Drexel University
Florida Gulf Coast
Dragons Fly South to Compete in FGCU Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic
9/16/2010 10:42:07 AM | Men's Soccer
Philadelphia - Unblemished 4-0 record in hand, Drexel men's soccer will face a pair of stiff challenges this weekend at the Embassy Suites Kick-Off Classic hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Dragons will open tournament play on Thursday night against the host FGCU Eagles at 7:30 p.m. before challenging No. 24 South Florida on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 5:00 p.m. Fans can follow all the action at FGCU's Tournament Central page by clicking here.
Drexel comes into the week ranked No. 5 in the South-Atlantic region. The Dragons have outscored their opponents 14-2 on the season and are currently ranked fourth in the nation in goals per game, averaging 3.3 per contest.
A last-second header by Ken Tribbett against NJIT on Monday gave Drexel a thrilling 2-1 victory at home. Sophomore Nathan Page scored his third goal of the season in the contest. Page (3) and Andrew Goldberg (4) are the team's leaders in goal scoring thus far this season. Goldberg was selected CAA Co-Player of the week last Monday and this week he locked up Philadelphia Soccer Six Co-Player of the Week honors as well.
The Dragons' opening-night opponent, FGCU, enters the contest with a 2-2-1 mark on the season. Thursday's match will be the first home game of the season for the Eagles. FGCU made waves nationally when the Eagles knocked off No. 13 South Florida in the season opener 2-1, snapping the Bulls' 30-match home unbeaten streak. FGCU's other win came against CAA foe Virginia Commonwealth at the Richmond Classic. The Eagles' losses came against Old Dominion and Marquette and they also played to a scoreless tie with Valparaiso. Sophomore midfielder Deion Jones leads the Eagles with five points on the season and junior keeper Adam Glick has made 21 saves in five starts and boasts a stingy 0.92 goals against average.
On Saturday, Drexel will face its first nationally ranked opponent of the season in South Florida. Led by Big East Goalie of the Week Jeff Antinella, the Bulls (2-1-1) have won two straight matches, 2-0 over Virginia Tech and 2-0 over Stony Brook. Antinella is one of four Bulls featured on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 100 Players To Watch rankings. Also on the list are junior midfielder Bernardo Anor and defenders Javed Mohammed and Aubrey Perry.
Drexel is looking for its first 5-0 start since 1981, when the team went 12-5 and won the East Coast Conference Championship. The last time the Dragons started the season without a loss in their first four matches was 2007, when the team went on to win the CAA regular-season championship.
