WILMINGTON, Del. - Looking to start the season on a positive note, the Goldey-Beacom College men's soccer team will begin a five-match road trip this weekend with a pair of non-conference affairs.
The Lightning will open their season on Friday night by traveling to Shippensburg University for a 7:30 p.m. clash against the Raiders before visiting the University of the District of Columbia on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Led by junior
Andre Jank (Campo Grande, Brazil), the Lightning welcome back 11 letter winners from last year's team. One of this year's team captains, Jank is the Lightning's returning leading scorer after tallying three goals with two assists last season.
Meanwhile, senior goalkeeper
Carlos Meinhard (Caracas, Venezuela) will return to anchor the Lightning defensive unit. He appeared in six matches last season and compiled a 2.73 goals against average with a .692 save percentage.
After compiling a 5-9-2 record last year, Shippensburg is hoping to use a veteran presence to produce a winning season this year. Senior
Jonathan DeNicola (Mechanicsburg H.S./Mechanicsburg, Pa.) returns after scoring five goals last year. In addition, senior
Oli Templeton (Halifax, England) led the Raiders with four assists and also contributed three goals.
Senior goalkeeper
Clay Sale (Rocky Mountain H.S./Fort Collins, Colo.) will be hoping to return strong after missing most of last season with an injury. Sale, who earned a medical redshirt to play this year, has started 35 games in his career and has a 1.67 career goals against average.
The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team is hoping to improve off a 6-9-2 record last year, but the Firebirds' roster features 11 returning letter winners, which should be beneficial.
Senior midfielder
Bakary Coulibaly (La Lumiere H.S./Hyattsville, Md.) returns as the Firebirds' leading scorer after a six-goal campaign last year. In two seasons at UDC, he has played in 30 matches with nine goals and an assist. However, the Firebirds will have a new starter in goal after
Omar Gonzalez graduated after starting all 15 matches last year. He compiled a 1.88 goals against average while stopping 69.1 per cent of the shots he faced.
The Lightning, who open the season with three matches in five days, will travel to Lock Haven on Tuesday night for a non-conference match against the Eagles at 7 p.m.
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