WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg College men's soccer team will face American Rivers Conference rival Luther College this Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
 
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The Series
The two programs have faced one another a total of 41 times in their histories, with Luther holding the series advantage over the Knights with 23 wins, 17 losses and one tie. The Norse have won the last two matchups, with the last one occurring one year ago to date on Oct. 13, 2017, where the Norse defeated the Knights 2-1 at Luther's home field. The Knights last victory over the Norse was on Oct. 5, 2016, where the Knights took down then-nationally ranked No. 9 Luther College 1-0 in overtime.
 
Wartburg
The Knights (8-5 overall, 4-1 A-R-C) are currently stand second overall in the A-R-C, trailing Loras College (9-1, 4-0) and ahead of Luther (10-3, 3-1) by two spots. Wartburg is currently in the midst of a three-game win streak, as it defeated the University of Dubuque, Nebraska Wesleyan and most recently Buena Vista University.
 
Wartburg is led in scoring by senior forward Ben Johnson (Marion) with seven goals this season. Trailing Johnson in goals is fellow senior forward Ayo Adebayo (Rochester, Minn.) with six, senior midfielder Daniel Luzindya (Cedar Rapids) and sophomore forward Jack Palen (Norwalk) with five apiece. As a team, the Knights are outscoring their opponents 28-13, including a whopping 17-5 in the first period of their matches. Wartburg's 28 goals on the season are good for fourth place amongst A-R-C teams, trailing the first-place Luther College Norse who lead the league with 32.
 
Wartburg goalkeeper Paul Koebke Barsic (Madison, Wis.) is in charge of keeping opposing teams out of the goal, which he has done exceptionally well thus far. To date, Koebke Barsic has allowed just six goals in 780 minutes of play, good for less than one goal a game (0.69 GA). In his nine appearances this season, Koebke Barsic has led the Knights to eight wins while compiling 39 saves and five shutouts.
 
Single Season Record Watch
Koebke Barsic's five shutouts this season rank tied for eighth all-time in a single season with former Knights goalie Austin Boyke. First place in single season shutouts is held by Matt Shepard, who recorded eight over the course of the 2006 season. In addition to his shutout mark, Koebke Barsic's 0.69 goal average per game is currently ranked ninth all-time in a single season.
 
Luther College
The Norse are led in scoring by Ben Keller with seven goals, followed by Brunno Colon and Tristan Davenport with five goals each. Keller leads the team in total points with 17. As a team, the Norse have allowed just 12 goals this season, good for second overall in the A-R-C. The Norse have been successful in their matches on the road, as they boast a 5-2 record away from home. The Norse are coached by Chris Garcia-Prats, who has held the title of head coach 11 years. In his 11 years at Luther, he has led the Norse to a 128-65-22 record with three American Rivers Conference championships.
 
National Stat Rankings
Wartburg ranks in the top 100 of ten statistical categories, which the NCAA released Monday.
 
The Knights rank 33^rd in corner kicks per game (6.54), 38^th in shots on goal per game (8.77), 55^th in shot accuracy (.523), 65^th in total goals (28), 69^th in total points (75), 79^th in shots per game (16.77), 80^th in shutout percentage (.462), 90^th in save percentage (.809), 91^st in total assists (19), and 100^th in scoring offense (2.15).
 
Individually, five Knights rank in the top 100 of eight statistical categories: Luzindya ranks 33^rd in game-winning goals (3), 37^th in total assists (6), 45^th in shot accuracy (.63), and 81^st in assists per game (.46);  Koebke Barsic ranks 31^st in save percentage (.867), 32^nd in shutouts (5), and 57^th in goals against average (.692);  Adebayo ranks 91^st in shot accuracy (.588); Johnson ranks 100^th in total goals (7); and Palen ranks 72^nd in shot accuracy (.6).