PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's soccer squad concludes the home portion of the 2012 schedule this weekend, hosting city rivals Saint Joseph's and Temple. The match against the Hawks will count for the Soccer Six standings, in which an Explorer win means locking up a share of the city crown. Sunday is Senior Day, with a ceremony honoring the team's eight graduating student-athletes to be held at approximately 12:45 p.m.

Saint Joseph's Hawks (5-10-0, 1-5-0 Atlantic 10) @ La Salle Explorers (8-5-2, 2-3 Atlantic 10)
Friday, October 26, 2012 | 7 PM
Live Stats | Live Video | Twitter (@ExplorerGameDay | Sign Up For Text Alerts

Temple Owls (7-5-2, 3-1-1 Atlantic 10) @ La Salle Explorers (8-5-2, 2-3 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, October 28, 2012 | 1 PM
Live Stats | Live Video | Twitter (@ExplorerGameDay | Sign Up For Text Alerts

Scouting the Explorers

The Explorers look to bounce back from two tough losses last weekend, dropping 1-0 to Richmond before falling 2-1 to VCU. Jason Plumhoff netted the squad's lone goal last weekend.

The squad looks to pick up a share of the Soccer Six crown, as a win would put the Explorers in a first-place tie with Villanova in the city standings.

Junior goalkeeper John McCarthy will once again have the opportunity to break the school record for career shutouts this weekend, as he is tied atop the all-time list with Stash Graham with 21 career shutouts. The Explorers as a team are ranked 15th nationally with seven shutouts. McCarthy boasts a .857 save percentage, tied for fourth nationally. Only Marshall's Dan Withrow, North Carolina's Scott Goodwin and Akron's David Meves are ahead.

Plumhoff leads the squad with 13 points on five goals and three assists. Rookie Joe Farrell is on his heels with 12 points on four goals and a team-best four assists.

Scouting the Hawks

The Hawks have been struggling in league play, the lone win coming on Oct. 14 at Rhode Island when they outlasted the Rams 3-2 in overtime. However, they played 13th-ranked (Soccer America) Saint Louis strongly, allowing the Billikens just one goal in a 1-0 loss last Friday. They also dropped a 2-1 decision to Butler on Sunday.

Reigning Soccer Six Rookie of the Week Tim Lazorko leads the Hawks with 14 points on five goals and four assists. Alex Critzos also has 10 points on four goals and two assists.

Andrew D'Ottavi has seen the majority of time in goal with a 2.00 goals against average and .711 save percentage with two shutouts.

Scouting the Owls

La Salle and Temple will square off for the final time as Atlantic 10 opponents before the Owls head to the BIG EAST next season. The Owls were unbeaten through five A-10 games this season before tripping up at now-No. 13 Saint Louis 3-1 last Sunday.

Jared Martinelli leads Temple with 23 points on seven goals and nine assists. Two other Owls have double digit points, including Cody Calafiore (4 goals, 4 assists, 12 points) and Chas Wilson (5 goals, 1 assist, 11 points).

Bobby Rosato has handled the majority of the goalkeeping duties, with a 1.52 goals against average and .750 save percentage. Dan Scheck has seen action in five games for a total of 390 minutes.

Next Up

The Explorers round out the regular season with a trip to St. Bonaventure on Friday (11/2) at 3 p.m. and Duquesne on Sunday (11/4) at 1 p.m.