SOCCER HEADS TO SOUTH CAROLINA FOR WEEKEND GAMES

PETERSBURG, Va., (Oct. 9, 2015) – The Richard Bland College men's soccer team heads into the homestretch of the 2015 season with five regular season Region X games remaining, four of them road contests. The first two of three straight away games begins this weekend when the Statesmen head to South Carolina to play USC Salkenhatchie on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and USC Lancaster at 1:00 p.m.

The Region X playoff picture is taking form, though far from complete. With a multitude of games remaining throughout the next three weeks, there can be considerable shifting as teams jockey for home field advantage.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS: 1. Louisburg 6-0, 10-1); 2. Spartanburg Methodist (5-2-1, 7-2-1); 3. Patrick Henry  (7-2-1, 8-4-2); Richard Bland (5-3-1, 8-4-1); Cape Fear (2-3-1, 5-3-1); Wake Technical (1-8-1, 1-7-1); USC Salkenhatchie (1-5, 2-8); USC Lancaster (0-8, 0-12).

WHO: Richard Bland College vs. USC Salkenhatchie
WHERE: Allendale, SC
WHEN: October 10 at 4:00 p.m.
USC SALKENHATCHIE WEB SITE: Home of the Indians

WHO: Richard Bland College vs. USC Lancaster
WHERE: Lancaster, SC
WHEN: October 11 at 1:00 p.m.
USC LANCASTER WEB SITE: Home of the Lancers

RECORDS: Richard Bland is 8-4-1, 5-3-1 Region X … USC Salkenhatchie is 2-8, 1-5 … USC Lancaster is 0-12, 0-8.

LAST GAME VS. USC SALKENHATCHIE: The Statesmen won 4-1 on Sept. 13. Recap and stats at this link.

LAST GAME VS. USC LANCASTER: The Statesmen opened the season with a 2-0 victory on August 22. Recap and stats at this link.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Statesmen play their third straight road game against Wake Technical Community College on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4:00 p.m. ... USC Salkenhatchie plays at Wake Technical on Sunday,Oct. 11 at 1:00 p.m. … USC Lancaster played Wake Technical on Saturday, Oct. 10 and next hosts Region X leading Louisburg College on Oct. 15.

LAST OUTING VS. JOHNSON & WALES: On Sunday, the Statesmen earned a 2-1 victory over previously undefeated (7-0) Johnson & Wales under soggy conditions at Statesmen Field. Full recap and stats at this link.

FROM COACH EDUARDO DE SOUZA: "In our league, you never know. You can't go into games against lower division teams assuming you will win. We defeated USC Salkenhatchie 4-1, but they only lost to Louisburg 1-0. Every team plays hard. You have to be on your toes and take no team for granted."

NO. 3 IN DEFENDING THE GOAL: Freshman keeper Ciro Labrada (Guanajuto, Mexico/Stonewall Jackson) has made 85 saves this season, tied for third best in the nation in NJCAA Division I. He had six saves against Johnson & Wales on Sunday, the eighth time this season he has had six or more saves in a game.

GOAL SCORING: Nine different Statesmen players have scored this season, led by leading scorers freshman forward Sukrija Dudic (Srebrenica, Bosnia Hercegovina/Hermitage) and Godfred Baisel (Cape Coast, Ghana/Patriot) with ten and eight goals respectively … That duo accounts for 18 of the 33 goals RBC has scored this year … In recent national NJCAA Division I rankings, Dudic is in a 13-player-player tie for 30th in the nation in scoring ... Baisel is the program's all-time leading scorer with 28 career goals.

OPPORTUNE SCORING: As a team, Richard Bland has scored 33 goals this season, which puts the Statesmen in a five-way tie for 44th in the nation ... The Statesmen average 2.5 goals per game and allow 2.6.