Richard Bland Welcomes USC Salkehatchie Sunday Afternoon

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. – Richard Bland College will play the first of four-straight home matches when Region X Conference opponent USC Salkehatchie visits Statesman Field on Sunday afternoon, September 25, at 1 p.m.  The Statesmen (5-4, 3-4 Region X) will be looking for their second consecutive, and third win in the last four matches, against the visiting Indians (2-6, 2-2).  Admission is free to all Richard Bland men's soccer home matches.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Richard Bland vs. USC Salkehatchie
Date: Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Statesman Field
Series History: 1-3-2

Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland is 5-4 overall, including 3-4 in Region X, following a 2-0 road shutout at Wake Technical (N.C.) Community College on Sept. 22.  The Statesmen are coached by head coach Eduardo de Souza, who is in his third season, while assisted by first-year assistant coach Nick Surkamp.  Richard Bland has been led in scoring through nine matches by freshman Eduardo Pessoa/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with six goals for 12 points, followed by sophomore Sebastian Hendi/Alexandria (4g) and freshman Miguel Ramos/Casal de Cambra, Portugal (2g, 4a), each with eight points.  Freshman goalkeeper Tomas Fonseca/Torres Vedras, Portugal has started three of four matches in front of the net, playing 233:02 with one shutout, a 2.32 goals against average and eight saves for a save percentage of .571 percent.  Sophomore Sukrija Dudic/Richmond, a forward who has scored two goals for four points, has started one of two matches in front of the net, playing 109:00 with one shutout, a 0.00 goals against average and two saves for a save percentage of 1.000 percent.

Scouting the Indians
USC Salkehatchie is playing its second road match in two days after a scheduled contest at Wake Tech on Saturday (Sept. 24).  The Indians are coached by head coach Bill Glass.  USC Salkehatchie has been led in scoring by freshman Matias Sequel Lira with two goals and one assist for five points, followed by classmate Jonas Castelhano da Silva with two goals for four points.  The Indians have split time in goal among four keepers, who have combined for a 2.83 goals against average and 17 saves for a save percentage of .500 percent.

Series History
This is the seventh meeting between the two schools in the sport of men's soccer.  USC Salkehatchie leads the all-time series, 3-1-2, and the Indians have outscored Richard Bland by a margin of 20-7 in the six previous meetings.  The Statesmen, however, posted a 4-1 home win past USC Salkehatchie last Sept. 13, 2015 and tied the Indians, 1-1, last October 10, 2015 in Allendale, South Carolina. 

Last Time Out
Freshman Danny Torres/Bucaramga, Columbia scored a first-half goal courtesy of a penalty-kick opportunity, and it proved to be the game-winner during a 2-0 Region X road triumph at Wake Tech.  Pessoa added a second-half goal for the visiting Statesmen that was assisted by freshman Finn Busse/Kiel, Germany against the Eagles.  It was the team-leading sixth goal of the season for Pessoa, while the first collegiate goal for Torres and the first collegiate assist for Busse.  Dudic made his first collegiate start in front of the net and played the entire 90 minutes, recording one save while earning his first collegiate shutout.

Up Next
Richard Bland will remain at home for its next three matches at Statesman Field, including non-conference foe Harcum (Pa.) College on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m., followed by Region X opponents Patrick Henry Community College on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m. and Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 4 p.m.