Weekend Preview: Kickoff Classic awaits Fighting Tigers

CUTHBERT, Ga. -- Andrew College men's soccer will open the season at Hord Field as the Fighting Tigers host Patrick Henry CC (Va.), for the 2015 Kickoff Classic. AC (0-0-0) hosts the tournament and will serve as hosts to the season's opening match on Friday, Aug. 21, at 6 p.m. (EST).

The Fighting Tigers will serve as hosts when Patrick Henry faces Broward (Fla.), on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 11 a.m. before facing Broward on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 11 a.m.

A LOOK AT ANDREW COLLEGE - The Fighting Tigers open the 2015 season with a 30 new faces, 29 players and one coach. After Rudy Roediger concluded his first season in 2014 he looked to restablish the culture that saw the program win 10 Region 17 titles and represented Andrew with a 1988 NJCAA Final Four and an NJCAA National Runners-up finish in 1992. Roediger only returns seven players from his first season, and only two started more than seven times last season. The leading returner for Roediger is sophomore George Cunha who ranked No. 4 in the NJCAA in saves (130) in 2014. The new age of Fighting Tigers feature players from five U.S. states (Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina) and five foreign countries (Australia, British Virgin Islands, England, Sweden). Included in the local Georiga players are nestled four members of the 2015 West Hall High School Georgia State Championship squad and the 2015 Region 4-AAAAA Co-Region Player of the Year. Joining the Roediger's staff is C.W. Ponton who helped Lynchburg win the 2014 NCAA Division III national title as his keepers recorded 23 clean sheets and allowed just 0.17 goals against average in the 28 match season. 

A LOOK AT PATRICK HENRY - The Patriots open the 2015 season as one of 17 teams to receive votes in the NJCAA Division I preseason poll. Patrick Henry broke into the pool in the eighth version last year on Oct. 21 when they received votes for the first time in modern history. A year ago the Patriots went 15-5-0 overall and finshed third with a 10-4-0 mark in Region 10 play while scoring the fourth most goals in the nation (80). Sophomores, James Lee and Conner O'Dwyer who combined to score 16 goals a year ago will be looked to close the gap after the Patriots lost 41 goals and 109 total points with the departures of Daniel Maldonado, Sami Tiittanen and Maurico Moreno. Second-year Head Coach Enda Crehan's squad features just eight sophomores on a roster that features 32 players from eight foreign countries and two U.S. states. 

THE PATRICK HENRY SERIES - The Fighting Tigers and Patriots are meeting for the first time in modern history. 

Watch Live HERE

A LOOK AT BROWARD - Munga Eketebi enters his second season in charge of the Seahawks as one of the 17 teams receiving votes outside of the NJCAA Preseason Top-20 poll. Last year Broward received votes in 6-of-12 national polls including a stretch of being ranked six times between Sept. 9 and Oct. 21. In 2014 Broward went 6-5-1 overall with a 0-2-1 mark in Region 8 play as 26-of-27 goals were scored by first year players. A trio of freshman, Nehemiah Perry (8), Kamario Osborne (7) and Christopher Dessin (6) led the way in goals for Eketebi last season. 

THE BROWARD SERIES - The Fighting Tigers and Seahawks continue their recent series that began in 2014. For the second straight season Broward opens its season at Hord Athletic Complex. The Seahawks will play Patrick Henry (Va.), on Saturday morning in the second of the three game men's side of the 2015 Kickoff Classic hosted by Andrew College. Last season Broward swept Andrew with a, 5-0, opening season victory in Cuthbert and then secured a, 2-1, victory in Melbourne, Fla., over the Figthing Tigers.

Watch Live HERE

FOLLOW THE ACTION -- All Fighting Tigers home matches this season will be lived streamed on the Andrew College Digital Network via the networks YouTube Channel. 

Friday: 6 p.m. | Andrew vs. (RV) Patrick Henry | Video Link

Saturday: 11 a.m. | (RV) Broward vs. (RV) Patrick Henry | Video Link

Sunday: 11 AM | Andrew vs. (RV) Broward | Video Link