Mitchell Layton

Men's Soccer 4/2/2021 2:58:00 PM

Men’s Soccer Hosting Loyola Maryland for Senior Day

WASHINGTON – After a bye week, American University men's soccer returns to Reeves Field for the first time since March 6 to face Loyola Maryland on Senior Day.

QUICK INFO

Date/Time: Saturday, April 3, 3:30 p.m.
Site: Washington, D.C. (Reeves Field)
Series History: Loyola leads, 27-16-5
TV: ESPN+

PLEASE FOLLOW US ONLINE ONLY; NO FANS OR SPECTATORS PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

Per Washington, D.C. and American University guidelines, and for the health and safety of our coaches, student-athletes and campus community, no spectators are permitted at athletics events in 2020-21.
This policy is a stipulation of our approval to host athletic events from D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
We do not anticipate a change in these guidelines this semester. Violators will be escorted from the site and jeopardize our ability to host athletic events for our student-athletes.
All American University athletic events played on campus this spring will be streamed on ESPN+ (FAQ HERE) and can also be watched through the Patriot League's International Video Stream.
Schedules and game updates can be found at www.AUeagles.com and our Twitter account @AUeagles.
All scheduled events and start times are subject to change.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Just two weeks ago, American completed a comeback against Loyola by scoring in the 89th minute and the 95th minute to top the Greyhounds, 2-1, in overtime.
Because the two teams have played already, this matchup will not count for division points, only for overall league points.
The two programs have met 48 times, the most meetings for AU with any other Patriot League foe.
Loyola and AU met for the first time in AU's inaugural season (1949). The Greyhounds dominated that initial matchup, 5-0.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

AU had a game against Bucknell last week taken off the schedule since the two teams had already met earlier in the season. The Eagles were last on the pitch in that thrilling win over the Greyhounds two weeks ago. Schedules around the league are shifting as the PL works to reschedule games to meet divisional scheduling requirements for tournament seeding purposes.
The Eagles are 2-1 to open Patriot League play, AU's best three-game start in conference since 2016. That year's team ended up going 7-1-1 in PL play en route to the regular-season title. AU is currently first in the PL South Division.
AU earned the 500th win in men's soccer history with a win two weeks ago at Loyola. The program began in 1949 and is in the 72nd season of existence.
Defensively, American rides a two-goalkeeper rotation. Senior Jake Agnew starts the first half, while freshman Lorenzo Gordon finishes the game. The Eagles hold a 0.98 goals against average (GAA), good for second in the Patriot League. Agnew was named PL Goalkeeper of the Week after recording three saves on 13 shots faced last time out. Gordon ranks second in the league with a 0.64 GAA.
Offensively, the AU attack is led by David Coly, Kyle Hellmann, and Jason Bouregy. Hellmann ranks fourth in the PL with four points (2 goals) this season with Bouregy right behind him with three (1 goal - 1 assist). Bouregy was named PL Rookie of the Week last time after serving a brilliant feed to a streaking Hellman for the equalizer. Coly scored on a PK against Bucknell and pushed the pace with five shots against the Bison.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LOYOLA

Loyola was predicted to finish third in the PL preseason poll. The Greyhounds are 1-1 this season with both games requiring extra time. Last Saturday, Loyola topped Lehigh 2-1 in double-overtime. Freshman Loc San scored the winner and was named PL Offensive Player of the Week as a result.
The Greyhounds picked up a share of their third straight league title in 2019, but lost five seniors that were named All-Patriot League a season ago, two of which were drafted in the MLS SuperDraft (Josh Fawole and Barry Sharifi). Loyola is the first team in Patriot League men's soccer history to top the regular-season standings three years in a row.
Justin Ingram, Jonathan Sousa, and Chase Vosvick were named Preseason All-PL for this season. Vosvick was also one of 34 players selected for the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List for the 2020-21 season. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer.
Steve Nichols enters his seventh season at the helm of the Loyola program, leading the Greyhounds back to national prominence. The 2019 campaign was highlighted by an 8-1-1 finish to the regular season, with the lone draw in that stretch a 1-1 result at No. 2 Wake Forest.

