FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's soccer team begins the second half of Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play this week as they host Marygrove on Wednesday evening before heading to Lourdes on Saturday.
 
Indiana Tech (3-7-1, 0-4-1 WHAC)
 
Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m. vs. Marygrove University (6-5-1, 3-1-1 WHAC) Fort Wayne, Indiana (Warrior Athletic Field)
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2 p.m. at Lourdes University (4-5-0, 2-3-0 WHAC) Sylvania, Ohio (Wildcat Stadium)
 
Following the Warriors: Links to live stats will be available for both games, while live video will be provided for the Marygrove contest. You can also catch the action on Twitter by following @INTechMSoccer and @INTechWarriors.
 
Last Time Out: The Warriors fell in a heartbreaker to No. 2 Davenport on Saturday at Warrior Athletic Field. Mitch Smith and Zach St. Aubin each recorded a goal for Tech, but the Panthers scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute.
 
Head Coach David Bokhart: Now in his fifth season as the head coach of the Warriors, David Bokhart sports a record of 39-34-9. During his tenure, Bokhart has coached 16 WHAC Academic All-Conference honorees, 9 All-Conference selections, 6 NAIA Scholar-Athlete recipients and one NAIA All-American and Conference Defensive Player of the Year (Mark Baptist).
 
Scouting the Opposition: Marygrove – The Mustangs come into Warrior Athletic Field on a two-game winning streak, most recently defeating Lourdes, 3-1, on Saturday. Marygrove now has 10 points in conference play and is tied for Cornerstone for third in the WHAC. Abdoulie Jallow notched three goals and two assists last week and leads the team both categories with seven and five, respectively. Austin Valentine has seen the majority of minutes in goal, only allowing 11 goals in just over 820 minutes while making 29 saves and recording one clean sheet.
 
Lourdes – Jake Kirchoff-Sleet and Adilson Darosa lead the team in goals with five each, while Kirchoff-Sleet has the slight edge in points with 12. Jose Cedillo and Mark Darling have each seen action in five games this season. Cedillo has only given up six goals while making 27 saves and recording two shutouts for a 1.33 goals against average (GAA), while Darling has a 2.41 GAA and 18 saves to his credit.
 
Series Notes: Marygrove – This is the fifth matchup between the two schools, with the Mustangs holding a 3-0-1 advantage. The Warriors have dropped the last two in the series, including a 5-2 decision last year in Detroit.
 
Lourdes – This is the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
 
A Look Ahead: The Warriors have their work cut out for them if they are to make the WHAC Tournament. They are currently in 11^th with one point and trail eight place Lourdes by five points. Siena Heights (five points) and Michigan-Dearborn (four) are ninth and tenth, respectively. The WHAC Tournament will be held on Nov. 7, 10 and 14, with the top-eight teams making the field. The quarterfinals will take place at seeds one through four, while the semifinals and championship match will take place at the highest remaining seeds.
 
Getting it done in the Classroom: Indiana Tech was recognized with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award on Sept. 23 after obtaining a 3.01 composite grade point average for the 2014-15 academic year. The Team Academic Award is awarded annually to soccer programs whose student-athletes have excelled in the classroom. It is the seventh time that the men's team has received the honor and the first under Bokhart. Tech was one of only two men's teams in the WHAC to be recognized.
 
Flying Many Flags: This year's Warriors squad is represented by nine different countries and four continents. Tech features players from Germany, Ireland, England, Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Austria and Canada in addition to the United States.
 
Making His Presence Felt: Freshman Brennan Cochran has made an immediate impact on the pitch for the Orange and Black, starting all 11 games and leading the team in goals (10) and points (20). The Auburn, Indiana, native ranks among the top-three among the WHAC offensive leaders in: points (third), points per game (third), goals (third), goals per game (third), shots per game (first) and shots on goals per game (first). Nationally he ranks eighth in shots per game (5.0), ninth in shots on goal per game (2.82), tied for 21^st in total goals (10) and tied for 22^nd in goals per game (.910).
 
Savings Machine: Logan Kelly finds himself among the nation's best when it comes to defending the net. His average of 5.20 saves per game ranks him tied for 44^th in the country while his 52 total saves place him in a tie for 49^th.