Richard Bland Welcomes No. 13 Patrick Henry Saturday At 2:30 p.m.
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. – Richard Bland College will welcome nationally-ranked Patrick Henry Community College in Region X Conference action on Saturday afternoon, October 1, at 2:30 p.m. on Statesman Field. The host Statesmen (6-4-1, 3-4-1 Region X) will be looking for their fourth win in their last six matches (3-1-1), and first-ever, against the visiting Patriots (10-1, 6-1 Region X), ranked No. 13 in this week's NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Top 20 Poll. Admission is free to all Richard Bland men's soccer home matches.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Richard Bland vs. No. 13 Patrick Henry
Date: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Location: Statesman Field
Series History: Patriots lead 6-0-1
Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland is 6-4-1 overall, including 3-4-1 in Region X, following a 2-0 home win past Harcum College on Sept. 28. 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 11 matches by freshman Eduardo Pessoa/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with eight goals for 16 points. He has scored goals in six consecutive contests, including two goals in the first meeting at Patrick Henry on Sept. 17. Pessoa is followed by classmate Miguel Ramos/Casal de Cambra, Portugal with two goals and a team-best five assists for nine points, sophomore Sebastian Hendi/Alexandria with four goals for eight points, classmate Sukrija Dudic/Richmond with three goals for six points, along with freshman Dusan Stankovic/Belgrade, Serbia with two goals and one assist for five points. Freshman goalkeeper Tomas Fonseca/Torres Vedras, Portugal has started four of five matches in front of the net, playing 343:02 with one shutout, a 1.84 goals against average and nine saves for a save percentage of .563 percent.
Scouting the Patriots
Patrick Henry is 10-1 overall, including 6-1 in Region X after its 5-0 conference road win at Wake Technical Community College on Sept. 29. The Patriots are coached by head coach Enda Crehan, who is in his third season, while assisted by Matt Beaton and Anton Traquair. Prior to the win at Wake Tech, Patrick Henry had been led in scoring by sophomore Bernard Banaghan with nine goals and 18 assists for 36 points, followed by freshman James Westfield with 10 goals and 14 assists for 34 points and classmate Milton Juarez with three goals and nine assists for 15 points. Freshman keeper Tony Allsopp had posted three shutouts, a 1.48 goals against average and 46 saves for a save percentage of .754.
Series History
Patrick Henry leads the all-time series between the two schools in the sport of men's soccer, 6-0-1, including a 3-2 home win past Richard Bland last month. The Patriots have outscored the Statesmen by a margin of 49-7 in the seven previous matches. Richard Bland, however, has battled Patrick Henry evenly in the last two matches played between the two squads that resulted in the one-goal setback two weeks ago, as well as a 3-3 double-overtime tie played last Sept. 24, 2015 at Statesman Field.
Last Time Out
Dudic and Pessoa each scored goals to lead Richard Bland to the 2-0 shutout against Harcum on Statesman Field. Ramos and freshman Hussein Osman/Charlottesville each contributed assists, while classmate and goalkeeper Justin Ennis/Gainesville posted the shutout against the visiting Bears (8-3) in non-conference action. The Statesmen led 1-0 at the intermission and did not allow a goal to the high-powered visitors who were averaging nearly five goals per contest.
Up Next
Richard Bland will remain at home to close-out this current four-match homestand at Statesman Field against Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College next Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 4 p.m. in another Region X game.