete of the Week after guiding BU to a key PSAC win, 2-1 in overtime vs. Gannon last week with a pair of goals. Conrad added to his point total with an assist in Tuesday's overtime setback vs. Queens and now has 10 points for the season, matching his career high set during his freshman season of 2012.
 
CAREER GAME FOR KIAMA
Junior James Kiama (Shippensburg/Shippensburg) had his finest game statistically as a member of the Huskies on Tuesday. He tallied his fourth goal of the season in the 84th minute vs. Queens and earlier had assisted on a goal from Cameron Cleary (Pleasanton, CA/Amador Valley). For the season he has a total of nine points.
 
MAKE ROOM AT THE TOP
With Kiama's goal on Tuesday, a trio of Huskies are now tied for the team lead in goals as Kiama, Spencer Conrad (Enola/East Pennsboro) and Anthony Cerda (Budd Lake, NJ/Mount Olive) all have four. While Kiama and Cerda each have nine points, Conrad's 10 are most on the team.

NEXT GAME
The Huskies return home on October 22 for their regular season home finale and Senior Day vs. Millersville.