PREVIEW: Men's Soccer gears up for last home match against Mars Hill

SALISBURY, N.C. – Riding a three-match win streak at Frock Field, the Catawba College men's soccer team plays its final home contest of the regular season on Saturday against Mars Hill at 5 p.m.

Trojan Takedown

- Catawba's 7-1 victory over first-year program Virginia State marked the highest offensive output from the team since Sep. 7, 2022

- Bautista Vecchi-Ramello and Mate Kenyeres each recorded a brace in one half of action as Vecchi-Ramello scored twice in the first period while Kenyeres accomplished the feat in the second

- For the first time as Catawba Indians, Tomas Kelly and Richard Leon found the back of the net; Tino Lira rounded out the scoring with his second career dart

- Six different players were credited with assists including Kenny Hassler whose three dimes leads the team

Regionally Ranked

- For the first week this season, Catawba is ranked No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches Southeast Region poll

- Mars Hill also checked into the list at No. 6 while Lenoir-Rhyne sits at the seventh spot; Catawba faces both programs in its final three-match stretch

No. 1 in Corner Kicks

- With a combined 32 corner opportunities in the last two games, Catawba is the top-ranked team in the nation at 8.08 corner kicks per game

- The squad totaled 18 boots in the blanking of Emory & Henry on Saturday, the highest single-game value in available history

- 14 against Virginia State marked the fourth match with double-figure corners, joining the USC Aiken (14) and Mount Olive (13) matches earlier in the year

All-Time Series

- The Catawba Indians have the all-time advantage over Mars Hill at 32-16-1

- The blue and white are just as successful on the road, boasting a 15-7 record at MHU although the ledger sits at 4-4 in the last eight matchups

Scouting the Lions

- Mars Hill enters with a robust 7-2-2 overall record including a 4-2-1 conference log

- Like Catawba, MHU has gone 3-0-1 in the previous four tilts with victories over Carson-Newman, Lenoir-Rhyne, and Emory & Henry as well as a draw against Lincoln Memorial

- Peter Plougmand is the national leader in goals per game (1.45) and shots per game (3.45) while being a three-time SAC Offensive Player of the Week with 16 goals and six assists

- Adrian Faus has also put up strong numbers on the attacking end, netting five scores with six helpers

- In goal, sophomore Logan Cassel has been the Lions' top choice as of late with a 1.29 goals-against average and a .741 save percentage

Follow Along

The match will be broadcast on FloSports ($) with live stats on CatawbaAthletics.com.