LAKELAND, Fla.—After kicking off conference play with one of the biggest wins in program history, the Fire are set to host a pair of Sun Conference opponents this week. Warner travels to Lakeland on Wednesday, while Johnson & Wales makes the trip on Saturday.
GAME INFO:
RV Southeastern University (6-1-1) vs Warner University (8-2)
Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Lakeland, Fla.
Game Coverage: Live Updates- @SEUFireMSoccer on Twitter, Live Stats/Video- https://portal.stretchinternet.com/southeastern/
The Fire:
Southeastern is coming off of its second regular season win over a ranked opponent in program history with a 4-2 victory at No. 23 Keiser last week. The victory was SEU's eighth straight road game without a loss.
Looking ahead to the two home competitions, the Fire have yet to give up a goal at home this season, blanking Middle Georgia State 2-0 and Missouri Baptist 3-0. Southeastern, who ranks 28
th in the nation with three clean sheets, has held opponents scoreless in three straight regular season home contests.
Successful Seniors:
In the match versus the Seahawks, seniors
Jake Van Der Luit and
Jonathan Jimenez tallied a pair of goals and a pair of assists, respectively. With his two-goal performance, Van Der Luit has now notched a goal in four of his last five competitions, while Jimenez's two assists brought him level with
Bruno Henrique for the team lead with five. Van Der Luit is averaging a goal per game, which ranks second in the conference and 23
rd in the country, and Jimenez ranks 20
th in the NAIA in assists per game (0.71).
The Royals:
Warner has started its 2018 campaign on a tear, winning seven of nine competitions, including the team's first five. The meeting between the Fire and the Royals will be the first road contest for WU, as each of the opening nine matches were played in Lake Wales. Through those contests, the Royals have shared the ball exquisitely, boasting 11 different goal scorers.
Freshman Matheus Santiago has stood out for Warner thus far, tallying a team-high six goals. The Brazilian forward has scored in six of his last eight matches, but had his four-game goal scoring streak snapped in a 2-0 loss against reigning Sun Conference champion St. Thomas.
Previous Meetings:
Warner leads the overall series with a record of 9-6-1; however, over the last six years the Fire have taken six of eight contests with one tie. The Royals won the first eight meetings between the schools from the 2002 season to 2011.
GAME INFO:
RV Southeastern University (6-1-1) vs Johnson & Wales University (4-2)
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Lakeland, Fla.
Game Coverage: Live Updates- @SEUFireMSoccer on Twitter, Live Stats/Video- https://portal.stretchinternet.com/southeastern/
The Wildcats:
Johnson & Wales sits tied atop the conference standings following a 3-2 victory over Webber, marking the Wildcats' third consecutive 3-2 win. In one-goal games this season, JWU is 3-1. The squad ranks sixth in the country in assists per game (3.3) and 11
th in goals per game (3.8), while totaling 20 assists on 23 goals.
Goalkeeper Jhon Perez has played a major role in JWU's early season success, producing three wins in his only three starts. The freshman goalie averages six saves per start, while giving up a mere 1.5 goals per game. Perez has yet to allow more than two goals in a match and has blocked at least one shot in every competition this year.
Previous Meetings:
The Fire and the Wildcats have met nine times since Southeastern joined the Sun Conference in 2009. Of those nine matches, SEU has been victorious in six. In every meeting in program history, Southeastern has scored at least two goals. Last year, the Fire defeated Johnson & Wales by a score of 2-0 in Miami.
