LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Spalding University Men's Soccer team is preparing for its opening game in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). The 2017 SLIAC season kicks off this weekend at home when the Golden Eagles host Principia College.
Spalding captured its first-ever SLIAC regular season championship in 2016 and is prepared to defend its crown in the 2017 season. Four home games and five away contests make up the nine-game conference schedule for the Golden Eagles, who were selected 1
st in the conference preseason poll.
"We're excited to return to SLIAC action after eight non-conference matches to start the regular season," Head Coach
Adam Boyer remarked. "We set the bar for ourselves last fall and our guys now know what they are capable of achieving. They're looking forward to this upcoming weekend and understand the importance of starting conference play with a win," he finished.
Spalding sits with a 3-5-0 overall record thus far, with wins over Bluffton, Berea, and Franklin. Leading the way for the Golden Eagles is
Kornell Hilliard, who has tallied 5 goals and 5 assists for a conference-high 15 points. The sophomore forward has already been named SLIAC Offensive Player of the Week. Freshman
Trustun Ashburn has also tallied 5 goals, while first-year
Mirza Ugarak has added 3 goals and 1 assist. Defender
Finn Kola and
Leslie Chu have also earned SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, helping SU to two shutouts thus far.
"We've had a few good performances so far this fall, but have yet to really hit our stride as a team," said Coach Boyer. "Still, we feel extremely confident about our group and know they are capable of repeating as conference champions. It all starts with a strong performance on Saturday at home against Principia."
Following Principia at home, Spalding visits Iowa Wesleyan and Eureka, before returning home for a game against MacMurray. After an away contest at Westminster, SU hosts Blackburn. Away games at Greenville and Fontbonne are rounded out with Senior Day at home against Webster.
With a Top 4 finish, Spalding will compete in the SLIAC Tournament. The highest seed hosts each game, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. After falling just short in the SLIAC Tournament championship game last fall, the Golden Eagles are determined to get back to that moment.
"This game on Saturday is the beginning of a new season. We've got a big test in Principia and all of our upcoming SLIAC games and are looking forward to the challenge ahead," Boyer finished.
