FAMILIAR FOES: In the first of two matches this week, Butler will travel to in-state opponent Indiana on Wednesday, Sept. 17, for a match beginning at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs look to defend last year's victory over the Hoosiers, in which Butler came back from a 2-0 deficit in the 86th minute to force overtime and then went on to win in the extra period thanks to a goal from forward David Goldsmith. That home match was played in front of a crowd of over 5,000, a record for the Butler Bowl. On Saturday, Sept. 20, the Bulldogs will begin a three-game home stretch, against former Horizon League foe Loyola (Ill.). The match against the Ramblers, now members of the Missouri Valley Conference, is set to begin at 1 p.m. The two teams last faced off in 2011, with the Bulldogs claiming a 3-1 victory on the road.
      
WEEKEND RECAP:  Butler played a pair of matches last week, starting with a 2-1 home loss in double-overtime to Valparaiso on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The Crusaders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half, but junior forward Jeff Adkins responded with a goal for the Bulldogs just before halftime after a save from the Valparaiso goalkeeper deflected the ball right to his feet. Freshman forward Joey Bastian picked up an assist on the score. After a defensive second half left the scored tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, the Crusaders connected off of a header at the beginning of the second overtime period to grab the victory. The defeat marked the first loss of the season for the Bulldogs.

Then on Friday, Sept. 12, Butler took on Western Michigan on the road, and wound up with a second 2-1 loss. Both teams picked up early goals, with Butler scoring on a strike from David Goldsmith off an assist from junior midfielder Caleb Postlewait in the 31st minute. The goal marked Goldsmith's third on the season. Scoreless for over 50 minutes, the Broncos broke through in the 83rd minute after a bounce off a save from freshman goalkeeper Eric Dick gave Western Michigan a clean look at the net. Adkins finished the game with three shots (one on-goal), and Dick, last week's BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week, added four saves for the Bulldogs in the loss.

STRONG ATTACK:  While the Bulldogs struggled to find the net in both matches last week, shots have been coming early and often for the team this season. Butler has fired an average of 12.2 shots per game, placing just over 53% of their opportunities on-goal. Jeff Adkins, who leads the team with 20 shots this season (11 on-goal, also a team high), currently sits fourth in the BIG EAST in shots per game. Butler has also received a boost from the midfield, including two assists from senior co-captain Zach Steinberger and a goal and an assist from Caleb Postlewait.  Junior midfielder Vincent Mitchell has added seven shots this season, putting five on-goal for an impressive 71.4% shot-on-goal percentage.

FRESHMAN FIT:  Head Coach Paul Snape has made a point of getting his younger players on the field early, as freshmen Joey Bastian, Nick Forrester and Bennett Kim have appeared in all six matches for the Bulldogs this season. Bastian, who has started four matches at the forward position, has two assists on the year and has added 10 shot attempts to the Butler attack. Forrester has helped to anchor a strong back line alongside senior co-captain Brandon Fricke, holding down the defensive third in five starts this season.

BULLDOG BITS:  David Goldsmith and Jeff Adkins each have scored scored a team-high three goals on the year and are currently tied for the sixth in goals in the BIG EAST...Eric Dick has started all six matches for the Bulldogs in goal, and his 1.05 goals against average currently sits fifth among all BIG EAST goalkeepers.

Contact:  Mike Murtaugh (mmurtaug@butler.edu)