Rock to fight for playoff berth vs. Seton Hill

GAME PROGRAM INFO
Slippery Rock has moved away from printed game programs for all sports in 2024-25. This page will serve as the “Digital Game Program” for this week’s game. To navigate to all gameday info for any SRU home events this year, simply visit rockathletics.com/gameday or scan the QR code on the “Gameday Info” posters hanging in each facility.
 

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University men’s soccer team will host Seton Hill University in its final game of the regular season 2 p.m. Friday at James Egli Field. The Rock require a win or tie against the Griffins to ensure a spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
Winners in six of their last seven matches, The Rock come into the fixture with an 8-4-3 overall record and a 5-2-2 mark inside the PSAC West. The Griffins, who enter riding a four-game unbeaten streak, are 10-4-3 on the year and also 5-2-2 in PSAC West competition.
 
WATCH ON YOUR TV – “ROCK ATHLETICS DIGITAL NETWORK” APPS
• Fans can watch Friday’s game live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU athletic communication office.
 
• Search for Rock Athletics Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV devices. The streaming web player linked above will also integrate with Chrome Cast devices to allow viewers to cast the game to those devices.
 
NO PETS AT JAMES EGLI FIELD
Fans are reminded that there are NO PETS allowed at James Egli Field or in any SRU Athletics facilities. Please do not bring dogs or any other pets to the game. Unless they are a registered service animal, you will be asked to remove your pet from the facility.
 
GAME 16 of 16
Opponent: Seton Hill
Date: Friday – 2 p.m.
Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania  
Venue: James Egli Field
Live Video: Rock Athletics Digital Network
Live Stats: Slippery Rock Athletic Communication
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 8-11-1
Current Streak: W1
Last Played: Oct. 19, 2024 at Seton Hill (SRU won, 4-3)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER STATS vs. SETON HILL
Aitor Jorde – 11 points on 5 goals, 1 assist, 18 shots, 7 SOG (3 GP)
Arturo Pla Hernandis – 6 points on 3 goals, 21 shots, 12 SOG (7 GP)
Will Harrigan – 4 points on 2 goals, 3 shots, 2 SOG (6 GP)
Ignacio Rullan – 3 points on 3 assists (2 GP)
Adam Davies – (2-1), 2.67 GAA, 11 saves on 33 SF (3 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock and Seton Hill will be meeting for the 21^st time in series history, a matchup that The Rock own an 8-11-1 record in. SRU has won two of the last three meetings with Seton Hill including its wild 4-3 victory at SHU earlier this year and a split with the Griffins last season.
 
SRU is 5-5 when Seton Hill travels to Slippery Rock, last defeating the Griffins at home in a 3-1 decision last year.
 
The Griffins went up 1-0 just 1:21 into last year’s meeting at James Egli Field, but Aitor Jorde equalized just 24 seconds later to even the score at 1-1 in the second minute of play. SRU took advantage of an 18^th-minute SHU red card to pace play from there on. Jorde netted the game-winner (78′) before Will Harrigan added an insurance goal (81′) for a 3-1 win.
 
SRU outshot Seton Hill, 18-4, additionally claiming leads in shots on goal (7-2) and corner kicks (7-0).
 

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 8-4-3
PSAC West Record: 5-2-2
Home Record: 3-2-2
Away Record: 5-2-1
PSAC West Rank: T-2^nd of 6
Streak: W3
Last Five: 4-1
Head Coach: Kevin Wilhelm | Seventh season at SRU (38-52-15)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock cruised to a 4-1 home win over California (Pa.) Nov. 2, marking a third straight win for the second time in the last month. Shaun Spencer (25′), Colton Spence (42′), Rasmus Fugl (66′) and Arturo Pla Hernandis (83′) distributed the quartet of goals for The Rock.
 
Spence and Spencer both assisted each other’s first-half goals, while Aaron Finney and Kaden Reynolds both picked up an assist as well. Pla Hernandis led SRU with five shots, while Adam Davies made one save in the win.
 
California chipped into its deficit with a 79^th-minute goal that briefly made it a 3-1 contest. SRU claimed advantages in shots (16-5), shots on goal (7-2) and corner kicks (7-3) in the PSAC West affair.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
Pla Hernandis leads Slippery Rock with 14 points, all of which have come from his team-high seven goals. Jorde’s well-rounded attack has given him 12 points on four goals and four assists.
 
