With the 2016 college season fast approaching, it’s time to welcome back Le Rouge Review, the place to stay up-to-date on all of City’s collegiate players as the season progresses.
This week, we take a look at where you can catch Le Rouge players this season…
SAGINAW VALLEY STATE: Eight City players call SVSU home, and they’re all expected to make a big impact this year. TJ Stephens (Sr.), Troy Watson (Sr.), Andrew Dalou (So.), Omar Sinclair (So.), Jordan Kalk (Sr.), Alberto Gangutia (So.) and Josh Howell (Sr.) are rostered for the upcoming season. Stephens, Watson, Kalk and Dalou were regular starters for SVSU last year, and Sinclair started all 20 matches. The Cardinals went 15-4-1 overall and 12-2 in the GLIAC. They were led by City’s Tyler Channell – who graduated last year – and Kalk. Channell tallied 19 goals and 14 assists, with Kalk recording 20 goals and three assists. Kalk, Channell, Stephens and Alex Isaevski were all earned NSCAA All-Midwest Region honors. The 2015 SVSU season ended in a 3-1 loss to Northwood in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Cardinals’ 2016 season kicks off on Thursday, September 1 against Lewis at home. Follow SVSU soccer on Twitter here.
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY: Close to home, the University of Detroit Mercy Titans feature three City players: Spiro Pliakos (Jr.), Robbie Beckwell (R-Jr.) and Tyler Moorman (Sr.) The Titans went 7-5-8 overall and 3-1-5 in the Horizon League last year. Moorman started every league match last season, with Pliakos starting in all but one. In his senior year, Moorman will look to continue his fine form for the Titans. He notched the opening goal in UDM’s 2-1 win over Michigan on 9/16/15, and he recorded a team-high seven goals. Pliakos and Moorman tied the team lead in points with 14. Pliakos finished with three goals and eight assists and was voted First Team All-Horizon League.
In the 2016 Horizon League preseason poll, UDM was predicted to finish seventh. UDM opens exhibition play on Tuesday against Marquette. The Titans open the regular season on the road at Pittsburgh on Friday, August 26. Follow UDM soccer on Twitter here.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Michigan Evan Louro (Jr.), Andre Morris (Sr.), Billy Stevens (Jr.), Brett Nason (Sr.) Last season, the Wolverines finished sixth in the Big Ten Conference, going 8-6-4 overall and 3-3-2 in B1G play. They fell to Maryland in the opening round of the B1G Tournament. Evan Louro finished fifth in the conference in shutouts with seven, a feat which ranks second in program history. He also had the second-best goals-against average in program history (1.05). Stevens, Louro and Nason started all 18 matches, and Morris started 17.
The Wolverines will look to get off to another hot start when it opens its season on Friday, August 26 at USF. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN3. Follow UM soccer on Twitter here.
MORE TEAMS TO WATCH:
University of South Carolina: In his junior year with South Carolina (also his first year with the Gamecocks after transferring from Mercyhurst), Danny Deakin started all 21 matches and led the team in scoring with 11 goals. Deakin was named first-team All-C-USA and first-team NSCAA All-Southeast Region. This year is shaping up to be another huge year for Deakin, who was named to the 2016 Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Gamecocks finished 11-8-2 overall and 6-2-0 in the C-USA. Deakin and his team tied North Carolina, 1-1, in their first exhibition match. Next up, they play Winthrop on August 18. Follow the Gamecocks soccer team on Twitter here.
Seattle Pacific: Cody Lang (Sr.) started all 18 matches for the Seattle Pacific Falcons in 2015. Lang was named the 2015 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, posting nine shutouts. His 0.49 goals-against average ranked among the top-five in the nation. The Falcons recorded an impressive 14-14 overall record last year, the best in the program’s 48-year history. Seattle Pacific won its second straight GNAC championship, only to later fall to Cal State Dominguez in the NCAA tournament semifinals. This year, the Falcons open 2016 season against Sonoma State on September 1. Follow Seattle Pacific on Twitter here.
Albion: Bobby Budlong (Jr.) finished 2015 as Albion’s lead scorer with five goals. He also notched three assists and started 15 of 16 matches for the Britons. Albion went 5-13-1 overall and 3-11 in MIAA play. In his senior year, Budlong and the Brits will look to improve on last year’s results starting on Saturday, September 3 at Grinnell. Follow Albion soccer on Twitter here.
Adrian: Entering his junior year, Shayan Shushtari played in 17 matches for the Adrian Bulldogs last year and tallied two goals. Adrian finished 6-11-2 overall and 5-8-1 in the MIAA. The Bulldogs get their season underway on Thursday, September 1 at home against Bluffton. Follow Adrian men’s soccer here.
Oregon State: A redshirt sophomore, Dylan Waugaman will look to make an impression with the Oregon State Beavers this season. Oregon State finished 8-9-1 overall and 3-6-1 in the Pac-12. The Beavers opened up exhibition play with a 3-1 win over British Columbia on August 12. Next, they take on Portland on Friday, August 19. Follow Oregon State soccer on Twitter here.
Gardner-Webb: Last season with Gardner-Webb, redshirt senior Ali Al-Gashamy featured in 14 matches and tallied three goals and two assists. Gardner-Webb finished 4-14 overall and 3-6 in the Big South Conference. The Runnin’ Bulldogs began the 2016 season with a 1-0 loss at UNC Wilmington in an exhibition match on August 15. They host Lees-McRae at home on August 19. Follow Gardner-Webb soccer on Twitter here.
Xavier: The Xavier Musketeers finished last season with a 12-6-1 overall record and 5-3-1 in the Big East. Entering his junior year, Matt Nance recorded 18 starts in 18 matches and ranked fifth on the team with 1,545 minutes played at left back in 2015. Xavier opened the new season with a 2-0 exhibition win over Rio Grande. Next, they travel to Maryland on August 20. Follow Xavier soccer on Twitter here.
Southern Illinois Edwardsville: The Cougars finished the 2015 season with a 12-4-2 overall record and 5-1 record in conference play. A redshirt sophomore, Joe Smith started the season-opener. SIUE opened their season with a 0-0 draw to Notre Dame on August 14. The team faces Kentucky on August 16. Follow SIUE on Twitter here.
Loyola University Chicago: A freshman in 2015, Alec Lasinski started three of 19 matches played and tallied one assist for the Ramblers. Loyola finished the season with a 10-4-5 overall record and were unbeaten at home. They eventually fell to SIUE in penalty kicks in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship. Loyola faced Western Michigan in exhibition play on August 13 and tied, 0-0. Next up, they travel to Indiana on August 16. Follow the Ramblers on Twitter here.
Lawrence Tech: Tyler Winningham (Sr.) started 18 of 18 matches last season, tallying four goals and one assist. LTU finished the 2015 season with a 9-9-1 overall record and a 5-5-1 conference record. The team opened the 2016 season with a 2-1 loss to Purdue University Northwest on August 10. The Blue Devils face Jackson College on August 17. Follow LTU soccer on Twitter here.
Michigan State University: Keep an eye on the MSU Spartans, with City head coach Ben Pirmann, City goalkeeping coach Bret Mollon and former City coach Cale Wassermann all leading the team in 2016. Pirmann and Wassermann are both assistant coaches, with Mollon volunteer assistant coaching. Last year, MSU finished with a 8-9-2 overall record and 2-4-2 record in the Big Ten. This year, the Spartans open exhibition play on August 18 against Syracuse. Follow MSU soccer on Twitter here.
