NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion men’s soccer opens it season with six consecutive games beginning on Friday, August 26, at 7 p.m. against UNLV at the ODU Soccer Complex. The Monarchs play again on Sunday, August 28, at 7 p.m. against the Hatters of Stetson for their first “Sunday Dog Days” of the 2016 season.
Both games will be streamed live on C-USA TV, a new web-streaming outlet provided by Conference USA. Fans will be able to get a sneak peek of CUSA TV, as 22 events will be streamed for FREE this weekend, Aug. 26-28. Live stats will also available for both matches provided in the links below.
VIDEO: UNLV vs. ODU // Stetson vs. ODU
STATS: UNLV vs. ODU // Stetson vs. ODU
Old Dominion
Old Dominion has a slew of new faces this season with 10 freshman, two redshirt-freshmen and only 13 players returning with collegiate playing experience. A five-man senior class leads the team into the 2016 season.
Senior Alex Tiesenhausen was named to the All-Conference USA preseason team as voted on by conference coaches. Senior Jesse Miralrio and junior Niko Klosterhalfen return as the leading scorers from 2015. Klosterhalfen also returns as the leader in assists and is the reigning C-USA Freshman of the Year.
Six goals were scored by the Monarchs through two exhibition matches. Doni Pollock, Melbourne, Australia, led with two goals while Miralrio, Klosterhalfen, Sebastien Hauret and Stefano Barahona each hit the back of the net.
The Monarchs finished the 2015 season 8-5-3 overall and 3-3-2 against C-USA opponents. ODU was picked by coaches in the conference to finish sixth in the preseason standings this season.
UNLV – (4th encounter against ODU / 0-2-1)
Similar to Old Dominion, UNLV adds a large freshman class to the 2016 roster. Sixteen new faces will join the 12 returners in hopes of climbing to the top of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) standings.
Leading the Rebels into the new season is returning All-American Danny Musovski, a junior forward with a slew of awards to his name. Musovski is the reigning 2015 WAC Offensive Player of the year and garnered preseason accolades in 2016. Richard Garness also earned preseason all-conference praises. The senior goalkeeper from Las Vegas posted four shutouts and held a GAA of 1.22 in 2015.
The Rebels tied for third in the WAC to close out the 2015 season and just missed the NCAA Tournament. UNLV went 12-7-1 over the course of the season and collected a 5-4-1 record against conference foes.
Stetson – (1st encounter against ODU / 0-0-0)
Stetson is a veteran team that was plagued by injuries last season resulting in a 5-9-2 overall record. The Hatters did pick up a pair wins at the beginning of the season defeating Georgia Southern and UAB but were held to just three wins the remainder of the year.
Players expecting to return to the pitch this season for Stetson are juniors Jared Huber and Bernardo Carabelli. The pair played limited time last season due to injuries that cut their playing time short.
The Hatters finished last in the Atlantic Sun Conference last season with a 0-4-1 record in conference play. In the preseason coaches polls they were picked to finish sixth just ahead of USC Upstate.
UP NEXT
Old Dominion hosts Loyola of Maryland next on Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at the ODU Soccer Complex, following its opening weekend. For all things ODU Men’s Soccer make sure you follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A GREAT DEAL - VOUCHER BOOKS
Now available are the 2016 ODU Soccer voucher books for $25. With each voucher book fans receive 20 ticket vouchers that can be redeemed at any home men’s or women’s soccer match throughout the 2016 season. The vouchers can be redeemed in any quantity and represent a 75% savings over purchasing general admission tickets at the gate. Also included for the first 200 purchasers is an official ODU soccer scarf. Voucher books may be purchased at this time by CLICKING HERE or by calling the ODU Ticket Office at 757-683-7087.