GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's soccer team will kick off its 2023 season on Thursday, Aug. 31 when the Pioneers visit Lees-McRae College.

Six starters return for the Pioneers, who had one of the stingiest defenses in the South Atlantic Conference during the 2022 season. The Pioneers finished with a 2-7-5 overall record and 2-5-4 in SAC play, but four of their five league losses came by 1-0 scores. Tusculum conceded just 18 goals in its 14 matches and held its opposition to just over nine shots per game.

Head coach Allen Vital begins his 13th season on the sidelines of his alma mater and his 27th season overall with 248 career victories, including 82 with the Pioneers.

"We are excited to start this year's campaign," said Vital. "There is still much work to do to get to know the new players and to get them fully integrated, but I'm very happy with the work they put in the last couple of weeks. The South Atlantic Conference is a big challenge; however, I think this team has the talent to meet the challenge."

FORWARDS
Senior J-P Vital (Greeneville, Tenn.) worked his way back from an injury sustained midway through the 2021 season to play in four matches at the end of the 2022 season. Vital has one goal and three asissts in 19 career matches for the Pioneers.

Grad student Ndubueze Henry (Lagos, Nigeria) comes to Tusculum to finish his career after playing four seasons at Division III Maryville College, where he was a second-team All-American and USA South Player of the Year in 2021 after leading Division III in assists per game (0.88). Henry collected 15 goals and 22 assists in 60 career matches, with seven game-winning goals.

Freshmen Gaaj Laurin (Kvisselby, Sweden), Artur Marques (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), Carlos Perez (Cali, Colombia) and Jonatan Sundin (Matfors, Sweden) will provide scoring depth for the Pioneers, who lost two-thirds of their goal scoring from the 2022 season due to graduation.

MIDFIELDERS
A veteran midfield returns three starters, led by juniors Lars Schutrups (Wolvega, Netherlands) and Michele Di Miele (Weston, Fla.) who were each preseason third-team All-SAC selections. Schutrups appeared in 13 matches for the Pioneers in his first season, making nine starts, while Di Miele had 11 starts last season and contributed a goal and an assist.

Junior Cristobal Morales (Las Condes, Chile) is also a returning starter for the Pioneers. Morales had a team-high three assists during the season and was second on the team with 24 shot attempts.

Senior Pedro Concheso (Gijon, Spain) is a four-year member of the squad who played in 10 matches last season, with one assist. Concheso has a goal and five assists in 29 career matches, including 19 starts.

Junior Gui Busato (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) started five matches last season and had two goals and two assists. Senior Juan Villasenor (Morristown, Tenn.) did not appear in any matches last season, but pulled double duty as a member of the football team where he made six field goals and 27 extra points.

Joining the program is junior Mo Bouta (Berkane, Morocco) along with freshmen Matheus Daibert (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and Ludvig Radberg (Stromsholm, Sweden).

DEFENSE
Sophomores Othmane Chagour (Casablanca, Morocco) and Linus Salomonsen (Stavanger, Norway) were each preseason All-SAC selections by the conference's head coaches. Chagour, a second-team pick, started 13 matches last season and scored two goals, while Salomonsen also started 13 matches and collected a goal and three assists.

Sophomore Asbjorn Saevik (Ulsteinvik, Norway) drops from wing to his natural back position after making 12 starts as a freshman, which featured his first career goal at Clayton State in late August.

Also returning for the Pioneers are senior Devin Vital (Greeneville, Tenn.), junior David Evans (Johnson City, Tenn.) and sophomore Dimitri Davourlis (Kirkland, Quebec). Vital and Davourlis will be making their on-field debuts for Tusculum, while Evans played in two matches during the 2021 campaign.

Joining the Pioneers as transfers are juniors Federico Belintende (La Plata, Argentina) and William Lerby (Taby, Sweden). Belintende was a two-year starter at Iowa Central Community College, where he had two goals and two assists in 28 matches. Lerby played two seasons at Delta State, making 10 starts and scoring one goal.

Freshmen Kasper Hansen (Stathelle, Norway), Lennon Landstrom (Goteborg, Sweden) and Isak Tallwin (Vasteras, Sweden) are also newcomers to the Tusculum program for the 2023 season.

GOALKEEPERS
Junior Nicolas Leite (Santo Andre, Brazil) has a 2.72 goals against average with 11 saves in four career appearances for the Pioneers. Freshman Sondre Liahagen Kolnes (Randasberg, Norway) is the other keeper on the Tusculum roster heading into the 2023 season.

SCHEDULE
The Pioneers will play their first five matches on the road, starting Thursday, Aug. 31 at Lees-McRae. Tusculum begins conference play on Saturday, Sept. 9 at Lenoir-Rhyne, and the home opener is slated for Saturday, Sept. 16 vs. Coker at Pioneer Field.