No. 16 Richard Bland Welcomes Patrick Henry Saturday At 4 p.m.
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- No. 16 Richard Bland College welcomes in-state rival Patrick Henry Community College for a Region X men's soccer match on Saturday afternoon, October 7, at 4 p.m. at the Statesman Soccer Field. The nationally-ranked Statesmen have a record of 12-1 overall, including 10-1 in Region X, while the visiting Patriots have an uncharacteristic record of 3-7 overall, 1-6 in Region X. Richard Bland has already equaled the fifth-year program's record for season wins (12).
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Richard Bland vs. Patrick Henry
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2017
Time: 4 p.m.
Live Stats: rbcathletics.com
Location: Statesman Soccer Field
Series History: 2-6-1
Scouting the Statesmen
Richard Bland avenged its only loss this season with a 5-3 road win at Region X rival Louisburg (N.C.) on Oct. 4. The Statesmen, enjoying their highest-ever national ranking at No. 16, have now been ranked among the Top 20 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer Poll during four-straight weeks. Richard Bland is coached by fourth-year head coach Eduardo de Souza, and assisted by second-year assistant coach Nick Surkamp. The Statesmen have attained three consecutive 10-win seasons under the guidance of de Souza.
Richard Bland is led in scoring by freshman Davi Girardi/São Paulo, Brazil with 12 goals, including five game-winners, and four assists totaling 28 points. Freshman Uziel Hernandez/The Villages, Florida adds eight goals (four game-winners) and five assists for 21 points, followed by sophomores Dusan Stankovic/Belgrade, Serbia (eight goals, two assists, 18 points) and Hussein Osman/Charlottesville (six goals, four assists, 16 points). Sophomore keeper Tomás Fonseca/Torres Vedras, Portugal has started 12 matches and played 1023 minutes in front of the net with six shutouts, an impressive 0.62 goals against average (only seven goals allowed) and 32 saves for a save percentage of .821 percent.
Among the National Leaders
Richard Bland ranks fourth in NJCAA Division I goals against average (0.68, nine goals allowed), 16th in points (132), tied for 16th in assists (40) and 17th in goals (46). Tomás Fonseca ranks third nationally in shutouts (6), is seventh in goals against average (0.62), 25th in save percentage (.821) and tied for 34th in goals allowed (7). Davi Girardi is tied for fifth nationally in game-winning goals (5), tied for 26th in goals (12) and is tied for 31st in points (28).
Series History
Patrick Henry leads the all-time series between the two schools in the sport of men's soccer, 6-2-1; however, Richard Bland has won the last two meetings, including a 4-0 road shutout last month (Sept. 16) in Martinsville. Patrick Henry, though, has outscored the Statesmen by a margin of 52-15 in the nine previous matches.
2016 NJCAA Region X Tournament Champions
Richard Bland completed 2016 with the finest season in the four-year history of the program, posting a final overall record of 12-7-2, including its first-ever Region X Tournament Championship and advancing to the NJCAA Division I Southeast District Tournament semifinals in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Up Next
Richard Bland will remain at home to play Region X member Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m. at the Statesman Soccer Field. The Statesmen will return to the road to play at region opponent Wake Technical (N.C.) Community College on Friday, Oct. 13, at 2:30 p.m. in Holly Springs, North Carolina.