August 29, 2002
USI soccer opens regular season
Men’s team opens on the road
Although the Screaming Eagles start the 2002 regular season on the road, University of Southern Indiana men’s soccer Head Coach Dan Hogan will feel at home as the squad travels to his alma mater, Truman State University, for a noon match Saturday, August 31.
Hogan played soccer at Truman State in 1983 and 1984 when the institution was known as Northeast Missouri State University.
The Eagles will be trying to get off on the right foot in 2002 for only the second time since 1996 and pull within one of the Bulldogs, who lead the series 6-4-1. Truman State won last year’s match-up 2-0 at Strassweg Field.
USI appears to be hitting on all cylinders offensively in a pair of scrimmages this month. Junior forward Matt Settles (Evansville, Indiana) and senior midfielder Duncan Bray (Scotland) are USI’s top returning weapons from a team that scored 35 goals in 16 matches last season.
Bray ranked 28th nationally with 13 assists in 13 contests last fall. Settles ranked seventh in the GLVC with 10 goals scored and eighth in the league in total points with a career-high 25.
The key for the Eagles will be on the defensive side of the field. USI, to be successful, will have to cut down the opponent’s average of 2.13 goals per contest in 2001.
Truman State also opens its regular season Saturday after posting an 11-5-2 record in 2001. The Bulldogs lost four of its top four scorers from last season. Sophomore midfielder Luke Bolar leads the Bulldog after posting 11 points on five goals and one assist as a freshman.
The first home game for the Eagles will not be until Friday, September 13, when the University of Missouri-Rolla visits Strassweg Field for a 7 p.m. match.
Ray Simmons, USI Sports Information
Assistant Coach