With at least one point in each of the last three matches, Fugl ranks third with nine points on four goals and one assist in front of Finney and Spencer with seven points apiece. Finney has earned his seven points from three goals and one assist, while Spencer has scored twice and recorded three assists in 12 appearances.
 
Colton Swanson’s first four games of the season gave him six points on two goals and two assists, ranking ahead of Spence, Luke Gildea and Jack Smith, who all have five points. Gildea and Spence have both scored twice and assisted once, while Rullan leads SRU with five assists. Similarly, Jack Smith has tallied his three points from a trio of assists.
 
Both Harrigan and Jacob Glancy carry two points from one goal, while five players have each added one point from one assist: Reynolds, Ryan Hanes, Jimmy Irani, Gabin Lonjard and Aashi Pandher.
 
Pla Hernandis and Jorde and lead SRU with 36 and 35 shots on the year respectively, as Pla Hernandis has placed a squad-high 17 shots on target.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Slippery Rock can finish its season anywhere from second in the PSAC West to fourth in the division with the top three teams seeing their seasons continue into the PSAC Tournament. The Rock enter their final game of the regular season tied with Seton Hill for second in the PSAC West, both with 17 points on five wins and two draws.
 
A win over Seton Hill would give Slippery Rock the second seed in the PSAC West. The Rock would host a quarterfinal matchup Nov. 11. SRU has not hosted a PSAC Tournament game since a 1-0 win over California (Pa.) Nov. 3, 2015.
 
Slippery Rock owns a head-to-head results tiebreaker against Seton Hill and Lock Haven, so SRU would also become the two-seed in the PSAC West with a tie against Seton Hill regardless of Lock Haven’s outcome versus California Friday night.
 
If Seton Hill defeats Slippery Rock, the Griffins will be the second seed in the PSAC West, and Slippery Rock will only get in as the three-seed if California ties or defeats Lock Haven 6 p.m. at the Phillipsburg Soccer Facility. Even if SRU does not host a quarterfinal matchup, it could make the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2019 in this scenario.
 
MORE CONFERENCE AWARDS
Spence was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for the second time in the last five weeks, the conference office announced Nov. 4. The defender led The Rock to a 2-0 week with a goal and an assist against California (Pa.), also taking two shots over the course of the two matches.
 
Spencer guided Spence’s 25^th-minute cross into the net to put The Rock up 1-0 against Cal. Spence got his turn to score in the 42^nd minute when the two defenders swapped roles and Spence headed in a cross from Spencer.
 
The Robert Morris University transfer also put in two more 90-minute shifts defensively last week, holding Lock Haven University and Cal to a combined nine shots and four shots on goal.
 
Spence’s award was SRU’s fifth PSAC weekly award this year, marking the most PSAC Weekly awards won by The Rock men’s soccer team since 2009.
 
THAT’S 17 PLAYERS WITH POINTS!
Slippery Rock is up to 82 points on 28 goals and 26 assists this season, with 17 different players contributing to SRU’s season tally. That marks the highest number of unique points-talliers since 2016 when 17 players combined for 48 points. The Rock have racked up 34 more points in one fewer game so far this season.
 
WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN
Regardless of Friday’s outcome, Slippery Rock has put together one of its best seasons in the last decade. With an 8-4-3 overall record, SRU is guaranteed to finish the regular season with a winning percentage of at least .594, which will mark the team’s best season since its 2015 PSAC Championship-winning year that featured a 14-6 overall record.
 
A win Friday would also mark SRU’s ninth win in a single season for the first time since 2015, topping an 8-9-2 showing in 2019. SRU went 8-8-2 in the regular season in 2019 with that ninth loss coming to Mercyhurst University in the PSAC Tournament.
 
SRU also enters its final game of the regular season with 17 points on five wins and two draws in the PSAC West table. A win over Seton Hill would give The Rock 20 points through 10 matches, marking the team’s highest share of league points since 2013.
 
LOTS OF OFFENSE
Slippery Rock has averaged 2.6 goals per game in its last seven matches, not having been shut out since Oct. 9. The Rock have posted at least two goals in six of those seven games and have outshot their last three opponents by a 53-17 difference.
 
SRU now ranks fourth out of the 12 teams in the PSAC with 1.9 goals per game, 1.7 assists per game and 5.5 points per game.
 
