Kevin Mendoza
The Liberty men's soccer team will host the Big South Co-leader High Point Panthers, Wednesday afternoon at Osborne Stadium. Match time is scheduled for 4 p.m. The Panthers received votes in several national polls this week.
With a week left in the season, Liberty (6-7-1, 3-2 Big South) and High Point (10-3-2, 4-1 Big South) find themselves in the scramble atop the Big South standings. The league's top six teams will qualify for the Big South Tournament and the top two teams will receive a first round bye.
Liberty enters the contest off a 3-2 win at Gardner-Webb, this past Friday. Meanwhile, High Point, who is tied for the Big South lead with Radford and Presbyterian, has won five consecutive games, including a 1-0 victory over Radford at home, this past Saturday.
How to Follow the Flames A free live video stream courtesy of the Big South Network will be available by clicking the appropriate link on the schedule/results panel under men's soccer on LibertyFlames.com.
Live stats powered by StatBroadcast will also be available by clicking the appropriate link on the men's soccer schedule/results panel of LibertyFlames.com.
A Look at Liberty Big South Freshman of the Week Rigoberto Rojas scored the game-winning goal and had an assist, helping the Flames to a 3-2 victory over Gardner-Webb in Big South play, Friday. The Flames have posted back-to-back wins.
Rojas has either scored a goal or had an assist in five consecutive games and has collected an assist in four straight matches. The freshman leads Liberty and is second in the Big South with six assists. His assist total is the most by a Liberty player since Phillip Aseweh had eight assists in 2011. The forward has also scored two goals and has 10 points.
Tresor Mbuyu and Kevin Mendoza also scored at Gardner-Webb. Mbuyu leads the Flames and is second in the Big South with nine goals and 22 points. Meanwhile, Mendoza has netted a goal in each of the last three matches. The midfielder is second on Liberty in goals (6), assists (4) and points (16). Currently, he is tied for seventh in the conference in goals and points, while ranking fourth in assists.
Midfielder Jovanni Chavez and forward Martin Agredo, with three goals apiece, join Mbuyu and Mendoza as Flames with multiple goals, this season. Agredo and Chavez also have three assists each on the year and nine points.
James Knoebel has started 12 matches between the goalposts for the Flames, this season. The freshman has posted a 1.62 goals-against average, a .740 save percentage and three shutouts, this season.
Head Coach Jeff Alder, a Liberty alum, is in his 16th season of leading the Flames. Liberty is 150-118-24 during his tenure.
A Look at High Point Winners of five straight contests and unbeaten in their last six (5-0-1), the Panthers handed Radford its first Big South loss, this past weekend.
Siggi Benonysson and Chris Ramsell are both among the top three in the Big South in points. Benonysson leads the conference with 24 points and 10 goals. Ramsell is third in the conference with 20 points and eight goals.
Goalkeeper Keegan Meyer has started 14 games for the Panthers. The redshirt freshman has posted a 1.08 goals-against average and a .692 save percentage in 2016. He has four shutouts.
E.J. O'Keeffe is in his second season at High Point. He has led the Panthers to an 18-9-9 mark during his tenure.
The Series Liberty and High Point will be meeting for the 30th time, Wednesday afternoon. Liberty holds a 14-11-4 advantage in the all-time series, including wins over the Panthers in their last three meetings.
Flames News and Notes
A Look Ahead Liberty will host the Presbyterian Blue Hose for its final regular season home match, Saturday at Osborne Stadium. Match time is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Before the game, Liberty seniors Martin Agredo, Alan Arellano, Kyle Carr, Oluwatomiwa Kosoko, and Jeremy Lee will be honored as part of Senior Day ceremonies.
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