SAN DIEGO – No. 18 San Diego men's soccer, after a two-match road trip, returns home for a conference matchup against Gonzaga on Sunday at 7 p.m. inside Torero Stadium.
 
Nationally-ranked for the fourth week in a row, the Toreros (10-2-1, 1-1 WCC) enter the WCC game against the Zags (2-8-1, 1-1 WCC) coming off a split week on the road. USD earned a 4-1 win at UCLA last Thursday before falling 3-0 in a crucial conference tilt against then-No. 9 Saint Mary's on Sunday. Despite the loss to the Gaels, the Toreros have only lost once in their last seven games.
 
Gonzaga won its last game, a 2-1 decision at home vs. San Francisco, but has dropped two and tied one over the course of its last four contests.
 
Here is this week's Starting XI preview:
 
I - GAME INFO
vs. Gonzaga (2-8-1, 1-1 WCC)
Saturday, October 26 | 7 p.m.
Torero Stadium
 
II - HOW TO WATCH
WCC Network
 
III - HOW TO FOLLOW
Live Stats
 
IV - SERIES HISTORY VS. GONZAGA
USD leads the all-time series against Gonzaga, 28-7-2, and has won the last two meetings and eight of the last 10 (8-1-1). The last time the two sides met in San Diego was on October 15, 2017 when the Toreros topped the Zags, 2-1. USD has won 10 straight against Gonzaga at home.
 
V – NATIONALLY RANKED
Despite the loss at No. 9 Saint Mary's, San Diego remained ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 as it was slotted in at No. 18. It is the fourth straight week the Toreros have been ranked in the national poll, but it was down two spots from last week. In other national polls, USD was ranked No. 19 in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 and No. 20 in the College Soccer News Top 30. It is the first time since 2002 the Toreros have been ranked in four or more consecutive weeks.
 
VI – GETTING OFFENSIVE
Although it was shut out for the first time this season in its last match, USD is still among the conference's best in goal-scoring this season. The Toreros have 28 goals, which is second most among WCC teams, 24th in the country, and their most in a season since 2015 (33). Their average of 2.15 goals per game is 21st in the nation.
 
VII – DISTRIBUTION OF OFFENSE
Eight different Toreros have combined for the 28 goals, led by Miguel Berry's 12. While Berry has accounted for 43% of the goals, USD has six different players with more than one goal (including Berry). The last time the Toreros had six different multi-goal scorers was 2015 when they had nine.
 
VIII – BERRY'S GOALS
Miguel Berry and his dozen goals are not only a career-high but also the most by a Torero since 2010 when Patrick Wallen also had 12. Berry entered the week sixth in the country in total goals and goals per game (0.92). Both those marks are also tops in the WCC. He has five goals in the last four games, including two in WCC play.
 
Berry also enters the weekend as one of only four Toreros in school history with 30+ career goals. He sits third on the all-time list with 33.
 
CAREER GOALS – USD HISTORY
1. Guillermo Jara (1992-95) – 51
2. Ryan Coiner (1999-02) – 49
3. Miguel Berry (2016-current) – 33
 
IX – BERRY'S POINTS
The goals by Berry are only part of his offensive output as he also has a career-high 31 points, the most by a WCC player since 2012 when Santa Clara's Erik Hurtado had 37 and Portland's Steven Evans had 31. Helping fuel his point total, Berry's seven assists are tied for the second-highest total over the last 15 Torero seasons.
 
X – KEEPIN' IT OUT
Goalkeeper Matt Wiher enters the week with a 0.827 goals against average, which is second-best in the WCC and 23rd in the country. Currently, it would rank as the fifth-best clip in USD single-season history, besting his 0.85 from last season.
 
XI – UP NEXT
The Toreros continue WCC play at home when they host LMU on Wednesday, October 30 at 7 p.m.