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Arizona Christian University

OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Firestorm celebrate goal at home
Thomas Aeschleman

Men's Soccer Payne Moses

Battle-tested Firestorm open GSAC play with California pair

Rocklin, Cali.- With the non-conference portion now in the rearview mirror, the Firestorm enter GSAC play with stout competition in California. The race to the GSAC Championships begins on Thursday afternoon with Jessup University. ACU rounds out its week by challenging undefeated Menlo College (3-0-4) on Saturday.

Match Details
Arizona Christian at Jessup University - Thursday, September 28 at 4:30 PM
Arizona Christian at Menlo College - Saturday, September 30 at 2:00 PM

Warrior Field - Rocklin, CA
Wunderlich Field - Atherton, CA

*All Times Listed Are Arizona Time

Live Coverage
Video - https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/ 
Live Stats - https://jessupathletics.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary, http://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/2023-24/boxscores/20230930_kssn.xml 

Arizona Christian
After a dominating 5-1 win over Oklahoma City University, the Firestorm were unable to keep the momentum rolling when they fell to Benedictine Mesa 1-0 last Wednesday. It came as only the second game ACU has been shut out. Forward Marlon Arce continues to lead the Firestorm in goals (4), with Aiden Abbitt in second (2) after two goals against OCU. Carlos Gallardo collected his second consecutive GSAC Defender of the Week last Monday, thanks to 14 saves in two games. 

ACU Key Players
Marlon Arce - 4 goals, 12 shots on goal
Aiden Abbitt - 2 goals, 2 assists, 11 shots on goal
Cristhian Flores - 2 goals, 5 shots on goal
Jose Garcia - 1 goal, 1 assist, 8 shots
Tiago Soares - 1 goal, 1 assist, 14 shots
Carlos Gallardo - 36 saves (.818 save percentage)

Series Notes
In 11 games with Jessup all-time, ACU holds a 4-7 record and trails 23-18 in goals scored. Losing the first four games on the series, the Firestorm won the past two meetings, both of which they were 2-0 shutouts. Kaden Grub and Washington Alves Jr. each had one goal in the previous match last season, while Carlos Gallardo had two saves and a shutout. Thursday's game marks the second straight time in Rocklin, where ACU is 1-4.

The Firestorm arrive at Menlo with a 2-6-1 record in the all-time series. Following four consecutive losses to open the series, ACU is 2-2-1 with a 3-0 win in the only contest held at ACU Football Field in 2021. In five trips to Atherton, the Firestorm have yet to come away with a victory (0-4-1). The most recent meeting came last October, with Menlo handing the visiting ACU a 3-1 loss.

Coach Krzywiecki's Thoughts
"We are excited to finally be stepping into conference play," Coach Krzywiecki said. "I believe deeply in the group of guys and our coaching staff that we have and love working with them. Our out of conference schedule was designed to expose us to some of the best regional and national opponents to prepare us for this segment of the season… We have been battle-tested against some top teams and have faced different tactical scenarios. Through all of this we have limited quality goal-scoring opportunities and are beginning to build some chemistry within our attack while integrating our depth. It is now about taking the lessons we have learned and focusing fully on the task at hand on Thursday.  Both Jessup and Menlo have combined for a 8-3-5 record… They are both well coached teams that have a distinct style and belief in what they do. Jessup has beaten Division 2 opponents and drawn Menlo. Menlo has only allowed 3 goals in 7 games and has been dynamic in their attack against some good teams… I know our guys will show up hungry and ready to go. We know we will have to work for every minute of these matches to come away with positive results."

Jessup University
The Jessup University Warriors (5-3-2) opened the 2023 season with three consecutive wins and followed with three consecutive losses. Certainly a mixed bag, but Jessup has found its footing going 2-0-2 over the past four contests. Diego Nunez is the Warrior's scoring leader with seven goals and one assist. Four other players have two or more goals on the year. Greg Lazaga hits the conference slate for the eighth time as head coach of Jessup, with an overall record of 42-85-11.

Menlo College
The Menlo College Oaks (3-0-4) have yet to add to the loss column so far this season, and are 3-0-3 at home. The Oaks' defense has been a stingy one, only surrendering three goals in seven games including five shutouts. On the offensive side of the ball, however, nine of Menlo's 13 total goals came in only two games (5-0 over Simpson University and 4-1 over Southern Oregon). Alex Valle and Levin Ledergerber are joint scoring leaders, each with three goals and one assist. Keith Lambert has been the Men's Soccer head coach since 2017, responsible for two GSAC titles. 


Roll Storm!  
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Players Mentioned

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
Marlon Arce

#7 Marlon Arce

MF
6' 0"
Junior
Jose Garcia

#19 Jose Garcia

MF
5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

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
Marlon Arce

#7 Marlon Arce

6' 0"
Junior
MF
Jose Garcia

#19 Jose Garcia

5' 4"
Freshman
MF