WASHINGTON – For the first time ever, the American University men's soccer team will battle against Santa Clara, hosting the legendary West Coast Conference program on Friday afternoon at Reeves Field.
 
QUICK INFO 

• Date/Time: Friday, September 3, 4:00 p.m. 
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Reeves Field) 
• Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• Series History: First Meeting 
• TV: ESPN+ 
• Talent: Christian Taylor (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. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• American picked up a 2-1 win over Old Dominion to open the season on Sunday. Zemi Rodriguez scored the opening goal before Dilane Zouantcha scored the game-winner late in the second half. Both players were playing in their first college soccer game.
• David Coly was named the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. With two assists against ODU, Coly has now scored a point in seven straight matches, tying Kris Bertsch and Angel Lanchas for the record for most consecutive games with a point since 1997.
• 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 SANTA CLARA

• Santa Clara has opened the season with two wins, including a dominant 4-1 result over Sacramento State. The Broncos come to D.C. to face AU on Friday and Georgetown on Sunday.
• Santa Clara returns four All-WCC performers, including first team selection Javier Ruiz Duran. Oladayo Thomas was honorable mention All-WCC last season and led the team with four goals.
• Santa Clara has been to 20 NCAA Tournaments, five College Cups (1989, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2003) and won one National Championship (1989). The Broncos last won the WCC in 2015. 
• Cam Rast enters his 20th season at the helm as the winningest coach in program history. The All-American Santa Clara alumnus has led the program to seven NCAA Tournaments and five WCC titles while at the helm.

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.
• Dilane scored his first career goal against Old Dominion in his first career game, while Jerry waited until his sophomore season to find the back of the net.
• 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 the 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).

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).