THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University men's soccer team will go for its fifth consecutive victory and its seventh in the last eight matches on Oct. 15 versus Ave Maria.  The match will be one of three straight TSC matches to be played in Thomasville to conclude the 2015 regular season.
 
The Night Hawks have been on fire of late, but have not posted the goal differential one would expect from an 11-2 side.  During the team's current four-match winning streak, Thomas has outscored opponents 13-8.  Three of those victories came by a single goal.
 
Still, there is nothing wrong with displaying the ability to win close matches, something the Night Hawks have shown a knack for this season.  Ricky Zambrano's side is currently 8-2 in matches decided by a single goal.
 
To go along with his team's rock solid form, senior midfielder Lyle Gifford is playing his best soccer of the season, and was rewarded with Sun Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
Gifford is currently second on the team with six goals, two behind Severin Abt's eight, but leads the team in points thanks to seven assists.
 
Thursday afternoon's opponent, Ave Maria, currently resides in the cellar of the Sun Conference, having lost all four of its conference matches.
 
Ave Maria landed former Canadian professional player Antonio Soave in the offseason, however, giving the Gyrenes an experienced head man with the capability to turn the program around.  While Soave certainly hasn't had enough time to make his full impact on the team, his side has been noticeably more competitive since he took over the reins.
 
Ave Maria has lost five matches by just a single goal, suggesting that the Gyrenes are close to earning points on a consistent basis.  Soave's side is led by Fabrizio Bucco, whose six goals lead the team by a relatively wide margin.  The Gyrenes scoring, however, has been evenly distributed, as five different players have two or more goals.
 
While Ave Maria is undoubtedly making strides towards competitiveness, the Night Hawks will certainly be expected to dispatch of the Gyrenes with relative ease.
 
Albeit by slim margins, Ricky Zambrano's side averages more goals and assists per game than Ave Maria.  The Night Hawks also average more attempts and shots on goal.
 
Thursday afternoon's match presents the Night Hawks with an opportunity to tighten its grip on the top spot in the conference standings.  First touch is scheduled for 2:00.
 
For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU men's soccer team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMSocc.