Senators soccer plays host to kick-off tournament
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Contributed The Auburn University at Montgomery soccer programs will host the fourth-annual AUM Fall Kick-Off Classic this weekend and will feature the Senators and Lady Senators, as well as Brewton-Parker, Graceland and the men’s and women’s teams from Shorter. The No. 13 Lady Senators open the tournament and their season against Brewton-Parker on Friday at 1 p.m. at AUM Soccer Complex, while the No. 17 Senators (1-0) will host Shorter University following the women’s match, at approximately 3 p.m. The tournament will continue on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a neutral-site men’s match between Shorter and Graceland University. The Lady Senators will follow with a match against Shorter at 3 p.m., to finish out the women’s portion of the tournament. The Senators will conclude the tournament with a match on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Graceland. Quick Look at the Lady Senators Ranked 13th in the NAIA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the 2010 Lady Senators return 18 players from last season’s 15-5-2 squad. Leading the returners are senior goalkeeper Daisy Burnfield, senior forward Amber Elam, senior defender Christine DeVito, sophomore defender Dixie Robinson and sophomore midfielder Helga Franklinsdottir, all of whom were first-team All-SSAC selections last season. A Glance at the Senators The No. 17 AUM men’s soccer team completed a second-half rally to defeat the University of Davenport, 3-2, in the season opener last weekend. With the win, the Senators improved to 1-0 on the season and remained undefeated in season-openers under fourth-year head coach Wulf-Dieter Koch. Senior Stefan Arnarson scored the game-winning goal in the 76th minute, taking a well-placed pass from freshman Gudni Kristjansson Freshman Atli Sigurdsson gave the Senators a 1-0 lead early in the contest, after he scored his first collegiate goal less than 10 minutes into the contest. Senior Gunnar Kristinsson posted the first of two assists on the afternoon on the goal. Junior Vignir Benediktsson slammed home his second career goal, with Kristinsson and fellow junior Chris Ross assisting. About Brewton-Parker Men’s Soccer Brewton-Parker opens its season this weekend and is looking to improve from last year’s 4-11-1 finish. The Barons finished seventh in the conference last year, losing to AUM in the first round of the SSAC Conference Tournament, and head coach Dan Robertson has brought in several new recruits to build a successful program. About Shorter Men’s Soccer Shorter’s men’s soccer team will open its season this weekend, and were picked to finish second in SSAC East. The Hawks have 10 returning players, including five seniors, who helped tie the school record with 12 wins last season. Sebastian Stihler, the 2009 SSAC Defensive Player of Year, second- team NAIA All-American and first-team NSCAA All-American, highlight the returning players. John Calderwood and Elliot Livesey each earned All-SSAC honors in 2009. About Shorter Women’s Soccer The Lady Hawks will also kick off their season this weekend and have 14 returners from last year’s team that finished 8-9-2. Shorter welcomed 10 incoming players and were selected to finish third in the SSAC East. Jennifer Colley is in her first season as the program’s head coach after spending the prior two seasons as head assistant coach for the Lady Hawks. About Graceland Men’s Soccer Graceland welcomes a new coach for the 2010 season in Guillermo Sanchez, who was promoted to Associate Head Coach following the 2009 season. The Yellowjackets finished last season with a 13-5-2 record, but were hit by the loss of 10 seniors, including their top five scorers and an All-American goalkeeper in Carlos Ortiz. Tournament Schedule Friday, August 27 1 p.m. – Lady Senators vs. Brewton-Parker 3 p.m. – Senators vs. Shorter
Saturday, August 28 1 p.m. – Shorter Men vs. Graceland Men 3 p.m. – Lady Senators vs. Shorter
Sunday, August 29 1 p.m. – Senators vs. Graceland |
