WASHINGTON – American University men's soccer will make its home season debut on Friday, Sept. 1 when the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams come to Reeves. The Eagles are in search of their first win of the season in what will be the 12th meeting all-time between the two programs.
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Friday, September 1; 4:00 p.m.
• Site: Washington, D.C. (Reeves Field)
• TV: ESPN+
• Tickets: AUEagles.com/Tickets
• Talent: Marc Serber
• Promotion: The first 50 AU students at the game will receive a free AU Soccer Spirit Scarf courtesy of DC Trails.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• American leads the all-time series, 6-3-2, and leads 4-1 in the last five meetings.
• The last meeting between the two squads was Sept. 22, 2007 at Reeves. VCU came away with the 5-0 win.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• American enters Friday's game with a 0-1-0 record, falling to UNCW, 2-1, to start the season. The Eagles last game, a Sunday night contest at UNC, was cancelled due to inclement weather that came through the area.
• The Eagles return both of their leading scorers from last season, Robbie Matei and Evan Schweickert, who each found the back of the net four times for AU. They also return one of their top assists' leaders from last season in Troy Elgersma who totaled four assists.
• Head Coach Zach Samol enters his fourth year at the head of the program. He is joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Mike Montross, Patrick Melhert, and Zach Weidman.
• Matei was named the Patriot League's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and the Eagles were picked to finish third in the league.
• The squad welcomes five new faces to roster this season with four freshmen and one junior transfer looking to contribute to the Eagles success on the field. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT VCU

• VCU enters Friday's game with a 0-1-1 record. Most recently, the Rams are coming off a 4-0 loss to No. 21 FIU on Monday.
• Damian Gallegos has scored the Ram's lone goal so far this season. He netted the equalizer in the 72nd minute in VCU's season opener against No. 23 New Hampshire.
• The Rams return their leading scorer, Camilo Comi, who netted five goals last season. They also return their assists leader, Gerardo Castillo, who totaled three assists last season. 
• The Rams are led by head coach Dave Giffard in his 14th season at the head of the program. He is joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Brett Teach and Lucas Paulini, Director of Operations Juan Fajardo-Ortiz, and Director of Player Development Ronnie Pascale.

TICKET INFO

• Tickets to the game and to all AU Men's Soccer home games can be purchased here.

HOW TO WATCH ON 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 $69.99/month or $99.99/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), and Instagram (@au.msoccer).