AWARDS SEASON

American has earned Patriot League Men's Soccer weekly awards on two different occasions this season. After the double-overtime win over Loyola, Jason Bouregy (Rookie) and Jake Agnew (Goalkeeper) were honored by the league.
Additionally, AU picked up four weekly awards after topping Lehigh in the season-opener. All four players (Bouregy, Blassou, Gordon, Matei) honored by the league were playing the first games in their AU career.
That recognition marked the first time since Oct. 22, 2018 that an AU Men's Soccer player was a recipient of a PL weekly award.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

With its remarkable location in Washington, D.C., American has long attracted students from all around the globe. The men's soccer program is no different.
AU boasts a roster featuring eight international players from six different countries.
England leads the way with three players calling it home (Dimitrijevic, McConnell, McGovern).
Other countries represented on the AU roster include Bulgaria (Poelzlbauer), Cameroon (Zouantcha), Turkey (Bouregy), Senegal (Coly), and Sweden (Sjoberg). Additionally, Al-Ameen Salako was born in Nigeria, but calls Wilmette, Ill., home.

STAYING LOCAL

As global of a footprint that AU Men's Soccer has produced, local roots to soccer clubs in the DMV region also run deep.
Five players from the Bethesda-Rockville area have made the short trek up the road to be an Eagle. Nicolas Blassou and Ben Severe both transferred to AU to be closer to home after beginning their careers at Kentucky and Villanova, respectively. Will Manogue, Kevin Ventura, and Tomas Martini join those two as Maryland natives on the roster.
Lorenzo Gordon is also not very far from his hometown of Fairfax, Va. Gordon is the only Virginia native on the squad this season.

THE AMERICAN 500

With the win over Loyola two weeks ago, American men's soccer reached 500 wins in program history.
The program was established in 1949 and is competing in its 72nd season.
The Patriot League boasts a rich men's soccer tradition, as eight other programs have also reached 500 wins.
Of programs established after the 1930s, AU is one of three to reach the milestone (Boston U. - 1949, 560 wins, Loyola - 1940, 734 wins).

STACKING UP THE STATS

Lorenzo Gordon has really shined in the first few games of his AU career.
The rookie leads the league in save percentage (.833) and is second in the league with a 0.64 GAA, only allowing one goal in 140 minutes between the pipes.
Kyle Hellmann ranks fourth in the PL with four points (2 goals) this season with Jason Bouregy right behind him with three (1 goal - 1 assist).

THE STORY ON SCHEDULING

A six-game Patriot League-only schedule is in place and set to begin in early March. The Eagles, like all fall sports in the Patriot League and in much of the nation, did not have competition in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AU will compete in the Patriot League South Division along with Bucknell, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland, and Navy. The North Division features Army, Boston U., Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Colgate.
Four teams will qualify for the PL Tournament, with each division winner hosting the second-place team within its division in the semifinal round. The remaining team with the highest regular-season point total will host the championship game.

VIRTUALLY "PHIL" REEVES FIELD PRESENTED BY GEICO

American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Reeves Field for the upcoming men's soccer season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to virtually sell out each seat at Reeves Field for the 2021 men's soccer campaign. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets.

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+

A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

KEEP UP WITH US

For the latest on American University Men's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MSoccer ), Facebook (/AU.MSoccer) and Instagram (@au.msoccer).

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Players Mentioned

#21 Kyle Hellmann: M; 5' 11"; Senior

#31 Will Manogue: GK; 6' 1"; Junior

#1 Jake Agnew: GK; 6' 0"; Senior

#10 Al-Ameen Salako: F; 5' 6"; Senior

#26 Jason Bouregy: M; 5' 9"; Freshman; PDA

#0 Lorenzo Gordon: GK; 6' 3"; Freshman

#27 Kevin Ventura: M; 5' 9"; Freshman

#24 Tomas Martini: M; 5' 6"; Freshman

#13 Nicolas Blassou: D; 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior

#7 David Coly: F; 6' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#21 Kyle Hellmann
: 5' 11"; Senior
: M

#31 Will Manogue
: 6' 1"; Junior
: GK

#1 Jake Agnew
: 6' 0"; Senior
: GK

#10 Al-Ameen Salako
: 5' 6"; Senior
: F

#26 Jason Bouregy
: 5' 9"; Freshman; PDA
: M

#0 Lorenzo Gordon
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: GK

#27 Kevin Ventura
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: M

#24 Tomas Martini
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: M

#13 Nicolas Blassou
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Junior
: D

#7 David Coly
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned

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