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Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Firestorm prep for defense of free kick
Thomas Aeschleman

Men's Soccer Payne Moses

Struggling Firestorm Face Final GSAC Foes

Glendale, Ariz.- Falling short in five of their past six games, the Firestorm hope to close out 2023 on a high note as they get ready for Vanguard and The Master's. ACU hosts both matches at ACU Football Field, where they are 4-3 this season.

Match Details

Arizona Christian vs. Vanguard University - Thursday, October 26 at 5:45 PM
Arizona Christian vs. The Master's University - Saturday, October 28 at 11:00 AM

ACU Football Field - Glendale, AZ

*All Times Listed Are Arizona Time

Live Coverage

Video - https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/ 
Live Stats -  https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary 

Arizona Christian

In their latest match, the Firestorm fell 3-2 in a road contest against the Life Pacific Warriors. Marlon Arce, ACU's leading scorer with seven goals, gave the Firestorm an early 1-0 advantage but Life Pacific responded with three goals. Arce collected a second score in the 83rd minute on a penalty kick, but ACU could not muster another. Following a regular-season GSAC title last season, Coach Ted Krzywiecki's squad finds themselves ranked seventh in the conference standings with two games remaining.

ACU Key Players

Marlon Arce - 7 goals, 1 assist, 21 shots on goal
Aiden Abbitt - 2 goals, 5 assists, 13 shots on goal
Tiago Soares - 3 goals, 1 assist, 7 shots on goal
Cristhian Flores - 2 goals, 6 shots on goal
Santiago Ballesteros - 2 goals, 3 shots on goal
Jose Garcia - 1 goal, 1 assist, 8 shots
Kaden Grub - 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 shots on goal
Carlos Gallardo - 57 saves, .750 save percentage

Series Notes

The Firestorm own a 2-12 all-time record against Vanguard in 14 meetings. ACU lost the first nine matches before picking up their first victory (3-2) in 2018. Last October, ACU defeated Vanguard 2-0 at ACU Football Field, Aiden Abbitt recording one goal and one assist (Ethan Molter had the game's first goal). The Firestorm are 1-5 at home when facing the Lions.

In 18 all-time meetings, ACU is 6-12 against The Master's. After losing nine of the first 10 matches, the Firestorm have won five of the last eight, including three of the four played at home. ACU won the most recent match (3-1) last September, with all three goals in the second period. Washington Alves Jr. recorded the game-winning goal thanks to a dual-assist from Aiden Abbitt and Mario Hanna. Kaden Grub had the third goal (unassisted).

Coach Ted Krzywiecki's Thoughts

"It's always exciting to have two good conference teams at home," Coach Krzywiecki said. "Both Vanguard and Masters have been top teams in the GSAC and they have strong attacking threats that can score in an instant. They are well coached and we will have to be extremely focused and ready to compete for every moment of both games. We have had a tough string of results, but the good news is we have a capable group who can still get into the postseason."

Vanguard University

The Vanguard University Lions (9-2-4) are fresh off a 3-1 win over Jessup, pushing their GSAC record to 4-1. Three different players (Stewart Alvayero, Robert Ronco, Donald Kiernan) scored before Jessup got their first goal on the board. Alvayero leads the Lions in goals (8) and assists (6). Ronco is second with six goals and three assists and Kiernan follows with three goals and three assists in 2023. Goalkeeper Edwin Monterrosa has started all 13 games and carries a 79.3 save percentage (46 saves) into this matchup.

The Master's University

The Master's University Mustangs (7-4-3) responded to two consecutive losses with a 3-2 win over OUAZ last Saturday. Prince Chingancheke pulled off a hat trick in the game, with all three goals coming after the Mustangs trailed 1-0 early. Kai Terentieff is the scoring leader with seven goals and one assist. Tyrik Trotman and Chingancheke follow with six and five goals respectively. Caden Zierenberg leads TMU in assists with seven in 2023. Goalkeeper Kian Bensend has started all 14 games and enters this match with a 67.3 save percentage (33 saves).


Roll Storm! 
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Players Mentioned

Mario Hanna

#13 Mario Hanna

LB
5' 9"
Senior
Ethan Molter

#7 Ethan Molter

F
5' 10"
Senior
Tiago Soares

#9 Tiago Soares

D
6' 2"
Junior
Cristhian Flores

#26 Cristhian Flores

5' 6"
Sophomore
Kaden Grub

#20 Kaden Grub

RB
5' 9"
Freshman
Carlos Gallardo

#28 Carlos Gallardo

GK
5' 7"
Junior
Washington Alves Jr.

#10 Washington Alves Jr.

MF
6' 0"
Junior
Santiago Ballesteros

#8 Santiago Ballesteros

F
6' 1"
Freshman
Marlon Arce

#7 Marlon Arce

MF
6' 0"
Junior
Jose Garcia

#19 Jose Garcia

MF
5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Mario Hanna

#13 Mario Hanna

5' 9"
Senior
LB
Ethan Molter

#7 Ethan Molter

5' 10"
Senior
F
Tiago Soares

#9 Tiago Soares

6' 2"
Junior
D
Cristhian Flores

#26 Cristhian Flores

5' 6"
Sophomore
Kaden Grub

#20 Kaden Grub

5' 9"
Freshman
RB
Carlos Gallardo

#28 Carlos Gallardo

5' 7"
Junior
GK
Washington Alves Jr.

#10 Washington Alves Jr.

6' 0"
Junior
MF
Santiago Ballesteros

#8 Santiago Ballesteros

6' 1"
Freshman
F
Marlon Arce

#7 Marlon Arce

6' 0"
Junior
MF
Jose Garcia

#19 Jose Garcia

5' 4"
Freshman
MF