Complete Game Notes


THE WEEK AHEAD
The Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team opens its 2013 season on Saturday night.  The Owls will host Mercy College under the lights on Jess Dow Field at 7 p.m..

ALL-TIME VS. MERCY
The Owls lead the all-time series versus Mercy by a 4-1-0 margin.

BLISS NAMED CREW'S HEAD COACH
Former Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer All-American Brian Bliss was named Interim Head Coach of the Columbus Crew earlier this week. Bliss had previously served as the team's Technical Director. Bliss joins another former Owl, Mike Petke, as current head coaches in Major League Soccer.

IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
SCSU was picked fifth in the NE-10 preseason coaches poll. The Owls received 122 points. Southern New Hampshire was chosen as the conference favorite.

THE CAPTAINS
Head Coach Tom Lang announced that redshirt senior Ross McGibney and sophomore Jonas Folstad will captain the Owls this fall.

WELCOME BACK
Sophomore Daquan King is the Owls' returning leading scorer. The forward was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer All-Rookie team after having a strong freshman season. King finished the year with four goals and 10 total points, which was good enough for second on the team.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome nine newcomers to the squad for the 2013 season - Sebastian Brems, Adam DiCicco, Kevin Joslyn, Leandro Medel, Ignacio Navarro, Brandyn Rowlinson, Christian Samaniego, Alex Soriano and Marby Velasquez.

IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are 30-9-6 in season openers.

DiMICELI JOINS CFC AZUL
Former Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer standout Mario DiMiceli joined CFC Azul this spring following a stellar senior season with the Owls.  

PETKE NAMED HEAD COACH OF RED BULLS
Mike Petke, a former All-American and standout on the 1995 Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer National Championship squad, was named the head coach of the New York Red Bulls during the Owls' off-season.

DIKRANIAN INDUCTED
Former Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer coach Bob Dikranian was selected for induction into the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Hall of Fame Class of 2013. The induction took place on Jan. 18 during the NSCAA Awards Banquet at the 2013 NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis.

• Dikranian founded the Southern Connecticut State men's soccer program in 1966 and in 21 seasons, amassed a 227-94-21 overall record while setting the foundation for the benchmark Division II program in the nation. His teams appeared in 14 NCAA Division II tournaments, including six straight trips to the semifinals (1978-83). He guided the Owls' to their first-ever NCAA championship in 1987 and was a two-time NCAA National Coach of the Year.

LOOKING BACK AT 2012
The Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team capped off the 2012 season with an overall mark of 8-7-1. The Owls were nationally ranked as high as No. 12 during the year and also qualified for the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament.

DiMICELI EARNS ALL-REGION HONORS
Senior Mario DiMiceli of the Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team has been named to the NSCAA Division II Men's All-East Region Second Team.

• DiMiceli finished a fantastic senior campaign for the Owls with 12 goals and 27 total points. DiMiceli finished 23rd in the nation in total points per game, 15th in goals per game, 31st in total goals and 38th in total points.

FOUR EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Seniors Mario DiMiceli, Mario Costa, Francisco Lara and freshman Daquan King of the Southern Connecticut State University men's soccer team all took home Northeast-10 Conference yearly awards.

• DiMiceli was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer First Team after finishing the season ranked second in goals with 12 and third in points with 27 in the conference. DiMiceli was named Northeast-10 Player Of The Week once and named to the weekly conference honor roll three times.
• Costa and Lara were selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer Third Team. Costa captained the team to the conference quarterfinals and finished the season with five points. Lara anchored the back end for the Owls this year where they were in the top half of the conference in goals against.
• King was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer All-Rookie team after having a strong freshman season for Southern Connecticut. King finished the year with four goals and 10 total points, which was good enough for second on the team.

DUO EARNS ACADEMIC HONORS
Mario Costa and Francisco Lara were honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with College Division Scholar All-East Region honors.

COSTA NAMED NE-10 ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE
Senior midfielder Mario Costa was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Soccer All-Academic Team following the conclusion of the 2012 season.

ON DECK
The Owls open the NE-10 portion of their schedule when the team travels to Bentley on September 14.