Men’s Soccer Set for the 2018 Season-Opener

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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall men's soccer team is ready to kickoff the exciting 2018 season with a match against the Duquesne Dukes, Friday at 7 p.m., from Hoops Family Field.

Fans who cannot attend the match can tune in through HerdVision on C-USAtv as Jake Griffith will have the call.

"I'm excited," Herd second-year head coach Chris Grassie said. "It's the most wonderful time of the year! We've had an excellent preseason, and we are definitely much further ahead than where we were at this time last year."

The Thundering Herd is coming off an 8-10-2 season in 2017 while the Dukes finished 3-13-1. Marshall and Duquesne met on Aug. 31 of last season with the Herd coming away with a 3-1 win. The Herd entered the 2017 Conference USA tournament as the No. 6 seed after missing out on the tourney in 2016. Marshall then defeated No. 3 seed Kentucky in the quarterfinals to move on to the semifinals. The Herd then lost to eventual C-USA champs Old Dominion, 1-0.

Marshall returns just ten players from last season's squad and welcomes in 16 newcomers. Returning for the 2018 season are Ben Martinez, Chris Taibi, Carlos Diaz-Salcedo, Pedro Dolabella, Jamil Roberts, Collin Mocyunas, John Pappas, Zakary Elegamy, Illal Osmanu and Kyle Winquist.

"Our number one priority this preseason was for the guys to gel with each other, and we've achieved that," coach Grassie said. "Everyone has stayed positive with each other and we've formed the foundation for a really tight group. We know that we have the talent, and that we have competition for every position on the pitch, so our team culture will be the defining factor this season."

The newcomers bring a mix of experience as well as athleticism to the Herd. Wearing the Green and White for the first time this season are Paulo Pita, Milo Yosef, Jonas Westmeyer, Kelan Swales, Vinicius Fernandes, Gianni Bouzoukis, Zach Higgins, Joe Morris, Tanner Kidwell, Justin Jun, Ryan Sirk, Charly Borges, Daniel Cannon, JP Rylah, Jan-Erik Leinhos and Bryce Notardonato.

"Duquesne is a tough first test, as we know they'll be prepared," coach Grassie stated. "With it being our first match, we don't know much about them which has made the focus all about what we do well."

The Dukes played a tough exhibition schedule with matches against Pittsburgh and Bowling Green. Duquesne featured a trio with three goals each last season to lead the team, but only junior Zach Hall returns. Both Robbie McKelvey and Scott Rissler return in goal this year. McKelvey was the main starter in 2017 with 15 starts, 66 saves and 22 goals allowed. Rissler started two contests and played in four. He allowed 12 goals and made 10 saves.

The match is part of a doubleheader of Marshall soccer action. The women's team takes on UT-Martin at 4 p.m., before the men take the field at 7 p.m.

"It should be a great way to start the season, and we will play an exciting attacking style of soccer," coach Grassie said. "We can't wait!"

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

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Players Mentioned

Charly Borges

Gianni Bouzoukis

Daniel Cannon

Carlos Diaz-Salcedo

Pedro Dolabella

Vinicius Fernandes

Zach Higgins

Justin Jun

Tanner Kidwell

Jan-Erik Leinhos

Ben Martinez

Collin Mocyunas

Joe Morris

Bryce Notardonato

Illal Osmanu

John Pappas

Paulo Pita

Jamil Roberts

JP Rylah

Ryan Sirk

Kelan Swales

Chris Taibi

Jonas Westmeyer

Kyle Winquist

Milo Yosef

Marshall University Athletics