Men’s Soccer to Host Davidson adidas Classic this Weekend

DAVIDSON, N.C. – This weekend, the Davidson men's soccer team will welcome three of the east's top teams when they host the sixth annual Davidson adidas Classic. Joining the Wildcats for the two-day tournament will be Georgetown, Coastal Carolina and UNC Asheville.

Georgetown and Coastal Carolina will kick off the weekend's action at 5:00 p.m. on Friday night with their first-ever meeting, followed by Davidson's opening action against UNC Asheville at 7:15 p.m. Then on Sunday, Georgetown will go up against UNC Asheville at 1:00 p.m. with the Wildcats taking on Coastal Carolina in the tournament finale at 3:15 p.m.

“The adidas Classic is a really special weekend for Davidson Soccer,” said Wildcat head coach Matt Spear. “We enjoy bringing in three teams to 1992 Team Field and Alumni Stadium, and it feels like a soccer showcase. Two double-headers are a tremendous opportunity for local soccer fans to soak up great action. For our team, we need to concentrate on our role and one game at a time. And for Friday, it's about the challenge of defeating UNC-Asheville. We need to start the match with focus and urgency, and have that carry us for the entire match.”

Scouting the Wildcats: Davidson comes into the weekend with a 1-0 record after a thrilling double-overtime victory over USC Upstate in the season-opener last Saturday night. Senior Charlie Reiter scored the game-winning goal in the 105th minute of play for the victory. Preseason All-SoCon choice Alex Caskey notched his first goal of the season to tie the match at 1-1, and freshman Peter Paras' first career goal gave the Wildcats the late lead, which they held until 50 seconds remaining in regulation. Davidson dominated the stat sheet for the contest, out-shooting USC Upstate by a 33-10 margin, including a 12-3 advantage in shots-on-goal. The 33 shots by the Wildcats are the most in a single match since they became an official statistic in 1997. Reiter led all players with a career-high eight shots, followed by Caskey's seven. Nine different Wildcats recorded a scoring attempt on the night, with seven taking multiple shots.

Scouting the Bulldogs: After tying Wofford 0-0 last Monday night, UNC Asheville holds a 1-1-1 record coming into the tournament. They opened the season with a 5-0 defeat at North Carolina, then beat Brevard 3-0 for their first win of the year. Zachary Odum leads the team with three points after notching a goal and an assist against Brevard, and is tied for the team lead with three shots. Branden Lassen and Connor Holzinger have also notched scores this season, and Alex Koslick is the only Bulldog with multiple assists, helping on both of the goals vs. Brevard. Lassi Hurskainen has started a pair of games between the pipes, allowing three goals in 163:56 of play and making seven saves, including six in match with North Carolina.

Scouting the Chanticleers: Coming off a 1-0 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Sept. 6, Coastal Carolina holds a 1-1-1 mark on the season, including a 4-3 loss to the College of Charleston in the season opener, and a 1-1 tie to Albany. Following their games against St. Francis and Albany, three Chanticleers were named to the Coastal Carolina/adidas All-Tournament team. Defenders Levi Curnette and Alex Russell each earned All-Tournament selections, and were joined by forward Riley Phelps, had two shots on goal and four shots throughout the two matches. Phelps, a freshman, scored his first career hat trick with three scores against the College of Charleston, while senior James Stapleton scored both CCU goals in the Coastal Carolina/adidas Invitational, including the game-winner over St. Francis.

Scouting the Hoyas: Georgetown is currently 1-1-1 on the season, including a 2-0 win over No. 19 UCLA at home last Sunday. The Hoya defense has given up just two goals in its first three games, while the offense scored its first goals of the season against UCLA, after notching a 0-0 tie at Adelphi and falling 2-0 to California to open the year. The Hoyas are led by Seth C'deBaca and Jose Colchao, who have each recorded one goal this season, with C'deBaca taking a team-high eight shots in three games. Goalkeeper Matthew Brutto has appeared in a pair of contests, notching 200:00 minutes in goal while making eight saves. Mark Wilber was in net in the UCLA victory, stopping four shots in 90 minutes for the shut out.

The Series: Friday night's match will be the seventh all-time meeting between Davidson and UNC Asheville, with the Wildcats holding a 4-2 series advantage, which dates back to 1980, including an undefeated 4-0 mark at home. The last time the Wildcats and Bulldogs faced off was in 2005, a 2-1 home victory for Davidson. Coastal Carolina and the 'Cats are an even 4-4-2 all-time, which includes three-straight Davidson wins. The last loss for the Wildcats against the Chanticleers came in the 2003 NCAA Tournament, which CCU took a 3-0 home victory.

Up Next: Following the tournament, Davidson will continue their streak of playing five-straight Big South opponents when they begin a three-match road trip starting with a Sept. 16 trip to Radford, Va. for a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Radford Highlanders. Then on Sept. 19, the Wildcats will take on Presbyterian, and will round out the road swing with a Sept. 22 clash with High Point.

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