BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The 2019 season begins for the Long Island University men's soccer team with a pair of matches in the state of Virginia. The Sharks first take on Old Dominion University on Friday, August 30 then follow with a match on Monday, September 2 against Virginia Commonwealth University.
LIU at Old Dominion
Date: Friday, August 30
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Norfolk, Virginia
Stadium: ODU Soccer Complex
Live Stats: ODU Live Stats
LIU at VCU
Date: Monday, September 2
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Stadium: Sports Backers Stadium
Live Stats: VCU Live Stats
Live Stream: ESPN+
Notes on the Sharks
The Sharks are coached by
Michael Mordocco, who enters his second year at LIU after serving as head coach at LIU Post last season and leading the team to an East Coast Conference (ECC) title. His staff includes assistant coaches
Luca Campos,
Brendan Reardon and
Gianni Giragosian along with student assistant coach
Yohance Alexander.
LIU returns 10 student-athletes from last season's Post squad, two from LIU Brooklyn as well as 19 newcomers.
Offense
LIU's offense will feature freshman
Papa Ndoye, a native of Mbour, Sengal, Ndoye will be expected to make an impact. Junior
Chris Capaldo, a transfer from Herkimer Community College, along with sophomore
Luke Kasulke, a member of the LIU Post team last season have both impressed throughout preseason.
Sophomore
Michael Gianino, who scored two goals for LIU Brooklyn last season, will look to step up while freshmen pair
Selcuk Kahveci and
Nicholas Tagios will also be featured.
Midfield
The Sharks' midfield features sophomore
Javier Rehberger, an All-ECC first team honoree in 2018. Sophomore
Anton Ocampo, who started 19 out of the 20 matches he appeared in for LIU Post last season, will also see ample minutes.
Sophomore
Athanasios Coutroumpas, who started in 13 of his 17 appearances for LIU Post last season, will also contribute in the midfield. Freshman
Ryan Grande could also see time in the midfield and on defense.
Defense
LIU's defense will be an experienced one and will feature senior
Kyle Parish, who was a second team all-conference honoree for LIU Post last season. He started all 20 matches and helped lead a Pioneer defense that recorded nine shutouts.
Graduate student
Stefan Faistenauer, a transfer from Nova Southeastern University, will also play a significant role. He appeared in 17 matches and 15 made starts for NSU while logging a total of 1,407 minutes on the pitch. Sophomore
Fridtjof Andberg, a transfer from La Salle University, will also be relied upon to provide depth defensively and senior
Aron Pavey will also provide depth.
Goalkeeper
Senior
Matias Pesallaccia is slated to start for the Sharks. He made four starts in goal for LIU Post last season, earning three victories and making 14 saves. Freshman duo
Demetri Skoumbakis and
Julian Quaresima will provide depth in goal.
Scouting Old Dominion
ODU's match against the Sharks will serve as its season opener as it has played exhibitions against Virginia Tech University and George Washington University. The Monarchs were chosen fourth out of eight teams in the Conference USA (C-USA) preseason poll and had two players named to the 2019 All C-USA Preseason Team, midfielder Sebastien Hauret and forward Daniel Corona.
The 2018 Monarchs closed the season with a 11-5-2 overall mark and a 6-2-0 record in conference play. ODU was ranked as high as No. 20 in the national polls and battled the No. 1 University of North Carolina to a 1-1 draw at the ODU Soccer Complex.
Scouting VCU
The Rams topped the 2019 Atlantic 10 (A-10) preseason poll, finishing first out of 13 teams and earning 159 points along with eight first place votes.
VCU won the 2018 A-10 regular season title after posting a 10-6-2 record and a 6-1-1 mark in A-10 play. The Rams return seven starters along from a season ago along with 10 newcomers. Junior Ulrik Edvardson was selected to the preseason A-10 All-Conference Team while senior dup Ryo Shimazaki and Mario Sequeira, who both earned second All A-10 honors last season, also return for the Rams.
Prior to hosting LIU, VCU will host East Tennessee State University on Friday, August 30. The Rams have played exhibition matches against Longwood University, the College of William & Mary and North Carolina State University.
