Richard Bland Welcomes USC Lancaster For Sophomore Day

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. – Richard Bland College will play its final regular-season home match against USC Lancaster in Region X Conference action on Sunday afternoon, October 23, at 2 p.m. on Statesman Field. It will be Sophomore Day for the host Statesmen (9-6-1, 6-6-1 Region X) versus the visiting Lancers (2-16, 0-13 Region X). A special pre-game ceremony recognizing the nine sophomores is scheduled to begin at approximately 1:45 p.m.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Richard Bland vs. USC Lancaster
Date: Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Statesman Field
Series History: Tied 4-4

Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland is 9-6-1 overall, including 6-6-1 in Region X, and looking to attain its second consecutive 10-win season in the four-year history of the program. The Statesmen, who are 6-3-1 in their last 10 matches, are coached by head coach Eduardo de Souza, who is in his third season, and assisted by first-year assistant coach Nick Surkamp. Richard Bland has been led in scoring through 16 matches by freshman Eduardo Pessoa/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 10 goals for 20 points. Pessoa is followed by classmate Dusan Stankovic/Belgrade, Serbia with five goals and four assists for 14 points, along with sophomore Sebastian Hendi/Alexandria (5g), as well as freshmen Peter Diawuo/Alexandria (2g, 6a) and Miguel Ramos/Casal de Cambra, Portugal (2g, 6a), with 10 points each. Freshman goalkeeper Justin Ennis/Gainesville has started nine of 11 matches, playing 832:58 with three shutouts, a 1.40 goals against average and 30 saves for a save percentage of .698 percent.

Scouting the Lancers
USC Lancaster is 2-16 overall, including 0-13 in Region X. The Lancers are coached by head coach Alex Tarque. USC Lancaster is led in scoring by sophomore Christian Tarque with one goal and four assists for six points, followed by freshman Scott Endres with two goals totaling four points. Freshman keeper Travis Scheppele has started four of five matches, playing 270:00 with a 5.33 goals against average and 41 saves for a save percentage of .719 percent.

Series History
The all-time series between the two schools in the sport of men's soccer is tied at 4-4. Richard Bland, however, has won two-straight matches against USC Lancaster: 2-1 earlier this season on Oct. 13 in South Carolina and 3-1 last season on Oct. 11, 2015 in South Carolina.

Last Time Out
Richard Bland dropped a 6-0 Region X road decision at nationally-ranked No. 8 Louisburg College on Oct. 19 in Louisburg, North Carolina. Ennis started in front of the net for the Statesmen and played the entire 90 minutes, making four saves while yielding the six goals.

Sophomore Day
Richard Bland will recognize its nine sophomores during a special pre-game ceremony, beginning at approximately 1:45 p.m. The nine Statesmen being honored include defender Rodrigo Carvalho of Lisbon, Portugal, midfielder Bryce Deitrich of Farmville, forward Sukrija Dudic of Richmond, midfielder Tulio Graciano of Cacapava, Brazil, forward Sebastian Hendi of Alexandria, defender Sahir Jovel of Intipica, El Salvador, midfielder Jeffrey Pineda of Los Angeles, California, defender Calvin Sanford of McLean and defender Denzel Speed of Williamsburg.

Up Next
Richard Bland will play a Region X Tournament Quarterfinal match on the road at USC Salkehatchie on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 2 p.m. in Allendale, South Carolina. The Statesmen enter the tournament as the Region's No. 5 seed against the No. 4 seed Indians. Richard Bland and USC Salkehatchie tied 1-1 in double-overtime on September 25 at Statesman Field, before the Indians took a 1-0 decision against the Statesmen on Oct. 16 in South Carolina.