Butler Begins Three-Match Homestand
HOME RUN: Butler, unbeaten in its last
six outings and coming off a string of four consecutive road
matches, will begin its longest homestand of the season with a
non-league match against DePaul on Wednesday (Oct. 21). The
Bulldogs (9-1-1, 3-0-1 Horizon League) will square off against the
visitors from Chicago at 4 p.m. (ET) in the Butler Bowl.
Butler has posted consecutive 2-1 victories over #14 Indiana,
Valparaiso and IUPUI in its last three outings. The three
straight wins are one shy of Butler’s longest winning streak
this season. DePaul enters Wednesday’s match with a
7-6-1 overall record and a 4-4 mark in the Big East. The
Bulldogs will return to Horizon League play on Saturday, Oct. 24,
with a 4 p.m. match against Detroit. Butler will close out
its homestand on Tuesday, Oct. 27, with a non-league match against
Oakland.
Butler is currently ranked third in the NCAA Division I in
winning percentage (.864).
NATIONAL LOOK: Butler’s recent winning
streak has helped the Bulldogs climb in the national soccer
polls. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 16 by Soccer
America, No. 21 by College Soccer News and Soccer
Times, and No. 40 in the Top Drawer Soccer
Men’s Tournament 48. Butler has moved into the National
Soccer Coaches Association of American national poll at No. 23, and
the Bulldogs have moved up to a tie for sixth in the Great Lakes
Region. The Bulldogs stand at No. 11 in the
RPI.
LAST TIME OUT: Goals by sophomore
Matt Hedges and freshman Julian
Cardona came 70 minutes apart and lifted Butler to a 2-1
road victory over non-league foe IUPUI. Hedges scored less
than three minutes into the match to give Butler a quick advantage,
but the host Jaguars answered minutes later. That set the
stage for a match-long deadlock, before Cardona nailed the
game-winner at 74:17 with his second goal of the season. The
Bulldogs attempted 20 shots in the match, including five shots on
goal.
VICTORY ASSIST: Forward Boris
Gatzky has been the hottest of the Bulldogs during the
team’s current three-match winning streak. The senior
from Reutlingen, Germany, has tallied seven points in the three
matches, and he has five of his six assists on the season during
the stretch. Gatzky had assists on both Butler goals in the
Bulldogs’ 2-1 upset of #14 Indiana, and then he posted a goal
and an assist in the team’s 2-1 victory over
Valparaiso. He had an assist on both goals in Butler’s
recent 2-1 win at IUPUI.
Boris Gatzky has had an assist on the game-winning goal in each
of Butler’s last three matches.
SCORING DEFENSE: Sophomore Matt
Hedges has established himself with his play at the
defensive end of the field over the past season and a half.
But he’s also contributing at the offensive end. Hedges
is tied for the team lead in goals with four, and he’s second
on the squad in scoring with nine points. He’s
currently tied with teammate Boris Gatzky for seventh in the
Horizon League in goals, and he’s tied for 10th in the league
in points. Hedges shares the league lead and boasts a
team-high three game-winning goals.
BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs own the best
11-match record in Butler men’s soccer history.
Butler’s 1990 and 1998 teams both stood 9-2 after 11
matches...Senior Boris Gatzky continues to lead
the Horizon League in shots per game (4.18). He has moved
into ninth place on Butler’s all-time list for shots with
150...Senior Fabian Knopfler leads the Horizon
League and ranks 25th in the NCAA Division I in goals against
average (0.71). He’s fourth in the league in save
percentage (.773)...Butler ranks 13th in the NCAA Division I in
team goals against average (0.62). Butler has allowed just
seven goals in 11 matches this year.
