MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The Montevallo men's soccer team is set to close out the 2024 home slate with a pair of games against Union (10/25) and Christian Brothers (10/27).

Friday's contest against Union will serve as Senior Day and the annual Sea of Purple game. The Falcons will honor nine seniors, including Tomas Valles Gilbert, Alvaro Martin Lopez, Mark Shoebridge, Hugo Cakurda, Diogo Mazzoco, Branko Buljan Ivelich, Nick Morrow, Julius Rahmig, and Matt Sheahan an hour before game time.

So Far This Season…
Montevallo enters the contest with an overall record of 5-5-2 and a 3-4 mark in GSC play.

The Falcons opened the season with a 3-3 draw at Catawba and a 1-0 win over Belmont Abbey. UM returned home and defeated Carson-Newman 4-2, before drawing with Lander 1-1. Montevallo suffered its first loss of the season on Sept. 18, falling on the road to Anderson 5-1. Montevallo opened conference play with a pair of contests at home, defeating Trevecca Nazarene 3-0 and falling to Lee 3-0. Montevallo followed that up with wins over West Alabama (1-0) and Alabama Huntsville (3-1), before dropping a pair of road contests against West Florida (2-1) and Spring Hill (2-0).

Montevallo last saw action on Friday, Oct. 18, falling to No. 21 Auburn Montgomery 3-0.

As a team, Montevallo has scored 18 goals and fired 151 shots, with 69 being on goal. The Falcons have also recorded 16 assists, 71 saves, and 49 corner kicks. The Falcons lead the GSC in saves with 71.

Individually, Cristobal Porter leads the Falcons in goals (four), assists (six), points (14), shots (43), shots on goal (17), and game winners (two). Mark Shoebridge has also been solid for the Falcons scoring three goals and two assists. In goal, Tomas Valles Gilbert has tallied 67 saves, 22 goals against, and three shutouts. The Falcon goalkeeper leads the GSC in saves and saves per game (5.58), while tying for second in shutouts.

Scouting Union: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Union enters the matchup 6-6-1 overall and 1-5-1 in GSC play. The Bulldogs opened the season with a pair of wins in road contests against Harding and Ouachita Baptist. Union suffered its first loss against Missouri-St. Louis, before capturing a 1-0 win over Missouri S&T.

Union opened conference play with a 1-1 draw against Christian Brothers. The Bulldogs stepped out of conference play and earned a 10-0 victory over Champion Christian College. The Bulldogs dropped its next two GSC contests falling to Mississippi College (3-0) and Delta State (2-0). Union defeated Tougaloo 6-1 in its final non-conference contest. Union split the next week, falling to West Alabama 2-0 and defeating Alabama Huntsville 2-1. Last weekend, Union dropped a pair of home contests against Spring Hill (3-1) and West Florida (3-0).

Kenny Nitzsche, Cillian Heaney, and Ashanie Kennedy have each scored five goals for the Bulldogs, while Nitzsche also has a team leading five assists and 15 points. Three goalies have seen action in multiple games for Union with Tommy Scahill (4-3) leading the way with 29 saves, seven goals against, and three shutouts.

Series History Against Union:
The Falcons and Bulldogs have faced off every year since 2017, with Montevallo holding a 4-2 advantage in the series. The Falcons currently hold a three-game winning streak over Union which includes a UM 2-1-win last year on the road, and a 3-0 win for the Falcons the last time these two teams played in Montevallo.

Scouting Christian Brothers: WATCH | LIVE STATS
Christian Brothers holds an overall record of 6-3-3 and a 3-1-3 mark in GSC play. CBU opened the season defeating Ouachita Baptist and Harding, before falling to Florida Southern and Saint Leo. The Bucs opened conference play with a 1-1 draw at Union. CBU fell to Mississippi College 3-2 and drew with Delta State 1-1, before returning to the win column with a 7-1 win over Central Baptist College. CBU continued its winning ways with consecutive 3-0 wins in road contests against Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama. Last weekend, the Bucs drew with No. 12 West Florida (1-1) and defeated Spring Hill 1-0.

Russell Brown leads the Bucs with six goals, two assists, and 14 points in only three starts. In goal, Jakob Morales and Vicent Sanchis Olmedo have split most of the minutes, both playing in seven games. Sanchis Olmedo (4-0-2) has tallied 13 saves and four goals against, while Morales (1-3-1) has recorded ten saves and nine goals against.

Series History Against Christian Brothers:
The Falcons and the Bucs have a long series history dating back to 1996. In the 28-game series, Montevallo holds a 16-10-2 advantage. Montevallo held a five-game win streak in the series, before CBU picked up a 1-0-win last year at home. Montevallo earned a 1-0 victory the last time these two squads faced off in Montevallo, Ala.

Kickoff on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. CST at Varsity Field.