PREVIEW: Men's Soccer clashes with #18 Coker at The Frock

SALISBURY, N.C. – The Catawba College men's soccer program prepares to face its third consecutive ranked opponent as the squad hosts 18th-ranked Coker on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

When the Saints Marched In

- Catawba fell to No. 6 Limestone in its last foray, suffering a 7-0 setback that notched the Saints' highest scoring output of the season

- Despite not recording a shot on goal, Catawba was able to fire off 11 attempts including eight in the second half

- Kheynne Ona-Vera and Mate Kenyeres posted a team-high three shots apiece as Kenny Hassler registered the first two attempts of his graduate campaign

- Goalkeeping duties were split down the middle as Zak Stiffler manned the net in the first stanza, logging one save before Fletcher Harris took over for the ensuing 45 minutes

Team Highs

- The Catawba offense is powered mainly by Preseason All-SAC selections Bautista Vecchi-Ramello (three goals) and Sebastia Cerda-Tous (two goals) who have 17 shots apiece

- Ona-Vera, Garrett Alban, Salano Birch, and Jaime Serrano have each found the back of the net once

- The team's five assists are spread evenly across as many players

- With six of 11 shots directed on target, Kenyeres boasts a .545 shots on goal percentage

- Four field players have started all seven games: Vecchi-Ramello, Serrano, Noya, and Noah Sapsford

- In goal, Stiffler has accumulated 13 saves in 558 minutes of work as the starter in each match

All-Time Series

- The sides have met 14 times with Catawba leading the series 7-5-2, but Coker has an edge in goal differential at 27-18

- The last eight matchups include two draws and six matches decided by one goal

- Of the seven meetings hosted by Catawba, the blue and white are 2-3-2

- Each team has scored more than two goals just twice – Catawba won 5-1 in 2016, Coker won 8-0 in the initial meeting in 1982

- Wednesday marks the second time Catawba has played a ranked Cobra squad, the first being on Oct. 2, 2021 when the blue and white upset the nation's No. 4 team

- All-time, the Catawba Indians are 16-53-3 against foes in the Top 25 with a draw at No. 18 Lincoln Memorial and a loss to No. 6 Limestone this season

Scouting the Cobras

- The Coker Cobras are 5-1 on the year with a 2-1 conference record, earning a No. 18 ranking in the United Soccer Coaches national poll and third regional slot

- The Palmetto State side is fresh off a 5-1 victory over vote-receiving Lincoln Memorial

- Coker has the top scoring offense nationwide with 3.50 goals per game and ranks second with 4.00 assists per match

- Scoring leader Oskar Kaufmann has five goals and four assists to average 2.33 points per game, the ninth-best total in Division II

- Frederic Benedix is the Cobras' primary distributor with five assists, pacing the league, while adding two scores

- Carter Nunnery has been the main goalkeeper for Coker, saving eight shots while allowing four goals for a .667 save percentage in four complete games

Follow Along

The match will be available to watch on FloSports ($) with live stats located on CatawbaAthletics.com.