Men's Soccer | 8/29/2018 3:19:00 PM

THE DETAILS
Bloomsburg (0-0-0, 0-0-0 PSAC) at Shepherd (0-0-0, 0-0-0 MEC)
Thursday, August 30, 2018 - 1:00 p.m.
Shepherd Soccer Complex - Shepherdstown, W. Va.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats - CLICK HERE
 
RELATED LINKS
Bloomsburg - Schedule | Roster | Statistics (2017)
Shepherd - Schedule | Roster | Statistics (2017)
 
STORYLINE
Bloomsburg begins the 2018 season on Thursday afternoon with a road contest against Shepherd. The Huskies will be under the direction of first-year head coach, Danny Wheelan, while the Rams will be embarking on their final season in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) before joining the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in 2019.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
The Huskies have won five of the prior six meetings between the two schools. The teams last met on October 29, 2013 with Bloomsburg earning a 2-1 victory over Shepherd in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
 
PRESEASON POLL
Bloomsburg was picked to finish ninth in the PSAC preseason coaches' poll released earlier this month. The Huskies finished the 2017 season with a 5-12 overall record and a 2-9 mark in conference play. 16th-ranked West Chester gathered four first place votes as the top seed, while Gannon received five first place votes and was voted second. Defending conference champion, #25 East Stroudsburg, got two first place votes and was voted third, while Mercyhurst was selected fourth and garnered the final first place vote. Millersville was tabbed fifth, while Seton Hill was picked sixth. Lock Haven, Shippensburg, and Bloomsburg occupied spots seven through nine while Slippery Rock, California (Pa.), and Pitt-Johnstown rounded out the poll.
 
SCOUTING BLOOMSBURG
A new era begins with the Bloomsburg men's soccer program as Danny Wheelan takes over the reins as the Huskies' head coach, replacing the team's all-time winningest coach, Paul Payne, who departed after 19 seasons at the helm. Wheelan is no stranger to Bloomsburg, however, as he served as Payne's graduate assistant coach during the 2012 and 2013 campaigns while also serving in the same capacity for the women's soccer program in 2012. The Huskies, who went 5-12 last season and finished 2-9 in league play, return 15 members from last year's squad. Junior Mike Bazadona III (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) led the Huskies in scoring last season with five goals and two assists for 12 points in only 12 games. The junior has seven goals and four assists for 18 points through his first two seasons. Sophomore Carter Luckenbaugh (York, Pa./Central York) enjoyed a breakout rookie season, posting 11 assists and finishing second on the team with 11 points. His assist total led the PSAC and marked the third-highest single-season total in program history. Senior Kevin Rodriguez (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) and junior Matt Goodall (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) chipped in two goals apiece last season and are next in scoring among returning players from a year ago. Wheelan brought in eight newcomers, including two goalkeepers, to provide depth and to compete for extensive playing time.

In goal, sophomore Brock Gould (York, Pa./Red Lion) returns after seeing limited time as a freshman last year. Gould appeared in two matches but posted an 11-save shutout at Molloy in a 1-0 victory last October 25. Redshirt freshman Jason Stone (Dresher, Pa./Upper Dublin) is the other returning goalkeeper from last year's team but did not see action.
 
SCOUTING SHEPHERD
The Rams went 0-17-1 last season with an 0-12 record in the MEC. Shepherd was outscored by a 76-11 margin in its 18 contests but brought in 15 freshmen as the program revamped its roster. Senior Justin Daniels is the top returning scorer for the Rams as he scored two goals and three assists for seven points last season. In fact, Daniels is the team's only returner that scored a goal last year. Sophomore Jacob Dougal is the team's lone returning goalkeeper from last season. As a rookie, Dougal went 0-8-1 with a 4.60 goals against average and a .511 save percentage.
 
UP NEXT
The Huskies will play their first home match of the season on Saturday, September 1, when they host Bloomfield College at Steph Pettit Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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