University of Delaware Athletics
UD Begins CAA Schedule with Trip to Battle Georgia St. (Sept. 28, 2012)
9/28/2012 3:56:00 PM | Men's Soccer
NEWARK, Del. – The defending Colonial Athletic Association champion, University of Delaware men's soccer team, will begin conference play on Saturday, September 29 at 7 p.m. against Georgia State at GSU's Soccer Complex.
Delaware (2-6-1, 0-0) looks to defend its CAA championship and make the CAA tournament for a third-straight year as the Blue Hens embark on a 10-game CAA schedule that begins with a trip to Atlanta to face Georgia State (3-5, 0-1) Saturday night.
“This is the start of the most important week in our season,” Delaware head coach Ian Hennessy said. “Traditionally we have been a very difficult team to beat at home and we are looking to continue that tradition by setting the tone for getting this program back to its third-straight CAA playoff.”
The Blue Hens have squared off against the Panthers seven times since 2005, with UD owning a 5-2 record over GSU. In 2011, Delaware was handed a 2-1 overtime lost to Georgia State. Delaware is 0-1-1 this season on the road while Georgia State is 1-1 at home.
Delaware enters the CAA opener riding a two-game losing skid after a 2-0 loss to Lafayette College on Tuesday. Six different UD players have scored a goal this season. Junior forward Roberto Gimenez and sophomore forward Kyle Bruno are the only Blue Hens to collect one goal and one assist this year.
Georgia State, who was selected seventh in the CAA pre-season poll, is on a three-game losing streak since the Panthers' 3-0 victory on September 14, over Georgia Southern. Led by third-year head coach, Brett Surrency, GSU returns 15 lettermen and nine starters from a squad that went 13-8-1 which included a NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Duke a year ago.
The Panthers offense is led by freshman forward William Mellors-Blair, who has already garnered CAA Rookie of the Week honors, sits atop GSU's leader board with two goals and four assists through eight games. Senior forward Alex Vivanco, who was named CAA Player of the Week on August 27, leads the Panthers with three goals.
“The next three games to start the CAA are critical and it is important that we take two out of three of these games,” Hennessy added. “After the match against GSU on Saturday, we are home against Towson and Old Dominion, who are ranked #14 in the nation this week by the NSCAA.”
Next week, the Blue Hens will start their CAA home schedule at Delaware Mini Stadium on Wednesday, October 3 at 7 p.m. against Towson University and complete the weekend on Sunday, October 7 at 4 p.m. versus Old Dominion University.
