Full Schedule
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Hartford men's soccer coach Dan Gaspar has announced the release of the fall schedule for the 2010 season. The Hawks will play a total of 15 regular season games, seven of which will be played on the friendly confines of Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium.
Gaspar and the Hawks are not shying away from competition as next year's schedule features three dates with 2009 NCAA tournament participants. Also highlighting Hartford's 2010 campaign are rematches with Boston College, Hartwick and America East conference-foe Stony Brook.
The 2010 season kicks off with an away game at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Boston College on September 1, the first of eight non-conference opponents that Hartford will face in the 2010 campaign. The Eagles posted a 14-9 record last season and advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament. Last season, the Hawks were unable to claw back from an early 2-0 deficit and fell to the Eagles, 2-1, on Al-Marzook Field.
The Hawks head back to West Hartford on Saturday, September 4 for their home opener, the first of three-straight games that will be played at Alumni Stadium. The home stand kicks off with a non-conference battle against the Boston University Terriers and concludes with a pair of matches with in-state rivals Quinnipiac (September 7) and Central Connecticut (September 11).
Hartford will also host Army on October 20 for its final home non-conference contest. The Hawks and Black Knights will be hooking up for the first time in the two teams' Division I histories. Last season, Hartford posted an impressive 5-2-1 record on the turf of Al-Marzook Field. In addition, the Hawks have combined for a mark of 15-5-6 on their home field over the past three years.
The Hawks first road trip of the season will be a pair of games against Big East opponents. Hartford will face the St. John's Red Storm, the 2009 Big East champions, on Friday, September 17 before traveling to New Jersey on Sunday, September 19 to battle the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Hawks' final non-conference tune-up before league play will be at Hartwick on Saturday, September 25.
Hartford opens up America East conference play on Saturday, October 2 when it welcomes the Albany Great Danes to West Hartford. The Hawks will also host New Hampshire on Saturday, October 16 before facing league rival Stony Brook for their final home game of the season on Wednesday, October 27. The squad's 2010 conference slate also features dates at Boston University (October 9), Binghamton (October 13), UMBC (October 23), and the season finale at Vermont (October 30).
The top six teams in the conference standings will qualify for the 2010 America East Championship, beginning with the quarterfinal round on Saturday, November 6. The top two teams in the conference rankings receive a bye in the tournament's first round.
The men's soccer team finished 2009 with an overall record of 8-7-3 and advanced to the America East Championship for the third consecutive year. The Hawks were eliminated by Stony Brook in the semifinals via penalty kicks. Gaspar paced the Hawks to a mark of 4-2-1 mark in the America East while recording 13 points in conference play, the most since the 2003 season. The Hawks return Patrick Boucher, last year's top scorer, and James Stamopoulos, a 2009 America East All-Rookie Team selection.
The Hawks have added 12 newcomers who will join the roster for the upcoming season. Joining the Hawks as true freshmen will be David Butzke (Centreville, Va./Paul VI Catholic), Omar Camara (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Neil Cunha (Fairhaven, Mass./Bishop Stang), Jon Gil (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill), Jordan Obrant (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion/South Kent), Ian Ross (Wilton, Conn./Wilton/South Kent), Daniel Sangster (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) and Lloyd Shillabeer (Troy, Ala./Charles Henderson).
Gaspar also introduced a foursome of newcomers hailing from overseas. Steven Aiston (Blaydon, England) Tomás Boyle (Kildare, Ireland/Salesian), Seán McKinney (Derry, Ireland/St. Columb's) and Liam Williams (Wiltshire, England/Bradon Forest Secondary/Cirencester) will enter the program's roster as freshmen in 2010.
