No. 17 Men's Soccer Opens Marriott Kickoff Classic vs. Dominican Thursday Night
17TH-RANKED MEN'S SOCCER RETURNS TO THE PITCH TO FACE DOMINICAN IN 2013 OPENER
Links: Live Stats
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Taking to the pitch for the first time since a magical 2012 campaign that included a Northeast-10 Conference regular season title and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and victory, the 17th-ranked Merrimack College men's soccer team turns the page and begins the 2013 season on Thursday night against Dominican College in the opening day of the Marriott Kickoff Classic at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Basics
Date/Time: Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013 | 7 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (0-0) | Dominican (0-0)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
Last Time Out
The Warriors return to action for the first time since falling in the Second Round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament last November to Southern New Hampshire University.
Guided by a blend of brilliant leadership from a memorable senior class that featured Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year Franklin Lemus Pena, as well as arguably the greatest season by any Merrimack goalkeeper in program history from then-sophomore Jose Silva (Northborough, Mass.), the Warriors posted a 15-4-2 overall record last fall en route to an NE-10 Champion Final and NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance.
Three of the Warriors' four losses last season came at the hands of the Penmen, including a 2-1 loss in the NE-10 Finals and a heartbreaking, season-ending one-goal defeat in the NCAA Tournament, but Merrimack still managed to earn the program's fourth NE-10 regular season title on the last day of the regular season. The Warriors also rode a program-record 10-game unbeaten streak at one point last season, as the Navy and Gold did not suffer a setback from early September to early November during their magical run.
Last Season vs. Dominican
Merrimack and Dominican squared off once last season, in the second game of the Warrior Kickoff Classic. Both sides battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw, as the Chargers scored their only goal in the 36th minute before Lemus Pena tied it up in the 51st minute. That tie would hold through regulation and two overtime sessions. The physical contest featured 34 combined fouls but just 11 combined shots on net.
The Warriors:
- Graduate nine seniors but boast the return of Silva, an NSCAA First-Team All-American and the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year, between the posts
- The Northborough, Mass., native finished the year with a 0.56 goals-against average and .883 save percentage, ranking fourth and second nationally in each category, respectively
- Junior Michael Rincon (Medford, Mass.), an all-conference third team member last fall, highlights the return of six upperclassmen in the midfield, one that was devastated by injury last fall
- Up front, sophomore Douglas Searl (Westford, Mass.) comes off a season in which he shared the team lead in game-winning goals and earned a spot on the NE-10 All-Conference Rookie Team
- Co-captains Michael Buraczynski (Littleton, Mass.) and Ronald Ried (Schwendy, Germany) highlight a defensive unit that was easily Merrimack's strength last fall when it allowed a school-record 12 goals over the course of a 21-game season
The Opponent:
- Picked second in the CACC Preseason Poll after posting a 9-5-3 record last fall
- Senior midfielder Sony Narro leads the way offensively after a 21-point (8g, 5a) season
- Senior forward Jorge Zubillaga and junior Christopher Walsh also cracked the double-digit scoring threshold last season with 16 and 15 points, respectively
- Senior goalkeeper Andres Ruiz boasted strong numbers in net in 2012, logging all 1854:27 between the posts to compliment a 1.02 GAA and .792 SV%
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