PDL Feature
Friday, September 13, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – One of the annual marquee matchups in NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer highlights the slate of games set to be televised nationally this weekend as No. 2 North Carolina hosts No. 18 Maryland on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN3. Both sides will be led by current and former PDL standouts as they meet for the last time in the regular season as members of the ACC.
North Carolina has made a solid start to the season, earning a 1-1 draw in its last outing on the road against No. 4 Notre Dame Sunday. The Tar Heels were again led by former Chicago Fire PDL forward Tyler Engel, who bagged his third goal of the season, but they were pegged back late by the Fighting Irish and forced to settle for a draw.
Key on Friday night for UNC will be former Carolina Dynamo defender Boyd Okwuonu and Orlando City U23 goalkeeper Brendan Moore, who will marshal a defense charged with slowing former New Orleans Jester and current MAC Hermann Trophy holder Patrick Mullins. The senior leads the Terrapins with two goals and three assists, but Maryland’s defense remains an issue, again conceding three goals in a 3-2 loss to VCU in its last outing. Austin Aztex defender Mikey Ambrose will need to be sharp to help the Terrapins improve at the back.
Also on Friday night, No. 12 St. John’s hosts South Carolina at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN3 looking to build on a pair of strong victories against Akron and Penn State last week. Former Long Island Rough Riders midfielder Jimmy Mulligan has made a good start to the season for the Red Storm, with his second goal of the season proving the game-winner against the Zips, while former Jersey Express goalkeeper Rafael Diaz is considered a strong prospect for MLS.
South Carolina, meanwhile, is led by SC United Bantams goalkeeper Robert Beebe, who has posted a 1.32 goals-against average so far this season. Also in the Gamecocks squad is IMG Bradenton Academy’s Asa Kryst and the Bantams’ Hunter Wyer, both of whom have found the back of the net this season, and midfielder Devin L’Amoreaux, who led SC United with three assists this summer.
Saturday night sees more ACC action on ESPN3 as Jersey Express midfielder Thomas McNamara leads Clemson against the Carolina Dynamo’s Alex Martinez and North Carolina State at 7 p.m. ET. McNamara was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com Player of the Week this past week, and has scored in each of the Tigers’ first four games.
McNamara is backed by SC United midfielder Alex Stockinger and Orlando City U23s Paul Clowes, both of whom have appeared as Clemson has opened 4-0-0. Martinez, meanwhile, has a goal and an assist in the Wolfpack’s opening three games of the season, as does his Dynamo teammate Clement Simonin.
On the west coast, UCLA is featured twice on the Pac-12 Network this weekend. The Bruins host No. 17 UC Santa Barbara on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET aiming to jumpstart an attack that has only scored once in its opening three games, on a goal by the Ventura County Fusion’s Victor Chavez. The Gauchos, on the other hand, have had a Fusion player of their own help lead the way to a 2-1-0 record, with Achille Campion recording a goal and an assist. Former Chicago Fire PDL forward Goffin Boyoko is also a player to watch, with three goals in three games so far.
On Sunday, the Bruins welcome San Diego and a pair of players from FC Tucson at 7 p.m. ET, with Connor Brandt and Eli Galbraith-Knapp set to play important roles for the Toreros. Brandt had two goals and three assists for Tucson this summer, and picked up his first assist of the fall in San Diego’s second game of the season against Cal State Northridge. Galbraith-Knapp, meanwhile, has started all three games, while Tucson goalkeeper Michael D’Arrigo has a 1.65 goals-against average this fall.