NAIA Top 5 Opponent Highlights Week for Men's Soccer

LAKELAND, Fla.- Coming off a two-win week, Southeastern men's soccer (7-2-2, 5-2-1 SUN) will face a tall task this week as they host No. 3 St. Thomas University on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Fire will also travel to Warner University on Saturday for a 10 a.m. contest.
 
This will be the second time the Fire has faced off against both teams this season.
 
The Fire currently sit third in the Sun Conference behind two nationally ranked programs. Collectively, the unit averages 2.73 goals per game behind 16.9 shots per game.
 
Victor Cavalcante leads the Fire offense with seven goals and three assists, all three of which came last week in the Fire's 8-0 win over Ave Maria. Roque Viegas Jr. and Kory Nekoloff sit tied for second on the team in goals with five while Viegas Jr. also has assisted on three.
 
The Fire defense has held their opponents to 1.09 goals per game, largely credited to keeper Henrique Cavalini who has posted a .725 save percentage with 29 saves.
 
The No. 3 ranked Bobcats come into the week with a nearly perfect 10-0-1 record thanks to a defense that has held their opponents to just 0.82 goals and 9.3 shots per game. Franco Acerbi has accumulated a .795 save percentage with 35 saves and three shutouts.
 
Offensively, the Bobcats are averaging 2.82 goals and 17.1 shots per game led by Tomas Persico's six goals and one assist.
 
The Fire and the Bobcats met earlier in the season with the Bobcats extending their 4-14-2 historical record over the Fire with a 2-0 win.
 
The Royals begin the week with a 2-7-2 overall record and 0-5-2 conference record and are looking to snap a three-game losing streak. The offense averages one goal and 10.3 shots per game while the defense has allowed 2.45 goals and 16.5 shots per game. Bryce Himes leads the offense with three goals while the defense is led by Jaime Jimenez who has posted a .745 save percentage with 38 saves.
 
The Fire moved to 12-10-1 all-time over the Royals earlier in the season with a 3-2 win at home.
 
To purchase tickets to Wednesday's home contest, go to https://southeastern.universitytickets.com/.