MSOC
Mitchell Layton

Men's Soccer

Men’s Soccer Hosts Lehigh for Patriot League Home Opener

WASHINGTON – American University men's soccer hosts Lehigh on Saturday afternoon with both teams looking for their first Patriot League victory this season.
 
QUICK INFO 
  • Date/Time: Saturday, September 25, 2:00 p.m. 
  • Site: Washington, D.C. (Reeves Field) 
  • Ticket Info: AUEagles.com/Tickets
  • Series History: AU leads, 15-8-5 
  • 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. 
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN
  • Since beginning the season with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Old Dominion, American hasn't won another match, ending the early non-conference slate with back-to-back ties against Delaware and Longwood.
  • David Coly has scored a goal in three straight games, including a ninth-minute header to give AU an early lead against Holy Cross last Saturday. He is one of two players in AU men's soccer history (since 1997) with two different three-game goal streaks during their careers (Adam Rosen). The Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year ranks second in the PL with his three goals.
  • Six different players have found the back of the net this season, including the first career goals for all of AU's goal-scorers except David Coly. Freshmen Zemi Rodriguez, Dilane Zouantcha, and Mustapha Sowe join sophomores Nevin Baer and Ethan Boyle as first-time goal-scorers this fall.
  • Nicolas Blassou joined Coly on the Preseason All-PL Team after earning Second Team All-Conference last season.
  • 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 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, Sowe, and Zouantcha.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LEHIGH
  • Lehigh was predicted to finish fifth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, but the Mountain Hawks have stumbled out of the gates and are still searching for their first win of the season.
  • Stevo Bednarsky and Josh Luchini were placed on the Preseason All-PL team and are looking to help the Mountain Hawks back to their championship ways from 2019.
  • Lehigh opened Patriot League play with a 2-1 home loss to Loyola Maryland last Saturday. The game script looked similar to AU's loss to Holy Cross as Lehigh scored an early goal before Loyola won the game with a second-half tally.
  • Dean Koski is in his 30th season as the head men's soccer coach at Lehigh. He is the winningest coach in program history and has led the team to three conference titles and five NCAA Tournament berths.
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 (McGovern), Senegal (Coly), Cameroon (Zouantcha), Sweden (Sjoberg), and Norway (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.
ENHANCED CONCESSIONS FOR SATURDAY'S MATCH
  • AU Athletics has partnered with Gregorio's Trattoria to provide an enhanced concessions menu for all home weekend men's and women's soccer games this fall.
  • Fans can enjoy Gregorio's favorites from the grill station to the left of the Reeves Field bleachers including menu selections of freshly grilled burgers, Italian sausage and peppers, hot dogs, and a selection of cold Pepsi and Gatorade beverages.
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).
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Players Mentioned

Nevin Baer

#8 Nevin Baer

D
6' 0"
Junior
Nicolas Blassou

#5 Nicolas Blassou

D
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Ethan Boyle

#23 Ethan Boyle

M
6' 2"
Sophomore
David Coly

#7 David Coly

F
6' 0"
Senior
Ben Severe

#17 Ben Severe

D
5' 8"
Senior
Jerry Zouantcha

#10 Jerry Zouantcha

F
5' 9"
Graduate Student
Mattias Cooper

#21 Mattias Cooper

M
6' 0"
Junior
Leo Palomo

#18 Leo Palomo

M
6' 0"
Freshman
Zemi Rodriguez

#11 Zemi Rodriguez

F
5' 9"
Freshman
Mustapha Sowe

#20 Mustapha Sowe

M
5' 10"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Nevin Baer

#8 Nevin Baer

6' 0"
Junior
D
Nicolas Blassou

#5 Nicolas Blassou

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
D
Ethan Boyle

#23 Ethan Boyle

6' 2"
Sophomore
M
David Coly

#7 David Coly

6' 0"
Senior
F
Ben Severe

#17 Ben Severe

5' 8"
Senior
D
Jerry Zouantcha

#10 Jerry Zouantcha

5' 9"
Graduate Student
F
Mattias Cooper

#21 Mattias Cooper

6' 0"
Junior
M
Leo Palomo

#18 Leo Palomo

6' 0"
Freshman
M
Zemi Rodriguez

#11 Zemi Rodriguez

5' 9"
Freshman
F
Mustapha Sowe

#20 Mustapha Sowe

5' 10"
Freshman
M