No. 16 Oregon State Set For Bay Area Swing
October 07, 2015 | Men's Soccer
The Match: The No. 16/21 Oregon State men's soccer team will face a pair of tough road tests this week, as it heads down to Northern California for matchups with California and No. 3/3 Stanford. The Beavers will take on the Golden Bears Friday at 3:30 p.m., before facing the Cardinal Sunday at 1 p.m.
Follow Along: Both of this weekend's matches will be carried live on Pac-12 Networks, airing on Pac-12 National, Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Bay Area. Rich Cellini and Kelly Gray will have the call on Friday, and JB Long and Chris Sullivan will be on the call Sunday. You can find live stats for both of this weekend's matches on the men's soccer schedule page of OSUBeavers.com. For all things Oregon State men' soccer, follow @OSUBeavers_MSOC on Twitter.
The Series: California leads the all-time series with Oregon State 11-27-3, but the Beavers swept both matchups last year. OSU opened their 2014 matchups vs. Cal with a 6-2 win that saw Khiry Shelton and Timmy Mueller both notch hat-tricks. That contest was followed by a barn-burner in Berkeley, when Cal tied the match at three in the 88th minute, before Mueller scored with 10 second to play to give the Beavers the victory.
Oregon State will be looking to snap a five-match losing streak to Stanford this weekend. The Beavers last earned a point against the Cardinal in 2012 and last beat Stanford in 2011. OSU's last win at Cagan Stadium came in 2005.
National Rankings: Oregon State moved back up the rankings this week, after opening Pac-12 play with a pair of victories. OSU comes in at No. 16 in the NSCAA Coaches' poll, No. 21 in the Top Drawer Soccer rankings and No. 17 in the Soccer America poll. The Beavers have been ranked as high as No. 6 this season by TDS, and No. 8 by the coaches.
The Goal Bros: Sophomore forwards Timmy Mueller and Jordan Jones have proven to be a force up front early in their careers. The duo has combined to score 10 of Oregon State's 12 goals this season, including five game-winners. Mueller scored in double-overtime on Friday to lift the Beavers to a 1-0 win over UCLA.
Breaking the Streak: Oregon State's 1-0 win over UCLA on Friday was the Beavers' first over the Bruins since 2005.
Atop the League: With back-to-back wins to open conference play, the Beavers are currently in first place in the Pac-12 Conference. This week marks the first time Oregon State has been atop the conference standings since it started the 2005 season with three-straight league wins.
Defensive Specialists: Oregon State has allowed just seven goals in 10 matches this year, while holding six shutouts. The Beaver centerback pairing of Sam Tweeton and Jalen Markey has been dominant throughout the year, with the duo starting all eight matches together. Sophomore goalkeeper Nolan Wirth has tallied three clean sheets after being named to the Pac-12 Preseason Team.
Big Time Timmy: Sophomore Timmy Mueller is already moving close to putting his name in the Oregon State history book. The Post Falls, Idaho, native has 17 career goals already, placing him just one short of the Beavers' career top-10. Mueller set the Oregon State record for goals as a freshman with 11 last year.
Making His Markey: Redshirt-sophomore centerback Jalen Markey earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this week, after helping anchor an Oregon State back-line that recorded a pair of clean-sheets. The Seattle, Wash. native played all 191 minutes in the two matches to help the Beavers start conference play 2-0.
Best in Class: Strong academic performance has been an important part of the Oregon State men's soccer team. The Beaver squad features four players the recorded a GPA over 3.5 during spring quarter, including Graham Smith and Timmy Mueller with GPA's over 3.9.
Smith, a pre-business major, will look to maintain his stellar overall GPA of 3.96 this fall, when he takes four classes that all relate to economics. On Smith's slate this year will be: Financial Accounting, Legal Environment of Business, Business Process Management and Intro to Microeconomics. Mueller, also a pre-business major, will join Smith in Intro to Microeconomics.
Making a Difference: The Beavers have made a point to make an impact on the Corvallis community. The Oregon State squad volunteered at the CARDV Run in Corvallis on Mothers' Day, with the whole squad in attendance. CARDV, which stands for Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence, helps provide services and support to those affected by sexual or domestic violence, while providing education and leadership within the community to change the societal conditions that cultivate these forms of violence.
Beavers in the Pros: Oregon State has produced a number of outstanding professional players in recent seasons. Danny Mwanga was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLS Draft, before Khiry Shelton was selected second overall this year. Here is a list of current Beavers in the pros:
- Khiry Shelton - New York City FC
- Alan Gordon - LA Galaxy
- Robbie Findley - Toronto FC
- Danny Mwanga - Orlando City SC
- Will Seymore - Whitecaps FC 2 (USL Pro)
- Emery Welshman - Real Monarchs SC (USL Pro)
- Ryan Johnson - Seoul E-Land FC (K League Challenge - South Korea)
