INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis University's men's soccer team rose three spots from eighth to fifth in the second round of NCAA Midwest Regional Rankings released by the NCAA on Wednesday afternoon. The Flyers finished fourth in the GLVC in the regular season and will host fifth seeded Drury on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Lewis Stadium in the opening round of the GLVC Tournament.
Last Time Out – Lewis extended its unbeaten streak to eight with a 2-1 upset win over then No. 10 Maryville last Friday and a 3-0 win at Missouri S&T in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon.
Aris Oluwatuyi (Lagos, Nigeria/The International Sports Academy) scored three of the Flyers five goals on the weekend and was named the GLVC's Offensive Player of the Week and the United Soccer Coaches Division II Offensive Player of the Week.
GLVC Tournament – Lewis is making its 33rd appearance all-time in the GLVC Tournament and third in the last five years. The Flyers have won eight GLVC Tournament titles and are seeking their first win since 2007.
Evan Fiffles has led Lewis to 25 GLVC Tournaments and has won six GLVC Tournament titles.
Drury is making its 11th appearance all-time in the GLVC Tournament and is seeking its first GLVC tournament title since 2009.
The winner of Sunday's contest advances to the semifinals of the GLVC Tournament and will take on the winner of the match between top seeded Indianapolis and eighth seeded Lindenwood on Fri. (Nov. 12) at the highest remaining seed. The GLVC Tournament Championship contest is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 14).
Tickets – There will be admission charged for Sunday's game with ticket prices $7 for adults and $5 for students. Lewis student-athletes and faculty and staff will be admitted for free with a valid Lewis ID. Tickets can be purchased by clicking on the link at the top of this story.
League Leaders – Lewis leads the GLVC in total assists with 35 and is 14th in Division II in that category. The Flyers are ranked second in the conference in assists per game, goal differential, points per game, save percentage, goals per game, shot accuracy, total goals and total points and are third in goals against average.
Individually, Oluwatuyi leads the GLVC with four game-winning goals and is 15th in Division II.
Sebastian Doppelhofer (Liebmannweg, Austria/Kapfenburg) leads the conference in save percentage and shutouts and is 22nd nationally in save percentage.
Jimmy Mwanga (Dublin, Ireland/CBS Lucan) is third in the GLVC in assists per game, total assists and shots on goal.
Domenic Baumann (Bergheim, Germany/Brauweiler) is third in the league with 18 points and fifth in goals scored.
Regional Rankings – Maryville moved past Indianapolis for the top spot in Super-Region Three this week after its 3-2 win over the Greyhounds on Sunday. Parkside moved up to third while Illinois Springfield fell to fourth. Lewis climbed to fifth and is followed by Lake Erie (sixth), Cedarville (seventh), Ohio Dominican (eighth), Fort Hays St. (ninth) and Davenport (10th). Saginaw Valley and Upper Iowa are on the outside looking in at 11th and 12th.
The top 10 teams from each super-region will advance to the NCAA Tournament which starts on Nov. 18 or 19.
About Drury – The Panthers enter Sunday's contest with a record of 7-6-4 and are winless in their last four contests (0-2-2). The two teams met two weeks ago at Lewis Stadium and played to a scoreless double overtime draw. Jamie O'Brien is the team's leading scorer with eight goals and 16 points. Adem Hamdaoua is second with 12 points (five goals, two assists). Yannick Lamers has started every game but one this year and has allowed 15 goals and has a goals against average of 0.91.
Series Stuff – Sunday's meeting is the 20th all-time between the Flyers and Panthers with Lewis holding a 10-7-2 lead in the series. However, Drury is 4-1-2 in the last seven contests.
