The Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team heads into a crucial weekend of Northeast Conference play as the squad plays its final two home matches of the season.  The Knights will take on Bryant Friday night at University Stadium in Teaneck, NJ at 7:00 p.m. before hosting Central Connecticut State on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.

Last Friday night, the Knights (8-3-3, 4-1-2 NEC) let a late 1-0 lead slip away in the final minute at St. Francis NY and ended up earning one point with a 1-1 tie.  Junior Jack McVey (Douglas, Isle of Man/St. Ninian’s ) scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season, while sophomore Jacob Lissek (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Rock Canyon) made a career-best nine saves for the third time this season.

FDU is currently tied for third place in the Northeast Conference standings with Sacred Heart as both teams have accumulated 14 points.  The Knights trail first-place Monmouth and CCSU as both squads have 15 points.  The Knights stayed at No. 3 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) North Atlantic Region poll.

Lissek has been solid all season long between the pipes for FDU.  He has only allowed 12 goals (0.80 goals against) in 1346 minutes of action, while making 69 saves (.852 save percentage) and recording three shutouts en route to a record of 8-3-3 on the season.  His save percentage is 13^th best in the nation, while he ranks in the top 30 in the other two categories.  Lissek ranks second in the NEC in all three categories

McVey leads the squad in goals with five and in points with 13 which is tied for fourth best in the NEC. Four of the goals have been game winners this season.  He also has three assists to tie for the team lead with sophomore Jonathan Gonzalez (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) who also has two goals.  Freshman Miguel Escobar has scored three goals to help pace the Knights' offense.

Bryant (2-11-1, 1-7-0 NEC) comes into Friday's match after splitting at Robert Morris (1-0 W) and Saint Francis PA (L 3-0) last weekend.  The Bulldogs snapped a six-match losing streak against the Colonials.  Their only other win of the season came at Manhattan last month (1-0), a team the Knights also beat in September, 2-1.

The Bulldogs are led by senior Nicholas Parisi.  He leads the team with five goals, two assists and 12 points.  Sophomore George Spanos has gone 2-10-1 in the net for Bryant.  He has allowed 26 goals in 1156 minutes this season (2.03 goals against) and has made 57 saves (.687 save percentage).

FDU has won both matches in the young series which started in 2009 when Bryant joined the conference.  The Knights won last season at Bryant, 2-1.

CCSU (8-7-0, 5-2-0 NEC) sits in a first-place tie with Monmouth at the top of the NEC standings.  The Blue Devils host Quinnipiac on Friday before taking on the Knights Sunday.

The Blue Devils have had an up-and-down season as they started out with two losses before winning three in a row.  CCSU then lost four straight before rattling off five-straight wins.  However, the Blue Devils saw their win streak come to an end last Sunday at Sacred Heart, 2-0.

CCSU is led by sophomore Eddy Bogle who has four goals.  Junior Reece Wilson has added three goals and two assists, while fellow classmate Jesse Menzles has registered seven assists which is tied for the most in the NEC.  He also leads the team with nine points.  Sophomore Anthony Occhialini has gone 8-5-0 in goal, while allowing 14 goals (1.05 goals against) in 1203 minutes.  He has made 52 saves (.788 save percentage).

FDU leads the all-time series, 11-3-3, which dates back to 1989.  The Knights have won two straight in the series including a 1-0 road victory last season.  The Blue Devils last won in the series in 2003 (1-0).

After this weekend, the Knights will conclude their regular season at Long Island on Saturday, Nov. 5.  Kick-off in Brooklyn, NY is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.