#DixieMSOC Week 4 Game Notes

DIXIE STATE STORYLINES

Open the Pac(West) at home: Dixie State, after a winless three-match stint away from home, turns its attention to league opponents for the rest on the year. First on the schedule is a match at Hansen Stadium against the Lancers of California Baptist. The game will kickoff at 10 a.m. with broadcast coverage on SouthernUtahLive.com and live stats on DixieAthletics.com.

Preseason ranks: Coming off a two-win season, Dixie State was selected to finish 12th in the PacWest Preseason coaches poll. Neither team playing this week is ranked in the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division II Men's National Poll.

Scouting the Lancers: California Baptist enters Saturday's match with a record on 1-4-1 after being shutout twice in non-league action last weekend. The Lancers lost 3-0 on the road at UC San Diego on Sept. 18, conceding their highest goal total to an opponent this season. They followed with a home loss to Cal Poly Pomona, 2-0. CBU has scored six goals this season, led by freshman Aiden Apodaca with two. Away from Riverside, the Lancers are searching for their first win (0-4).

One goal not enough: Since a scoreless draw to open the year against Cal Poly Pomona, the Storm have been able to post one goal in each of the following three matches. The win tally remains at zero nonetheless since DSU has surrendered nine goals in those matches. Michael Gray (Las Vegas, NV/Bishop Gorman) tallied an early goal against UCSD in a late 2-1 loss, Sean Jenne (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) netted an unassisted goal in the Storm's 5-1 road loss to San Bernardino, and Jorge Echavarria (Las Vegas, NV/Sierra Vista) scored on a header before DSU dropped a 3-1 neutral site match to Northwest Nazarene.

Looking ahead: The Hawaiian Islands await the Storm after Saturday's match with CBU. Dixie State will play four matches over the span of eight days beginning on the North Shore of Oahu against BYU-Hawaii and ending on the Big Island to battle UH Hilo.

Ortiz at the helm: Danny Ortiz (Las Vegas, NV/Cimarron) is in year seven as head coach. He is 34-64-10 in his tenure at Dixie State since the program's reinstatement in 2008. Ortiz also leads as Director of the Southern Utah Soccer Association and continues to work with Utah Youth Soccer Association on the State Coaching Education staff and as the Southern Utah Olympic Development Program Director.