| Matchup |
Merrimack (0-0) vs. Caldwell (0-0) // Molloy (0-0) |
| Date/Time |
Friday, Sept. 1, 2017 (7pm) // Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017 (3pm) |
| Venue |
Martone-Mejail Field // North Andover, Mass. |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Watch (Free) |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 25 Merrimack College men's soccer team kicks off the 2017 season on Friday evening when the Warriors host Caldwell University at 7 p.m. from Martone-Mejail Field. The contest marks the first of a pair of games for the Warriors this weekend during the Merrimack Kickoff Classic.
Merrimack Kickoff Classic
Day 1 –
Friday, Sept. 1
Match 1: Molloy vs. Bentley – 4 p.m.
Match 2: Caldwell vs. Merrimack – 7 p.m.
Day 2 –
Sunday, Sept. 3
Match 3: Caldwell vs. Bentley – 12 p.m.
Match 4: Molloy vs. Merrimack – 3 p.m.
A Look back to 2016
- Merrimack returned to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time over the last five years in 2016, winning 15 games for the third straight season. The Warriors have a 73-23-8 record since the 2012 season, when 36th- year coach Tony Martone led the program to its first-ever tournament appearance.
- Junior midfielder and All-American Lars Sund (Stavanger, Norway) followed up a rookie campaign with career and team highs of 18 points and eight assists, while tallying five goals, which ranked second on the team.
- Graduate student Josue Ruiz Maya (Madero, Mexico), along with senior Michael Dushman (Bedford, Mass) and junior Sergio Martinez (Tampico, Mexico), will serve as team captains for the 2017 campaign.
- Fellow all-league senior Juan Meza (Cali, Columbia) returns with nine points and three assists from his junior season, both of which ranked third on the Navy and Gold.
Last Matchup vs. Caldwell/Molloy:
- The Warriors downed Caldwell in last year's season opener of the Merrimack Kickoff Classic, 5-1, while defeating Molloy 4-1 back in the 2014 season.
- Against the Cougars, Merrimack trailed in the early moments of the contest, but struck for five unanswered goals by five different scorers.
The Warriors:
- Merrimack enters the 2017 season ranked No. 25 nationally and were predicted to finish fourth in the NE10 Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll.
- In addition to the returners from above, senior Cody Russell (Oceanside, Calif.), and junior Tyler Packett (Eastham, Mass.) will return in net. Packett started 17 of 20 games he played in, finishing the year with seven shutouts and 14 wins on the year. Russell had two starts and four appearances in net.
The Cougars:
- Entering the 2017 season, the Cougars were predicted to finish third in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
- In 2016, Caldwell finished with an 8-8-3 record, reaching the CACC Semifinals. The Cougars lost against Merrimack during the Merrimack Kickoff Classic last year, before defeating Bentley University, 4-3, in overtime.
- Junior forward Joaquin Escudero (San Sebastian, Spain) returns as the second leading scorer from the 2016 season, finishing with 19 points.
The Lions:
- Coming into the 2017 campaign, Molloy was predicted to finish third in the East Coast Conference (ECC), after finishing the 2016 with an 11-5-1 record and reaching the ECC finals.
- Sophomore Anthony Cestaro (Massapequa, N.Y.) finished third on the team in scoring last year with 14 points.
Up Next
Merrimack will wrap-up the Merrimack Kickoff Classic on Sunday afternoon when the Warriors host Molloy College at 3 p.m.
