Red Men To Face Hornets in Home Opener

Photo appears courtesy of Carthage Athletics/Mike Gryniewicz

Following a week of training back on the lakefront, and a weeklong trip in Texas, the Carthage College Red Men (1-0, 0-0 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) will host their home opener against the Hornets of Kalamazoo College (1-0, 0-0 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). This will mark the first home match for the Red Men on the newly renovated Art Keller Field.

LAST TIME OUT

• Red Men opened the 2017 season with a 7-1 win versus Dallas Christian College in Dallas, Tex.

• Five Red Men scored in the season opener, two of which were from returning sophomore Freddy Martinez, and freshman Kevin Reilly.

• Martinez also added three assists to his stat sheet, which is tied for the second most in a single game performance.

• The Friday match marked the return for juniors Niko Mavrogiannis and Kevin Mahoney following premature season ending injuries in 2016. Mavrogiannis collected 1 save in the match.

• The Red Men were without the services of Johnny Rimkus, Adrian Herrera, Jeff Montemayor, and Brayan Justiniano due to illness.

SCOUTING THE HORNETS

• The Hornets finished 2016 with a 6-6-5 record, finishing fifth in the MIAA.

• The 2017 season captains are seniors Griffin Hamel, Antonio Pisto, and Jonathan Nord.

• Kalamazoo College currently stands at a 1-0 record following their season opening win against Milikin University.

• The Hornets defeated the Big Blue by a score of 2-1 with goals from freshmen Ryan Melgar and Bobby Dennerll.

• Senior goalkeeper Hamel made 10 saves in the season opening match.

• The Hornets maintain a 1-0 record against the Red Men following a 2-0 decision in 2012 at the Wheaton College Bob Batista Invitational.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Senior Defender Jamie Tausend is tied for seventh with 12 assists on the Carthage career assists list.

• Tausend is also 14 starts shy of having the most starts by a Carthage player, a record currently held by Max Zbilut (74 starts).

• Rimkus’s 17 goals is two shy of taking the sole eighth spot on the all time careers list, which is held by Brian Santella, who has 18 goals.

• Mavrogiannis ranks 9th all time on the career saves list with 43.

• Justiniano ranks 7th all time on the career saves list with 58.

THINGS TO KNOW

• Carthage is ranked No. 22 in the preseason varsity poll organized by the United Soccer Coaches. The Red Men were also voted No. 1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin preseason poll.

• Head coach Steve Domin is in his 22nd season as Carthage men’s soccer head coach. Domin holds an overall record of 219-159-35 in his tenure as head coach.

• The 2017 team captains are seniors Tausend and Rimkus, and juniors Mahoney and Herrera.

• In addition to Rimkus and Tausend, the 2017 season features a senior class of Erik Boese, Joey Klawitter, and Sahr Mahoney

#RedMenSoc #season #homeopener