#1 Rio Grande vs. #6 Lindsey Wilson -- KIAC Game of the Week

9/25/2015 12:00:00 AM

#6 Lindsey Wilson (9-1-0) at #1 Rio Grande (9-0-0) -- Sept. 26, 2015 at 7 p.m. ET (Rio Grande, Ohio)
Coverage: Live Video on Stretch Internet at portal.stretchinternet.com/rio / Follow Twitter @KIACSports #kiacgotw

NAIA No. 1-ranked Rio Grande (9-0) hosts No. 6-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (9-1) in men's soccer on Saturday, Sept. 26 in what has been selected as the "KIAC Game of the Week". Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Evan E. Davis Field. Live Video coverage courtesy of Rio Grande is available via Stretch Internet.

The marquee matchup features two of the most powerful teams in NAIA men's soccer and ones that are no strangers to the NAIA national rankings. This week, Rio Grande assumed the No. 1 spot in the NAIA Top 25 Poll for the 47th time in its history. Lindsey Wilson came in at No. 6 and extended its NAIA-best streak to 96 consecutive NAIA Top 25 rankings.

Both teams have been winning in dominant fashion as Rio Grande is outscoring its opponents, 39-5, and Lindsey Wilson is outscoring its opponents, 41-8, for the year. Lindsey Wilson leads the NAIA with 41 goals, and Rio Grande's 39 goals are third nationally. The RedStorm and Blue Raiders are tied for fourth in the country with five shutouts apiece.

Rio Grande and Lindsey Wilson have both shut out their last three opponents. In that span, Rio Grande has outscored the opposition, 10-0, and Lindsey Wilson, 20-0. The Blue Raiders are coming off a 14-0 win over Pikeville (Ky.) on Sept. 22. Rio Grande has recent wins of 4-0 over Point Park and Mt. Vernon Nazarene in its last two games.

Junior forward Willian Paulino leads Rio Grande with eight goals, four assists and 20 points. Senior forward Luiz Filho is next in scoring with five goals and 10 points. Freshman goalkeeper Benjamin Martinez is 9-0 and has a .540 goals-against average.

For Lindsey Wilson, junior midfielder Aleksi Pahkasalo is having an incredible season with 16 goals, seven assists and 39 points in 10 games. He currently leads the NAIA in points. Franco Roman is in with eight goals, three assists and 19 points. Goalkeeper Yuta Nomura has given up eight goals for a .790 goals-against average.

Follow the KIAC Game of the Week on KIACSports.com and on Twitter @KIACSports hashtag #KIACgotw. Click the Live Video link above for game coverage courtesy of Rio Grande athletics.

About the KIAC Game of the Week:

Each week during the fall sports season, the KIAC will feature a marquee matchup in one of three sports -- volleyball, men's soccer or women's soccer. The KIAC Game of the Week will rotate among those three sports and put the conference schools, teams, student-athletes and campuses in the spotlight. Follow the KIACsports.com website for each week's announcement of the KIAC Game of the Week. The game of the week will be featured on the KIAC website with a recap and have any live video or live stats highlighted to increase viewership.