PDL Feature
Thursday, September 5, 2013
The second weekend of the NCAA Division I Men’s season brings one of the highest-profile non-conference games of the season this Sunday afternoon as No. 1 North Carolina visits No. 4 Notre Dame, with PDL alumni set to play a key role on national television. The noon kickoff on ESPNU is just one of a number of key games that will be available online or on television this weekend featuring PDL alumni.
The Tar Heels opened the season with a pair of solid victories as they hosted the Carolina Nike Classic, with Chicago Fire PDL alum Tyler Engel recording two goals and an assist in victories against Monmouth and No. 12 Coastal Carolina. He was backed by former Reading United player Jordan McCrary, who had a goal and an assist, while former Orlando City U23 goalkeeper Brendan Moore recorded a pair of shutouts.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, earned a draw with No. 6 UCLA and a 2-1 victory against SMU to open the season at the IU Credit Union Classic in Bloomington, Ind. last weekend, with former Indiana Invaders forward Leon Brown scoring both goals in the Fighting Irish’s victory against the Mustangs.
The weekend’s action opens on Friday night with a big ACC clash between No. 13 Maryland and Duke, with PDL players set to play a key role in what has become a strong rivalry. The contest can be seen on NSCAATV.com at 7:30 p.m. ET as both teams open their conference schedules.
Maryland is looking for its first win of the season after falling 3-2 in overtime against California on the west coast in its last outing Sunday. The Terrapins are off to a fast start offensively, with former New Orleans Jesters standout Patrick Mullins recording a goal and an assist in their opening two games and former Real Maryland Monarchs forward Jake Pace scoring twice, but Maryland is aiming to improve defensively after conceding six goals in its opening two games.
Duke, meanwhile, got off to a solid start with a win and a draw in its opening two games of the season. 2012 PDL Defender of the Year Sebastian Ibeagha and goalkeeper Alex Long, both of the Carolina Dynamo, have led a solid defensive unit that conceded just once in two games. Sean Davis, who also played this summer with the Dynamo, opened his scoring account in a 2-0 win against Northeastern Sunday.
Elsewhere in the ACC on Friday night, Virginia visits Clemson in a game that can be seen on ESPN3 at 8 p.m. ET. The Cavaliers are looking to Chicago Inferno goalkeeper Jeff Gal to build on his shutout against St. John’s Sunday, while freshman Darius Madison is hoping to open his college account after a solid summer with Reading United that saw the Philadelphia Union Academy product score two goals and add an assist in 13 appearances.
For the Tigers, Jersey Express midfielder Thomas McNamara has started strongly, with two goals and an assist in the opening two games of the season, and he is joined by SC United Bantams midfielder Alex Stockinger and Orlando City U23 midfielder Paul Clowes as Clemson looks to build on its opening two wins.
The weekend wraps up Sunday in New York, with No. 23 St. John’s playing host to Penn State at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3. The Red Storm went 1-1-0 in their opening weekend of action, falling to Virginia in their last outing, but are hoping for big performances by former Jersey Express goalkeeper Rafael Diaz and former Long Island Rough Riders duo Sean Sepe and Jimmy Mulligan, both of whom scored in their side’s season-opening victory against NJIT.
Penn State took a pair of victories to start to the season as the Baltimore Bohemians’ Eli Dennis led the way. Dennis had a goal and an assist in the Nittany Lions’ wins, while IMG Academy Bradenton goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton had a pair of shutouts. Both players are hoping to continue that form as they visit Rutgers before their clash with the Red Storm.