Complete PDF Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Soccer: The penultimate week of the regular season has arrived for Lourdes soccer and the Gray Wolves enter the week in the thick of the pack for a spot in the WHAC tournament.  Lourdes plays its final road contest of the regular season on Wednesday at Madonna before returning home on Saturday night to entertain Lawrence Tech.

Head Coach Matt Johnson: Matt Johnson took over the Lourdes men's soccer program prior to the start of the 2019 season as just the second head coach in program history.  Johnson sports a 80-93-8 (.464) record overall beginning his 10th season as a men's collegiate soccer coach and has a 5-9 (.357) mark at Lourdes.

Series Notes: Madonna holds a 3-0-1 series advantage over Lourdes dating back to Oct. 31, 2015.  The Crusaders won last year's meeting 8-1 at Wildcat Stadium, their third straight victory in the series.  Madonna won the only previous meeting in Livonia, Mich., 3-1, during the 2016 season.  Lawrence Tech holds a 3-1 all-time advantage against the Gray Wolves in a series that dates back to Oct. 3, 2015.  The Blue Devils have won three straight meetings between the two schools after a 2-1 triumph in Southfield, Mich. last year.  The series is split 1-1 all-time at Wildcat Stadium. 

Wrapping Up Last Week: Northwestern Ohio scored the match-winning goal with 2:35 remaining in the second overtime on Wednesday as the 15th-ranked Racers defeated Lourdes 2-1.  Reece Riccardi scored the lone goal of the match for the Gray Wolves while Ali Chokr made 13 saves in goal.  On Friday, Farouk Amoo scored with 5:05 left in double-overtime to give Lourdes a 1-0 win at Aquinas.  Chokr mad three saves and Garrett Baxley added another in the win.

Scouting Madonna: The Crusaders have won three straight matches after defeating Michigan-Dearborn 2-1 in double-overtime on Saturday.  Yuri Farkas Guglielmi has a team-high 11 points, including five goals.  Breno Stapcinskas also has five goals for Madonna on the year while Bruno Castro has nine points, including a team-high five assists.  In goal, Joe Smith has played more than 1,080 minutes, sporting a 0.58 goals against average and a .891 save percentage.

Scouting Lawrence Tech: The Blue Devils enter the week having dropped three straight matches after falling 2-0 to Indiana Tech on Saturday.  Lawrence Tech hosts Siena Heights on Wednesday before visiting Lourdes.  Kevin Wright leads the Blue Devils with five goals and 10 points this season.  Nicolas Rodriguez has added eight points, including a team-high four assists.  In goal, Maxwell Jewett has a 2.007 goals against average and a .490 save percentage.

Another Ranked Opponent Ahead: After facing 15th-ranked Northwestern Ohio last week, Lourdes will battle another NAIA top-25 foe on Wednesday when the Gray Wolves visit Madonna.  The Crusaders will be the seventh NAIA top-25 opponent the Gray Wolves have faced in program history.  The Gray Wolves are still looking for their first victory against a ranked foe, posting a 0-5-1 mark all-time.  The lone result came on Sept. 24, 2016, a 1-1 draw with third-ranked Davenport.

Breaking Through in Overtime: After dropping its first three overtime contests of the season, the Gray Wolves finally won a match in extra time on Saturday at Aquinas.  The overtime victory was the first for Lourdes since its inaugural match, a 3-2 triumph at Grace Bible on Aug. 28, 2015.  All-time, Lourdes is now 2-6-5 when playing beyond 90 minutes.

A Bunched WHAC: With just four matches remaining in the regular season, the battle for Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament berths is in full force.  The Gray Wolves currently have nine points, tied for seventh and eighth in the league standings, with the top eight teams qualifying for postseason.  Lourdes is only one point ahead of Aquinas, which holds down ninth place.  In addition, the Gray Wolves are only three points behind fourth place Cleary, with the top four teams hosting a WHAC quarterfinal contest. 

Chokr Sets Single Match Saves Mark: Ali Chokr did all he could to help Lourdes pull the upset of 15th-ranked Northwestern Ohio last Wednesday.  The sophomore made a school-record 13 saves in goal, breaking his own previous single match mark of 12 set at Saint Francis (Ill.) on Sept. 12, 2018.

Another Clean Sheet: Ali Chokr and Garrett Baxley combined for the Gray Wolves' fifth shutout of the season on Friday in the 1-0 win at Cornerstone.  The five clean sheets as a team tie the school's single season mark set in 2015.

Playing Lots of Matches: Lourdes has three players that have appeared in at least 40 matches all-time for the Gray Wolves.  Senior Reece Riccardi has set the school mark with 53 career appearances, while his 43 starts surpassed Judah Goodridge (2015-2017) for most in Lourdes history.  Tyler Rogers and Olawole Ogunsanya have both stepped onto the field 44 times, tied for fourth most ever at Lourdes.

Scoring Records: Reece Riccardi has passed Haggi Amirally (2016-2017) for third place alone in Lourdes history with his 10 career goals. He also is passed Adilson Darosa (2015, 2017) for third all-time with 23 career points. In his first season at Lourdes, Darius Passley-Bennett has already moved into a tie with Isamnia Cohen (2016) for seventh all-time with his six goals this year.

Captain: Reece Riccardi will serve as the Gray Wolves lone captain for the 2019 season. This will mark his second season in a leadership role for the Gray Wolves.

This and That: Every field player that has stepped on the pitch has attempted at least one shot ... three WHAC wins already this season are tied for second most in program history ... 11 of the Gray Wolves' 15 goals have come after halftime ... six of Lourdes last eight victories dating back to 2018 have been by 1-0 scores.