PREVIEW: Men’s Soccer opens season at The Frock against Montevallo, USC Aiken

SALISBURY, N.C. – The 59th edition of Catawba men's soccer kicks off with an eight-game weekend at Frock Field as the hosts face Montevallo on Thursday and USC Aiken on Saturday.

In 2023, the Catawba Indians eclipsed the Top 25 in the midst of a 7-1-1 holeshot before stumbling down the stretch to finish 9-6-2. Sebastia Cerda-Tous found paydirt six times while recording three assists as Salano Birch delivered a quintet of scores to lead the team. Juan Pablo Nicoletti dished out a team-high six assists and found the twine on three occasions while fellow midfielder Joe Bennett logged four goals including three game-winning darts. Gage Bernard was a mainstay in the defensive realm while Zak Stiffler stacked six shutouts with 63 saves in 16 matches between the posts.

They're all back in Salisbury.

Kicking Off

- The Catawba Indians are primed for their 12th season with Ken Hassler at the helm. In Hassler's tenure, the program holds a 70-89-12 (.444) overall record.

- Six players garnered Preseason All-SAC honors in August, the most of any team in the league. Senior midfielder Salano Birch (1st), redshirt junior forward Juan Pablo Nicoletti (2nd), junior forward Sebastia Cerda-Tous (2nd), graduate goalkeeper Zak Stiffler (3rd), sophomore forward Bautista Vecchi-Ramello (3rd), and grad transfer defender Peter Majer (3rd) were Catawba's representatives.

All-Time Series

- Catawba and Montevallo are even all-time at 2-2. The programs last met on Oct. 27, 2021 in Aiken, S.C. when the 15th-ranked Falcons took a 2-1 win. Catawba's last victory in the series came on Aug. 29, 1998 (season opener) in Huntsville, Ala. via 2-0 shutout.

- In seven contests, Catawba has a 6-1 edge over USC Aiken with the last matchup coming on Sep. 17, 2022 at Frock Field when the hosts prevailed, 1-0. All six of Catawba's wins have been unanswered as the Pacers won the initial meeting by a 7-0 margin in 2009.

Hassler's History

- Catawba Head Men's Soccer Coach Ken Hassler is no stranger to the Montevallo program, leading the Falcons to a 43-12-8 (.746) record from 2010-12 with two Peach Belt Conference titles. Bruce Dietterle has been in the position since 2013 and brings a 79-78-19 record into his 12th season. Both coaches graduated from New Hampshire colleges; Hassler is a 1985 graduate of Plymouth State while Dietterle is an alumnus of Saint Anselm.

Scouting the Falcons

- The University of Montevallo landed ninth in the Gulf South Conference's preseason poll, narrowly missing a playoff spot in the 12-team league. Its 2023 team posted an overall record of 3-10-3 with a 2-1 non-conference victory over SAC member Newberry followed by triumphs at Shorter and Union (Tenn.). 

- The Falcons lost forwards Julio Rojo and Otger Vendrell who led the team with three goals apiece last year but return experienced midfielders Branko Buljan Ivelich and Mark Shoebridge to balance the attacking corps. Grad student Brock Barbee pilots a defense that returns rookie starters Joshua Owens and George Rathmill. In goal, Tomas Valles Gilbert fills the post after consuming all 1,440 minutes in net as a sophomore. The Santiago, Chile product finished with a .688 save percentage and a 1.81 goals against average.

- Three Falcons were tabbed to the GSC Newcomer Watchlist: Norco College transfer Dominic Kienzle, Erskine transfer Will Mashburn, and Cristobal Porter who played for USL League 2 side Corpus Christi FC over the summer. 

Scouting the Pacers

- With first-year head coach Nick Sakiewicz taking the reins, USC Aiken aims for a resurgence following a 2-13-1 campaign last season. Both victories were against Peach Belt Conference foe Georgia Southwestern in one-goal decisions. The Pacers were slotted fifth in the league's preseason poll as they return leading scorer and Second Team selection Jose Rabadan, rookie defender Michael Sokolik, and primary goalkeeper Cason Donohue.

- The program graduated most of its starting XI, however, which leaves opportunity for an increase in returners' minutes and involvement from a wave of incoming transfers. Ricardo Schroeder Jr. joins the Palmetto State side after helping guide CSU Pueblo to the NCAA Championship match in back to back years; the 2023 finals were held in nearby Matthews, N.C. In the backfield, former FGCU Eagle Rainier McKinzy II and Notre Dame College transfer Rafael Kuwakino could be factors as well as Rafael's younger brother, freshman Joao Kuwakino.

Weekend Schedule (Men)

Thursday, Sep. 5

USC Aiken vs. Belmont Abbey, 5 p.m.

Catawba vs. Montevallo, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sep. 7

Montevallo vs. Belmont Abbey, 5 p.m.

Catawba vs. USC Aiken, 7:30 p.m.

Follow Along

All matches this weekend will be broadcast on FloSports. Live stats links for Catawba's matchups are located on CatawbaAthletics.com.