9/4/2019 | Men’s Soccer
PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico men’s soccer program will be tested early as they open the season on the road against #17 Colorado Mesa on Thursday evening before hosting #3 Fort Hays State in its home opener on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Greyhound Stadium.
OPENING KICK
Under first year Head Coach Jon Fridal, the Greyhounds are coming off their best season since 2014 after closing out the 2018 campaign with an 8-8-2 record and a 6-6-2 mark in the final year of the Heartland Conference.
The Hounds finished last season as one of the most effective offenses in the Heartland Conference ranking third in assists (29) and fifth in goals (34), points (97) and shots (249).
Eastern put together some outstanding performances last season, the most notable a 2-1 home win over St. Edward’s on Oct. 20. Julian Trapp notched a pair of goals, scoring the equalizer with just three seconds left in the first half as well as the game-winner in the 60th minute.
The Hounds also were able to string together a strong second half performance at No. 23 West Texas A&M on Oct. 6. ENMU rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit thanks to goals from Gregory Franusic and Gabriel Peres to force a 2-2 draw against the nationally-ranked Buffs.
2019 PRESEASON STORY LINES
With ENMU bringing back 18 players from last season, the Greyhounds return a strong core to their centerline, headlined by D2CCA All-South Central Region honoree Gabriel Peres. Joining him in the midfield is fellow Brazilian Lucas Vaz. Last season, the Sao Paulo product was tied for second on the team with six goals to go with a pair of assists. Eastern is also returning a big presence in their attack with forward Julian Trapp. The 6’4″ German earned All-Heartland Conference Third Team accolades last season after scoring four goals and tallying a pair of assists in just 11 matches. The Greyhounds will also be bringing back a key piece in the defense with goalkeeper Ross Dalton. A junior from Liverpool, England, Dalton started 14 games in goal in 2018 and allowed just 1.44 goals per match while making 37 saves.
On top of a strong core of returners, second year head coach Jon Fridal also brought in 16 newcomers to join the team during the 2019 campaign, including six high school signees and 10 transfers. ENMU men’s soccer returns to the Lone Star Conference for the first time since 2012 with the top six teams receiving bids to the conference tournament in November.
NEW LOOK HOUNDS
Head Coach Jon Fridal continues to add an influx of international talent, as 12 of the 16 newcomers join the squad from over seas. In total 23 of the 31 players on the 2019 roster hail from hometowns outside of the U.S.
The Hounds also boast a revamped coaching staff which includes new Assistant Coach Andrew Livingston and Graduate Assistant Coach Brandon Bautista. Livingston, a Hamilton, Scotland native, joins the Eastern coaching staff after spending last season at Evansville University as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer program. A familiar face to Greyhound fans, Bautista joins the staff after spending the 2017 and 2018 campaigns as a player for the Green and Silver, appearing in 30 games and making
14 starts at midfield.
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
ENMU has six non-conference games on the docket with only one coming at home inside Greyhound Stadium. The Green and Silver open their conference schedule on the road, Sept. 26 as they face rival No. 9 West Texas A&M on The Pitch in Canyon, Texas.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
The Mavericks finished last season as runner-ups in the 2018 RMAC Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA South Central Regional before falling to West Texas A&M in overtime. The Mavericks are led by first-year Head Coach Andrew Conniff. Prior to CMU, Conniff served as the head coach at South Dakota School of Mines and led his team to a 6-25-5 record over the last two seasons.
The Mavericks frontline attack is led by 2018 First Team All-RMAC selection Lawan Abary. The senior forward finished last year’s campaign with a team high 14 goals and 57 shots. In the midline, Colorado Mesa returns All-RMAC Honorable Mention honoree Peter Vandam. Vandam logged 1882 minutes and totaled three points on one goal and an assist during 2018.
Junior keeper Miguel Alaniz will look to move into a more prominent role for the 2019 season. Last year, Alaniz was the backup to RMAC Goal Keeper of the Year Briley Guarneri. Alaniz appeared and started in two matches last season allowing five goals and totaling eight saves.
HISTORY WITH THE MAVERICKS
Colorado Mesa holds a slight 1-0-1 advantage over ENMU in the short two game history between the two teams with the first matchup resulting in a 0-0 draw in 2016. The Mavericks handed Eastern its first loss of the 2018 campaign las season as they defeated ENMU 2-1 in overtime, out-shooting the Hounds 19-5.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Tigers enter the 2019 campaign as the reigning Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular season champs and were also crowned the Central Regional Champs. FHSU’s 2018 season ended in a penalty kick shoot-out to Barry University in the NCAA Division II Semifinals.
Head Coach Gerry Cleary takes over as the second head coach in FHSU men’s soccer history after winning three NAIA championships at Martin Methodist College. He led the women’s team to national titles in 2005 and 2007 before winning with the men’s team in 2013 with a record of 19-2-2.
The Tigers bring back a highly talented roster from a season ago, including the MIAA’s leading goal scorer Santiago Agudelo. The junior forward netted 26 goals and notched 58 points in 18 matches to earn All-MIAA First Team honors.
Fort Hays State also returns First Team All-MIAA midfielder Moritz Walthers as well as Second Team selections Sergio Villalba, Rogelio Lopez, Alonso Rodrigues and Arsenio Chamorro.
HISTORY WITH THE TIGERS
FHSU owns a 2-0-0 record over the Greyhounds, outscoring Eastern 6-0 in the team’s two meetings. Sunday will mark the first time the two squads take the field against each other since 2013.
