WASHINGTON – The spring 2021 Patriot League champion American University men's soccer team begins the fall 2021 slate against Old Dominion on Sunday afternoon for the annual "Phil Reeves Game" presented by Jetties and Surfside. A special pre-game banner unveiling ceremony will honor last season's Patriot League championship team.
 
QUICK INFO 

• Date/Time: Sunday, August 29, 4:00 p.m. 
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Reeves Field) 
• Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• Series History: Old Dominion leads, 12-7-4 
• TV: ESPN+ 
• Talent: Marc Serber (pxp) 

MASK POLICY AT AU ATHLETICS EVENTS 

• Individuals are required to wear masks to all American University athletics indoor AND outdoor events, per current AU guidelines.  
• We also encourage social distancing at all of our venues. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• These two programs haven't met since the 2004 season, when AU tied the No. 4 Monarchs in Norfolk, Va., 1-1.
• The Eagles are looking for their first win over Old Dominion since Oct. 8, 1997, when they topped the Monarchs 2-0 on the road.
• Old Dominion is unbeaten in their last seven matchups with American.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• The Eagles were scheduled to open their season on Thursday against Furman, but weather postponed the game before kick-off. 
• American returns a solid group of core players from last season's Patriot League champion squad, but will need to replace the leadership of Oscar McConnell and the other seniors who graduated last spring.
• David Coly was named the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and is one game away from setting the record for most consecutive games scoring a goal since 1997 (7). If he picks up a point on Sunday, he will move into first place for most consecutive games with a point since 1997 (7).
• Nicolas Blassou joined Coly on the Preseason All-PL Team after earning Second Team All-Conference last season.
• In the final United Soccer Coaches Poll last season, the Eagles were receiving votes for the second straight poll, finishing with nine total points. In this season's preseason poll, the Eagles received one vote and are looking to move up the rankings with a strong performance against a tough non-conference slate.
• Eight newcomers join the AU men's soccer program this fall. Highlighting the class are Mattias Cooper, a junior transfer from Elon who was Third Team All-CAA last season, and Zemi Rodriguez, a freshman who was named the USL League Two Young Player of the Year for his play over this past summer. Other rookies pushing for playing time include Leo Palomo and Mustapha Sowe. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT OLD DOMINION

• Old Dominion finished the spring slate with a 1-4-3 mark, including 0-4-3 in Conference USA action. 
• The Monarchs return three All-Conference players to their side this fall. Josh Thacker was the C-USA Freshman of the Year and Second Team All C-USA, while Ettore Casadei joined him on the All-Freshman Team. Djibril Doumbia was Third Team All C-USA as a goakeeper.
• Conference USA is competitive as defending national champion Marshall sits atop the throne. The Monarchs were picked to finish eighth in the conference of nine teams.
• Alan Dawson enters his 25th season at ODU as the all-time winningest coach in program history (248). With nine seasons at D-III Methodist to begin his career, he sits at 377 total wins as a head coach, good for eighth all-time in the NCAA.

INTERNATIONAL EAGLES

• 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.
• The program boasts players from England (Malachy McGovern), Senegal (David Coly), Cameroon (Jerry Zouantcha), Sweden (Viggo Sjoberg), and Norway (Mattias Cooper).
• Several others on the team have immediate family ties internationally, which makes for a diverse group of guys playing the beautiful game.

OH, BROTHER

• Jerry Zouantcha returned to AU for a fifth season this fall and gets a nice treat as a result. He will get to play alongside his younger brother, Dilane.
• AU Men's Soccer has a proud history of brothers, most notably the Kuykendalls. Kris, Shawn, and JP all played for the Eagles in the early 2000s, leading AU to the NCAA Tournament in 2001, 2002, and 2004.
• Their father, Kurt, was an All-American goalkeeper for AU in the 1970s and is enshrined in the Cassell Hall of Fame alongside his late son, Shawn.

TRANSFER MARKET

• During the spring 2021 season, in year two under Zach Samol, the Eagles relied heavily on impact transfers.
• David Coly joined AU after spending the 2015 and 2016 seasons at Washington, while Nicolas Blassou returned to the DMV after beginning his career at Kentucky. Both players were named All-Conference in their first season in the nation's capital.
• Ben Severe dealt with injuries during his time at Villanova but played a valuable role defensively for AU down the stretch last season. He should continue making an impact in his senior season.
• Mattias Cooper is the final transfer on AU's roster, joining the program after two seasons at Elon. He was Third Team All-CAA a season ago after leading the team in points (6), goals (2) and assists (2).

PRE-GAME STUDENT FANFEST

• AU students are invited to a FanFest at Reeves Field taking place at 3:30 pm on Sunday before the game.
• Jetties will be having a food truck on site serving cheesesteaks and "smash mash" potato cups as a vegetarian option.
• Students will also be treated to free smoothies from Robeks of Tenleytown.
• Finally, all students will receive their free AU Blue Crew T-Shirt and membership cards.
• Admission is free to all AU home games with a valid student ID.

TICKET INFO

• Tickets to this game and all remaining AU Men's Soccer home games are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here.
• AU Athletics asks that you consider pre-purchasing digital tickets prior to arriving on campus.
• The ticket office is transitioning to contactless tickets so that we may offer the safest and most effective way to minimize contact upon entry.
• Digital tickets also give fans more control in the management of tickets including the ability to forward/share ticket(s) with friends and family.
• You may either present digital tickets on a smart phone device or download and pre-print ticket(s) at home with a valid QR code.
• Thank you for your help and cooperation in advancing contactless ticketing for the health and safety of our entire AU community.

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 $6.99/month or $69.99/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).