Additionally, The Rock stack up 13^th nationally throughout Division II with 6.1 corner kicks per game, a rate good enough to put SRU second in the PSAC behind Gannon’s 7.5 corners per game.
 
A QUARTET OF GOALS
SRU’s 4-1 win over Cal marked its third game this season with at least four goals and its second match with four different goalscorers in the same game. SRU cruised to a 5-1 road win at Shippensburg University Sept. 21 and rallied to a 4-3 win over Seton Hill Oct. 19.
 
The last time Slippery Rock scored at least four goals in three different games in the same season was in 2014.
 
PLENTY OF FIRSTS
Three of SRU’s four assists against Cal marked the first career assists for Finney, Reynolds and Spence. Later on in the contest, Slippery Rock saw the season debut of two players: Rocco Birns and Sam Kightlinger. While Birns was making the 10^th appearance of his career, Kightlinger, a sophomore defender from Venango, Pennsylvania, made his career debut.
 
THE DEFENSIVE THIRD
SRU’s defense against California included the likes of Birns, Kightlinger, Lonjard, Smith, Spence, Spencer and Jeroen Van Der Veen, held the Vulcans to just five total shots and two shots on goal. Additionally, SRU took seven of the game’s 10 corner kicks.
 
Slippery Rock has held its opponent to no more than five shots, two shots on goal and four corner kicks in each of the last two games.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Davies has played all available 1,350 minutes in net this year for Slippery Rock, now with a GAA of 1.47 and a save percentage of .681. The senior goalkeeper made one save against Cal while facing five shots from the Vulcans. Davies is 2-1 all-time in his career against Seton Hill.
 
THEY JUST KEEP WINNING
Riding a three-game winning streak for the second time this season, Slippery Rock has put together multiple three-game winning streaks in the same year for the first time since a seven-win run in 2013 – a season that ended by hoisting the PSAC Championship trophy.
 
A win over Seton Hill Friday would mark Slippery Rock’s seventh win in the final eight games of the regular season.
 
RECORD WATCH
Now in his senior year, Pla Hernandis continues to rise through the ranks in several different school records. The true nine ranks inside the top five all-time with 161 total shots and third with 77 shots on goal. Jorde jumped up into a tie for 11^th all-time, now with 35 shots on goal. Jorde also entered the top 20 all-time in shots, now with 85.
 
Another goal against California for Pla Hernandis moved him to 28 on his career, tied for 12^th all-time in SRU history with Tony Hindley (1979-82).
 
In net, Davies is now tied for 12^th with 14 career wins, ranks second with seven career ties and has taken sole possession of eighth with 34 goalie starts.
 
THE GRIFFINS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 10-4-3
PSAC West Record: 5-2-2
Home Record: 5-2-2
Away Record: 5-2-1
PSAC West Rank: T-2^nd of 6
Streak: W1
Last Five: 3-1-1
Head Coach: Dilveer Chaggar | Third season at Seton Hill (24-25-6, .491)
 
SETON HILL SCOUTING REPORT
The Griffins are hoping to mirror last year’s season finale, when Slippery Rock traveled to SHU needing a win or tie to get into the PSAC Tournament but were turned away from the postseason with a 4-2 decision won by Seton Hill. The Griffins have not missed the PSAC Tournament since 2019.
 
Seton Hill has not lost a game since its 4-3 loss to Slippery Rock Oct. 19, going 3-0-1 since then. SHU shut out both Cal, 1-0, and Lock Haven, 2-0, before tying No. 12 Gannon, 1-1. Most recently the Griffins thumped Pitt-Johnstown in a 7-0 victory Nov. 2.
 
SHU ranks second in the PSAC and 25^th in Division II with 6.5 points per game. True freshman Nils Heinrich has recorded 10 points in the last five games, leading the Griffins with 23 points on seven goals and nine assists. The striker from Erwitte, Germany ranks third in the PSAC with 1.4 points per game.
 
The Griffins have seen three different goalies in net this year but have relied most heavily on Jonathan Leary (6-1-2) as of recent, a sophomore from Audubon, New Jersey. Leary comes into Friday with a 0.76 GAA and a save percentage of .800. SRU saw Aiden Hollander in net earlier this year, who has not started a match since then.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
If Slippery Rock qualified for the PSAC Tournament, it will play its quarterfinal match Nov. 11. More details regarding the PSAC Tournament including kickoff times will be announced by the conference at a later date.

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