ROCK HILL, SC— After 17 days of two a day training, preseason lifting sessions and a couple of exhibition matches, the Winthrop men's soccer team is ready for the 2010 regular season to begin.
The season opens up this weekend with two home games starting on Friday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. against Brevard College. The Eagles will take a day off and then face Mercer on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The fans are surely as eager as the players to see the game that count finally here. The Eagles will step on the field with one of the youngest teams in the country having lost six starters from a season ago. However, the game is also the first step in defending their Big South Conference title.
Teams can play all the exhibition games they want, but you only get so much out of them as a fan. This weekend fans will be able to see the players for the first time in a meaningful game. There are going to be a lot of unfamiliar faces as the team consist of 20 underclassmen.
Brevard College is an NCAA Division II institution out of Brevard, NC. The Tornados are coming of a 1-18 season and did face off against the Eagles in 2009. Winthrop won the game 4-1. The season before, Winthrop and Brevard went to overtime with Said Abdi ending the game in the 108th minute.
The Tornados will have one game under their belt as they head to play Erskine Thursday night. Brevard has a few new faces on the squad, including a new goalkeeper. Winthrop will see either Thomas Kombol saw action in three games last year and newcomer Chris Landvik-Larsen. Brevard has six starters back, including all four backs.
The Mercer Bears return nine of 11 starters after a 7-11-2 season and just like Winthrop, will be playing in its second game of the season on Sunday. Mercer opens up at Gardner-Webb at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Senior Ian Cameron, a 5-10 midfielder out of Glasgow, Scotland and sophomore Richie Edmondson, from Montego Bay, Jamaica, are the top returning starters for Mercer. Cameron netted seven goals and had four assists while Edmondson was second on the team in points with two goals and four assists. The Bears, like Winthrop, depended on a freshman in net in 2009. Brett Petricek started all 19 games in which he played and had a 1.29 goals against average.
The Bears are still in the midst of a coaching change as third-year head coach Brad Ruzzo took his team from a 2-11-5 record in 2008 to last year with seven wins (which ended with a loss in the Atlantic Sun Championship Game). This is a team that is likely to win 10 or more games in 2010.
Here is a list of Winthrop players to keep an eye on over the weekend.
#1, Tom Banfield, Freshman, goalkeeper (should see first collegiate action)
Media Information:
Fans and media can follow both games via live stats by clicking on the link below:
Friday's game will not be video streamed, but the home game against Mercer on Sunday will be available to watch live. Just click on the link below to get started.
