California Baptist University
American University
MSOC PREVIEW: Lancers Travel to American, No. 6 North Carolina To Open 2024
8/19/2024 10:30:00 AM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE - California Baptist University men's soccer has had incredible success in its first two years of Division I eligibility. Still, the 2024 season is a clean slate on which the new roster will write their own story. That story kicks off with a bang as the Lancers head to the East Coast to open the season at American University in Baltimore, Maryland, followed by a trip to No. 6 North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
CBU has worked hard to integrate 17 new faces on the roster alongside 11 returning WAC Champions. Noticeable roster losses include last season's leading scorer and current member of LAFC, Luis Mueller, two-year starting goalkeeper, and 2022 WAC Tournament MVP Nolan Premack, and starting three senior defenders who aided Premack in allowing less than a goal per game last season.
That run of success paid off in the offseason, and the Lancer reputation attracted top transfers and freshmen nationwide. Head Coach Coe Michaelson will have senior and graduate transfers from Akron, Pitt, Butler, Georgetown, and Georgia State to lend their experience in the immediate future while allowing time to work with the younger talent. The first-year crowd will undoubtedly positively impact during the 2024 season, bringing their talents to Riverside from high-level clubs like Real Colorado MLS NEXT and Barca Residency Academy, as well as from abroad in Israel, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg.
In addition to the new roster, a new yet familiar face is making his coaching debut for the Blue and Gold. All-time leading scorer Aidan Apodaca has returned to Riverside to join his former coach and help with the upward momentum of his alma mater. Apodaca was the program's first MLS draftee, going 55th overall to the Philadelphia Union in 2018, ultimately playing for five different clubs before deciding to apply his knowledge and experience of the game on the sidelines for his Lancers.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AT A GLANCE
The Eagles of American University have rattled off four straight winning seasons coming into 2024, though 2023 came in at a difficult 6-5-5 final count. AU finished 3-3-3 in the Patriot League a season ago, clinching the sixth and final spot in the conference postseason tournament, which they lost in the first round to Lafayette 2-2 (3-1 PK's).
Despite a fairly average record last year, the Eagles return their top three scorers, Sam Hershey, Ethan Boyle, and Zemi Rodriguez, as well as their primary goalkeeper, Matthew Tibbetts. That experience on both ends of the pitch will pose a tough challenge for the Lancers in the season opener. Hershey and Rodriguez are two of the few remaining Eagles from their most recent NCAA postseason appearance in the COVID season of Spring 2021 when they made it to the tournament's second round.
GAME INFO:
Date: Thursday, August 22
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern / 4:00 PM Pacific
Where: Boyds, Maryland
Venue: Maureen Hendricks Field at Championship Stadium
LINKS: ESPN+ | Stats | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
NORTH CAROLINA AT A GLANCE
The Tar Heels begin the new season the same way they ended it, ranked highly. The 2024 NCAA Preseason Poll has UNC slotted in at No. 6 in Division I after making it to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to a strong Oregon State team, 1-0. Though ranked sixth in the nation, North Carolina was picked third in the Atlantic Athletic Conference behind Clemson, the 2023 National Champions, and Notre Dame, the 2023 National Runners-Up.
Chapel Hill has been the home of 23 national championship squads (two men, 21 women) since 1947, but Dorrance Field is new to the lore, having opened in 2019. Regardless of the Tar Heels calling Fetzer Field or Dorrance home, the fact remains that UNC is 451-140-54 (74.1%) in Chapel Hill and lost just one game there in 2023, a 1-0 decision to ACC rival Syracuse.
Last year's Tar Heels were built on defense, ranking 5th in goals against average (0.668) and save percentage (0.830) in DI. It stands to reason that this year's squad may have a similar mindset as they return just two of the top five scorers from last season but also bring back starting goalkeeper Andrew Cordes, who led the ACC last season with a minuscule 0.58 goals against average in 17 appearances.
GAME INFO:
Date: Saturday, August 25
Time: 7:30 PM Eastern / 4:30 PM Pacific
Where: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Venue: Dorrance Field
LINKS: ESPN+ | Stats | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats
