*Story by Alex Trevino
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's soccer team travels to Muskingum University to take on the Fighting Muskies Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Wilmington can clinch a postseason berth with a win on Wednesday night.
The Teams: Wilmington and Muskingum. Wilmington (8-5-3, 3-2-2) scored two goals in the second half to draw with Mount Union on Saturday. Muskingum (2-12-0, 1-6-0) has been held scoreless in six consecutive matches.
The Coaches: Wilmington is led by first-year Head Coach Cory Bucur, who came to WC from Defiance College. Bucur led the Yellow Jackets to their best season in over a decade in the fall of 2021 as DC went 11-11-1, upset Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament before coming a penalty shootout victory away from appearing in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. John Bluem is the most accomplished men's soccer coach in Ohio State history and will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. In 21 seasons in Columbus, Bluem guided the Buckeyes to 206 wins en route to winning five Big Ten Championships and being named The Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year four times. Ohio State appeared in the NCAA Tournament 10 times during his tenure and advanced to the College Cup finals in 2007.
The Players: Yusef Muqtadir, Gio Alvarez and Casey Miller have scored two goals apiece in Ohio Athletic Conference play. Jeffry Vasquez and Grant Murray have each contributed two assists in conference play. Muskingum Senior Edwin Palou and Juniors Morgan Mckenna and Mahfuz Yakubu have scored 2 goals apiece this season.
Regional Rankings: Wilmington checks in at No. 8 in this week's United Soccer Coaches Region VII regional rankings.
Series History: Wilmington is 9-1-0 in the previous 10 matches against Muskingum. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: Wilmington will face Heidelberg on the road in the final regular season match of the year. First touch is st for 1:00 p.m.