Men's Soccer 8/25/2016 12:00:00 PM

HIGHLANDERS OPEN SEASON FRIDAY IN JMU INVITATIONAL

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RADFORD, Va. – Fresh off a 14-4-2 record, a Big South regular season championship and NCAA Tournament berth; head coach Marc Reeves returns 31 goals and eight starters from last year's squad. The Highlanders will use the experience gained from a year ago as they start their journey tomorrow in the JMU Invitational, taking on North Carolina St. and Lehigh.

The Highlanders return 23 players, while welcoming nine newcomers to make up one of the most youthful teams in program history with 18 underclassmen. Radford finished the preseason with a 2-0-1 mark, their third consecutive season with a winning preseason record.

"Preseason is about establishing team mentality, philosophy and identity. We were successful in establishing those and finding solutions for our graduated spots," Reeves said. "We played three very different opponents in VMI, Charleston and Marshall. We were able to work on our game sharpness, team chemistry and understanding game situations in those exhibitions."

In addition to their 2-0-1 preseason record, the Highlanders received several preseason honors. Reeves' squad received seven Big South first place votes as the Highlanders were selected as the league's favorite for the first time since 1997. RU received eight votes in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Poll. For the first time in program history, RU swept the Big South's preseason player awards as Sivert Daehlie earned Preseason Attacking Player of the Year and Jo Vetle Rimstad was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Of the 31 goals returning from a season ago, Daehlie found the back of the net 13 times, ranking second in the conference. Daehlie was calm in clutch situation as seven of his 13 goals, resulted in game winners, ranking second nationally.

"Sivert is a valuable member throughout the field for us," Reeves added. "More teams are going to be aware of him now and he is going to have to earn everything. I have great confidence in his desire to become an improved player."

Joining Daehlie with a strong freshman campaign, Finn Tiedemann tallied seven goals on 15 shots on goal. Garland Smith, Evan Szklennik, Jakob Strandsäter and Taylor Martin finished the 2015 season with multiple goals; combing for nine scores. Szklennik put together a strong season in the midfield, setting teammates up for eight goals, leading the squad.

"We have a lot of speed and depth in wide areas, which makes us dynamic on the attacking side," Reeves added. "The way we play, we ask our midfield to concentrate on the defensive aspect of the game, while igniting our attack."

Maintaining the roving midfield role will be a mixture of Kieran Roberts, Wyatt Erzen, Neil Martorana, Martin and Strandsäter.

Radford returns one of the best defenses in the Big South and the nation. The Highlander defense pitched nine shutouts, yielding only four goals in league play, while ranking 43rd nationally with a 0.93 goals against average in 2015.

The defense will be anchored by the trio of Fraser Colmer, Bismark Amofah and Rimstad. The trio has been a mainstay in the Highlander lineup, while proving to be one of the main reasons the Highlanders have only lost five league games in the last three years.

"Our back four has an incredible amount depth this year. This preseason saw a number of players perform well and it still to be determined for the best possible solution to replace Daniel O'Keefe," Reeves noted. "When you return three consistent players in Amofah, Colmer and Rimstad; it's a great sign. We expect several other players to challenge for minutes and I'm excited to see how that unfolds."

Michael Walsh, Leon Birke, Kyle Barnett and Victor Valls will provide depth for the Highlander backline as the grueling 17-match season can take a toll on the body.

All-Big South performer Aitor Pouseu Blanco returns to maintain his dominance between the pipes. In 2015, Pouseu Blanco recorded eight shutouts and collected 49 saves, allowing only 18 goals. The redshirt-junior finished third in the conference with a 0.93 goals against average and fifth with a .731 save percentage.

"Aitor was the best goalkeeper in the Big South last season and has put together back-to-back fantastic seasons," Reeves said. "Nicolas Mertzokat has improved tremendously over the last two semesters. Koby Johnson has been very important to our program in many facets. Those three guys work hard together, which makes us hard to beat."

The strength of schedule can hold a major effect on the outcome of a season in men's soccer and the Highlanders can attest to that. Radford received an at large bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament on the behalf of their No. 20 RPI ranking.

"Last year, we racked up a ton of wins and had some key victories. Our schedule will always be set up to challenge our team," Reeves added. "When you look back at the end of the season, the body of work really does play an important role."

Radford's 2016 schedule sports five NCAA Tournament squads from a season ago. The Highlanders will take on the likes of No. 17 Virginia, No. 21 Coastal Carolina, Elon, Lehigh and Winthrop.

The Highlanders were one of three Big South teams to make the tournament, showcasing the Big South as one of premiere mid-major conferences in men's soccer.

"When you play conference games, there always exceptionally tight," Reeves said. "In soccer, you can have a dominating performance and still end up on the losing side of it. We want to make sure we prepare to take care of as many details as possible to give ourselves the best chance to beat those eight teams."

Despite entering his seventh season at the helm of the Highlanders, Reeves brings the same amount of high-octane energy every day, which is on display throughout the team.

"The unfolding of a team is greatest thing about college soccer, because every year is a brand new team. It's exciting to see how they will gel and how successful they can be," Reeves noted. "As a group, we preach to maximizing this group's ability. The bar is set a little higher after last season."

Radford kicks off the 2016 season tomorrow in Harrisonburg, Va. The Highlanders will open the JMU Invitational with a 5 p.m. matchup with North Carolina St.

For the latest on Radford Athletics, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Highlander Happenings.

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Players Mentioned

#24 Daniel O'Keefe: D; 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior

#6 Bismark Amofah: D; 5' 9"; Senior

#3 Fraser Colmer: D; 6' 0"; Junior; Brookfield Community

#10 Sivert Daehlie: F; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#0 Koby Johnson: GK; 6' 4"; Junior

#18 Taylor Martin: MF; 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore

#11 Neil Martorana: F; 5' 10"; Junior

#23 Nicolas Mertzokat: GK; 6' 3"; Junior

#1 Aitor Pouseu Blanco: GK; 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior

#7 Kieran Roberts: F; 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore

#17 Garland Smith: F; 5' 9"; Senior

#14 Jakob Strandsäter: MF; 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#24 Daniel O'Keefe
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Senior
: D

#6 Bismark Amofah
: 5' 9"; Senior
: D

#3 Fraser Colmer
: 6' 0"; Junior; Brookfield Community
: D

#10 Sivert Daehlie
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: F

#0 Koby Johnson
: 6' 4"; Junior
: GK

#18 Taylor Martin
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore
: MF

#11 Neil Martorana
: 5' 10"; Junior
: F

#23 Nicolas Mertzokat
: 6' 3"; Junior
: GK

#1 Aitor Pouseu Blanco
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Junior
: GK

#7 Kieran Roberts
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Sophomore
: F

#17 Garland Smith
: 5' 9"; Senior
: F

#14 Jakob Strandsäter
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: MF