Complete Game Notes as a PDF

A NEW BEGINNING
The first step towards a 33rd NCAA Tournament berth and seventh NCAA Championship occurs this weekend for the Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team. The Owls, who are coming off a 14-2-4 campaign in 2010, take to the pitch for a match against Bridgeport on Saturday evening at 6 p.m.

ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are 29-8-6 all-time in season openers.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Last season, the Owls played their first five matches of the season away from home. This year, it's more of the same. Southern Connecticut plays five of its first six games on the road, with the lone exception a Sept. 10 match against Bloomfield.

OWLS RECOGNIZED IN PRESEASON NSCAA POLL
After closing the 2010 season with a No. 12 national ranking, the Owls begin the 2011 campaign with the same position in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.

IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were picked third in the Northeast-10 Conference Coaches' preseason poll. SCSU received two first-placevotes.

LOTS OF RETURNING TALENT
The Owls have 15 players returning to the field this season, including senior All-American Paul Templeton.

ROOKIES LOOKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The Owls are looking forward to the addition of nine newcomers to the team this year - Dallas Aminzadeh, Kyle Goulart, Nick Koss, Timothy Murray, Tyler Naef, Christian Parra, Luke Perry, Danny Quintero and Cody St. John.

ALL-TIME AGAINST BRIDGEPORT
Southern Connecticut holds a 32-11-2 advantage in the all-time series against Bridgeport. The Owls claimed a 1-0 win over the Purple Knights last year at Jess Dow Field.

NINE NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE
Nine student-athletes were recognized by the Northeast-10 Conference at the conclusion of the 2010 season with honors - Harry Appiah, Mario Costa, Yoni Feldman, Victor Hernandez, Ross McGibney and Paul Templeton were named to the All-Conference squad, while Jon Eckford, Matthew Glodack and Doural Scott were All-Rookie Team picks.

TEMPLETON HONORED TWICE BY NSCAA
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America recognized Paul Templeton with a pair of honors in 2010. He was named both an All-American for his play on the pitch and an Academic All-Region selection for his work in the classroom.

TWO OWLS EARN NE-10 ACADEMIC HONORS
Paul Templeton and Yoni Feldman were both selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer All-Academic Team for their work in 2010. It was the second straight selection for Templeton.

ECAC RECOGNITION
Harry Appiah, Yoni Feldman, Victor Hernandez, Ross McGibney and Paul Templeton collected All-ECAC laurels at the conclusion of the 2010 season.

CLUTCH PLAY
Sophomore midfielder Ross McGibney was tied for the most game winning goals, with four, in the Northeast-10 Conference. McGibney finished ranked fifth in the league in goals per game.

SAVE AND A BEAUTY
Senior goalkeeper Andrew Esposito finished fourth in save percentage in the Northeast-10 Conference, as he stopped .863 perecent of shots he faced in 2010. He posted a 9-1-4 mark to go with a 0.70 goals against average and five shutouts.

DOUBLE DIGIT DOMINANCE
The Owls have won at least 10 matches in 33 of the last 34 seasons, including the 2010 campaign.

LANG EARNS 200TH WIN WITH OWLS
Head coach Tom Lang recorded his 200th career win at SCSU on Sept. 4 with the 2-1 win over Caldwell. Including 2010, the Owls have reached the NCAA Tournament on 11 occasions under his watch.

MCGIBNEY SETS NEW MARK
Ross McGibney scored the quickest goal to start a match in program history in the Sept. 14 game against Assumption when he scored just 25 seconds into play. The old mark was 35 seconds on a marker tallied by Renwick Hutson vs. Bentley on 11/2/96.

ON DECK
SCSU travels to Saint Rose on Wednesday, Sept. 7 in the Northeast-10 Conference opener for both teams.