Dallas – The Centenary men's soccer team will face the University of Dallas Crusaders on Friday in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference match set for 7 p.m. at the University of Dallas soccer complex. 

The Gents (7-5, 2-3 SCAC) defeated the Louisiana College Wildcats, 6-3, on Monday evening in a non-conference match at Mayo Field. Centenary won for the seventh time in eight home matches this season and have now outscored the opposition by a 21-6 margin in those eight matches. The Crusaders enter Friday's action at 4-7-1 overall and 2-2-1 in SCAC play.

Centenary blanked Dallas, 1-0, back on Sept. 29 at Mayo Field before conference play began. Dallas and Centenary are currently neck and neck in the SCAC standings with the Crusaders just a half game ahead of the Gents making Friday's match a crucial one.

Sophomore Wil Escobar, a midfielder from Cypress, Texas, tied a program record for goals in a single game with three as he recorded a hat trick on Monday. Escobar, who leads Centenary in goals with nine, scored all three of his goals in the second half. He has four game-winning goals this season to lead the team and scored at least two goals in a match for the third time this season.

Escobar scored all four goals for the Gents in a pair of victories at home to open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play earlier this month against Johnson and Wales and Colorado College, recording two goals in each match.

Escobar, a SCAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honoree earlier this month following that four-goal weekend, currently ranks in the top five in the SCAC in goals, points, goals per game, points per game and game-winning goals. Freshman Andres Bautista (Houston, Texas) and Nick Garcia (Carrolton, Texas) have combined for nine goals and Bautista and teammate Greg Petreas (Denton, Texas) are tied for the team lead in assists with three.

Centenary wraps up the road trip with a match against Austin College on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Sherman, Texas. #GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity