Beavers Head to Southern California For Key Games
November 03, 2015 | Men's Soccer
The Match: The Oregon State men's soccer team (7-7-1, 2-4-1 Pac-12) returns to the road this week for the final time in the regular season, as it heads to Southern California for a pair of pivotal Pac-12 Conference matches. The Beavers will open the weekend with a road contest at No. 19 UCLA (8-7-1, 3-3-1) at 2 p.m. on Friday, and will follow that up by taking on San Diego State (7-7-2, 1-6-0) at noon on Sunday.
Follow Along: You can find live stats for both of this week'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: UCLA leads the all-time series with Oregon State, holding a record of 28-5-3 in the matchup, which dates back to 1993. The Beavers posted a draw in Los Angeles in 2013, but have never beaten the Bruins in Southern California.
Oregon State holds the edge in its series with San Diego State by a count of 12-10-2. The Beavers have won the last two matchups between the two sides, but OSU has not won in San DIego since 2012.
Last Time vs. UCLA: Oregon State notched a historic win over the Bruins back on Oct. 2, when Timmy Mueller found the net in double-overtime to give the Beavers a 1-0 victory at Paul Lorenz Field. The victory over UCLA was Oregon State's first since 2005.
Last Time vs. San Diego State: The Beavers followed up their win over UCLA by topping San Diego State just two days later. Senior Jaime Velasco came of the bench of find the net for the Beavers, scoring the first goal of his Oregon State career in the 47th minutes.
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 12 of Oregon State's 15 goals this season, including five game-winners. Jones found the net for the Beavers against Cal on Sunday, scoring on a feed from Mueller.
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.
Fresh Faces: Oregon State has received some vital contributions from its freshman class this season. Hassani Dotson has carried the flag for the group, starting 12 matches, both at right-back and in the center of the midfield. Don Tchilao and CJ Brill have each made five starts apiece, while John Chambers has made the starting XI for three contests. Nathan Braaten has made one start this season.
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, helprovide 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)
