Evan Odean is one of the 15 letterwinners returning to the field for the Gusties this season.
The Gustavus men’s soccer team will open the 2011 season with a match against Wartburg College at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday afternoon on the Gustie Soccer Field in St. Peter, Minn. The game will be the opener for both squads as Wartburg is also taking the pitch for the first time this season.
The Gusties finished the 2010 season in fifth place in the MIAC with a conference record of 5-2-3 and an overall mark of 10-5-3. The Wartburg Knights were Tri-Champions of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) last season, sharing the crown with Loras and Dubuque and finishing 11-8 overall and 7-1 in the IIAC.
Both squads return to the field with two All-Conference performers from a year ago in senior midfielder Ben Ceder and junior defender Lucas Thompson for Gustavus, and junior forward Brandon Cook and sophomore defender Bob Brown for the Knights.
Live video/audio along with live stats will be available for today’s match via the links below.
Live Video
http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/gac.portal#
Live Stats
https://gustavus.edu/athletics/msc/live/xlive.htm
Match Notes
– Gustavus Head Coach Mike Middleton, who enters his second season at the head of the Gustie men’s soccer program, will step on to the pitch for the 243rd time as a head coach at the collegiate ranks today. Coach Middleton has compiled a lifetime record of 161-65-16 in head coaching stints at Fredonia State, Cortland State and Gustavus.
– Today’s match will be the sixth meeting between the Gusties and Knights on the soccer pitch with the series tied at an even 2-2-1. It has been five years since the two teams met last, as Wartburg edged Gustavus 1-0 on Nov. 12, 2006 in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs.
– Gustavus is unbeaten in its last 10 season openers with a record of 8-0-2.
– The Gusties have compiled a record of 11-4-2 against members of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the past five seasons.