Furman (1-0-0) vs. Butler  (1-1-0) - Furman hosts Butler from the Horizon League in a first round match in the Furman Invitational Friday night.  -  Furman goes into the match with a 3-0 win over the Citadel while Butler goes into the match with a 3-0 loss to Clemson and a big 3-0 upset over highly ranked Rutgers.  Furman is ranked by College Soccer News as the number 10 team in the nation and Butler is not ranked. 

 

Forward Nick Pantazi and midfielder Michael Mariscalco give Butler a solid one-two punch that can create havoc for opposing teams.  Junior goalkeeper Grant Barrie anchors the Butler defense and his play is one of the keys to their success this year.  Furman always has a very good team and they have been king of the hill in the Southern Conference for several years now. 

 

Coach Doug Allison continues to bring top talent to Furman which should pay dividends in their quest to become a consistent force on the national level.  Sergei Radd, Scott Hoch, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Anthony Esquival and McNeil Cronin are among the many talented players that Allison has available.  One of the unanswered questions in this one is which Butler team will show up.  Will it be the one that was defeated 3-0 by Clemson or the one that thumped Rutgers.  If Furman is unable to contain and control the Butler attack they could be in for a surprise.  Furman was for the most part unable to win the big non-conference matches last year although they played everyone tough.  Furman plays a very aggressive non-conference schedule.  For the program to truly go to the next level they are going to have to find a way to win the big non-conference games.  A win over Butler Friday and a win over Creighton on Sunday would be a step in the right direction for the talented Paladins.   Eugene Stone Soccer Stadium in Greenville should be an exciting place to be this weekend as it is a great stadium to play in or to watch a college soccer match. 

 

American University (2-0-0) vs. the University of Connecticut (0-1-0) - The Eagles from the Patriot League and the Huskies out of the Big East Conference will tangle Friday September 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the annual Connecticut Soccer Classic in Storrs, Connecticut.  American won the D.C. College Cup over the Labor Day weekend convincingly defeating Howard 5-0 and Georgetown from the Big East Conference 4-0.  Connecticut is currently ranked as the number 9 team in the nation by College Soccer News.  This one is of particular interest due to the fact that Coach Ray Reid's Connecticut squad was upset last week by Seton Hall 3-2 after the Huskies had taken a 2-0 lead.  Not to many teams ever score three goals on Connecticut and few teams come back from two goals down to beat the Huskies.  Accordingly, practice was likely rather focused at Connecticut this week so look for Ray Reid's team to come out ready to play against American.  The Connecticut attack is lead by Cesar Cuellar, Damani Ralph and Anthony Curtis.  Freshman Adam Schuerman is between the pipes for the Huskies. 

 

American University sophomore forwards Andrew Herman and Peter Philipakos are talented and explosive. Goalkeeper Michael Behonick and defenders Larry McDonald and David Pryor anchor what appears to be a very strong American University backline.  If the Eagles can penetrate the Connecticut defense without becoming vulnerable to the counter attack they have a shot of pulling off the upset.  Connecticut is a very talented soccer team with the ability to beat anyone in the country if they play together as a team.  Look for a good crowd to be on hand to watch this one.    

 

Seton Hall (2-0-0) vs. Notre Dame (1-0-1) - Seton Hall travels to South Bend, Indiana for this crucial early season Big East Conference match.  College Soccer News ranks Seton Hall as the number 30 team in the country while the NSCAA poll rocketed them from an unranked status to the number 6 spot in the country after their big upset win over the University of Connecticut.  The Pirates also have a 5-0 win over Manhattan College.  College Soccer News ranks Notre Dame as the number 15 team in the country and the NSCAA poll ranks them 11th.  The Irish will go into the contest with Seton Hall with a win over Southwest Missouri State and a double overtime tie with Creighton.

 

Phil Swenda leads a balanced Seton Hall attack.  Erich Braun leads a very skilled Notre Dame offense.  Look for the play of the midfielders and the goalkeepers to be the deciding factor in this one. 

 

Santa Clara (1-0-0) vs. Washington (0-2-0) - Two of the nations traditionally strong top college soccer programs collide Friday night at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington.  The Broncos from Santa Clara under the direction of new head coach Cameron Rast enter the match with a 9-1 win over Notre Dame de Namur under their belts.  Washington under veteran head coach Dean Wurzberger enters having recorded a 2-2 tie with Central Florida and a 1-1 tie with DePaul.

 

Washington has a lot of new faces on the field as they are a very young team.  Look for them to struggle early on but to get stronger as the year progresses and they gel as a team.  Patrick Tanner, a transfer from Furman University  and midfielders C.J. Klaas and Seth Marsh are among the keys to the Washington attack.  Freshman Chris Eylander is the Washington netminder. 

 

Jamil Walker leads the Santa Clara attack while defender Ryan Cochrane and goalkeeper Steve Cronin anchor their defense. 

 

Whoever controls  the pace of this one should win the match.  Although they placed a lot of balls in the back of the net against Notre Dame de Namur, the going is going to be much rougher for the Santa Clara attack against Washington.  Solid team defense has been a Santa Clara strength in the past but their inability to score has been a weakness at times.  Rast has all the ingredients to be a very successful and effective college coach but whether or not his Bronco's have the horse power to win the big ones this year remains to be seen.  This should be a very physical and interesting soccer match with the outcome giving both coaches a lot of good information regarding their respective teams.   The season is just beginning so a win in this match would be a confidence builder and something that both teams could build upon.  All things considered,  Washington should prevail but Santa Clara might prove otherwise. 

 

Ohio State (2-0-0) vs. Loyola Marymount  (1-0-1) - These teams clash Friday night September 6 in a first round match in the Annual Nike/Goal Rush Classic in Fresno, California.  The Big Ten meets the West Coast Conference.  Andy Rosenband and Justin Cook are solid attackers for Ohio State.  Sophomore keeper Chad Brown looked good in his first 2 matches between the pipes for the Buckeyes.  Arturo Torres is a prime timer up top for Loyola Marymount while Andres Murriaqui more than holds his own in the midfield.  Ohio State coach John Bluem summed it up when he stated "We know very little about these teams so we will have to concentrate on our own performance and commitment to success."