NEWS

 

DAVIDSON – After a historic 2023 campaign, the Davidson College men’s soccer team will begin a new journey.

‘Cats at a Glance
This year’s roster fields 27 student-athletes. There are eight sophomores, seven juniors, and six seniors and freshmen. The team will be led by captains Eamon Moylan, Vincent Bennage and Alonzo Clarke.

Forwards
This year’s attack will once again be headlined by the dynamic duo of Denis Krioutchenkov and Bennage. The fast-flying forwards combined for 16 of the team’s 26 goals last year and 39 of 76 points. Both Wisconsin natives were named to United Soccer Coaches “Forwards to Watch List” this offseason, the only pair of teammates on the list. Also, Krioutchenkov made TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Top 100 Preseason Rankings (No. 100) and earned Preseason All-Conference recognition.

Joining them on the front line are hybrid forward/midfielders Blake Peterson, Jackson Nabors and Piers Ringdahl. Also, newcomer Tobe Ibe will be thrown in the mix right away. Ibe scored the team’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw during exhibition action against No. 15 Wake Forest.

Midfielders
The ‘Cats have ten midfielders on the roster, led by captain Clarke. The third-year Connecticut native scored three goals, including two game-winners, a year ago in 872 minutes played. Other returners include Nico Quanbeck, who was fourth on the team with 1,132 minutes played in 2023 and ended the season ranked on TopDrawerSoccer’s “Top 100 Freshmen List.”

Other returners include seniors Lyman Ott and Thomas Vincent, juniors Jack Brown and Baylen Young and sophomores Noah Louzan and Ben Minikel-Lacocque. Fresh faces in the midfield include transfer Myles Culley, and first-year man Mateo Castellini. Brown and Louzan helped provide positional flexibility as Brown played on the back line as an attacking defender, and Louzan spent time on the front line his freshman year.

Defenders
A year ago, the Wildcats hung their hats on suffocating defense. At the midway point of the season, Davidson was top 10 nationally in goals allowed average and ended the year with just 16 goals conceded, the third-fewest in the A-10. The back line lost key contributors from 2023 but return valuable experience and leadership in captain Moylan. He started all 16 games and played the second-most minutes a year ago at 1,392. Also returning is sophomore Ayman Maadir, who started nine games, played in all 16, and earned his way onto the A-10 All-Rookie team.

Making a return to the defensive side will be senior Sai Tummala, who got postseason experience when he came in against Duquesne in the first round of the A-10 Tournament and recorded assists on both of Davidson’s goals. Sophomores Hampton Hughes and Patrick Ward also look to man the back line.

Newcomers to the Davidson defense include Brady McGlone, AJ Wild and Garrett Wilkens. McGlone has started in all three exhibition matches and was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s “Best XI Freshman List” as a defender.

Goalkeepers
The Wildcats will have a new starting goalkeeper after losing last year’s starter, Lou Liedtka, to graduation. Sophomore Lucas Beltran started the three exhibition matches and split time with junior Jack Burden. The ‘Cats also added freshman keeper Carson Pridie, who was named Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year this summer.

2024 Slate
Davidson opens the year on the road with back-to-back games against NCAA Tournament teams. After visiting Charlotte, the Wildcats head to High Point on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

From there, the Wildcats will enjoy the friendly confines of Alumni Stadium for most of September where they will face regional non-conference opponents. The five-game homestand kicks off against Campbell on Sept. 2 and also includes UNC Greensboro, Furman, UNC Asheville and Mercer.

Atlantic 10 play will begin with a Sept. 21 road trip to Saint Joseph’s before the team returns to Davidson to face La Salle on Sept. 28.

The month of October begins with a trek up to St. Bonaventure (Oct. 5) before the team returns home to face preseason conference favorite VCU on Oct. 9. UMass comes to town on Oct. 12 before Davidson travels to Pittsburgh for a first-round rematch at Duquesne (Oct. 19).

Senior Night is Oct. 22 in a non-conference match with Johnson and Wales before the Wildcats shift gears for a rematch of last year’s A-10 semifinal against Dayton at home (Oct. 2).

Davidson wraps up October with a non-conference match at Virginia Tech (Oct. 29) before capping off the regular season on the road at Rhode Island (Nov. 2).

“We want to keep testing ourselves against the best teams in the region,” said Charlie Slagle Men’s Soccer Head Coach Mike Babst. “We want to learn and know that to be one of the top teams, we have to earn results against the top teams.”