CLINTON, S.C. ? The Presbyterian College men's soccer team reported for its ninth preseason camp under head coach Bret Boulware on Tuesday, August 12.
The Blue Hose did not practice on Tuesday. Instead, they focused on moving into their rooms and meeting with the men's soccer coaching staff and the PC athletic administration on various issues.
PC will wake up on Wednesday to their conditioning test before hitting the pitch for their first practice later in the day.
PC will hold its first exhibition of the year against former Blue Hose standout Warren Turner and his Erskine Flying Fleet at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 22 at Martin Stadium.
PC will open its 2008 regular season against a familiar face in former head coach Ralph Polson and the Wofford Terriers. Polson is in his first year as the head coach at Wofford.
The Blue Hose and Terriers will kick-off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29 at Martin Stadium.
The Blue Hose open camp with a heavily underclassmen laden squad with 22 of the 29 players on the PC men's soccer roster either a freshman or a sophomore.
“Last year we returned 10 starters from our highly successful 2006 team and during the year we were plagued with a lot of injuries and the inability to find the back of the net,” noted Boulware. “We enter this year having lost 10 players from our 2007 team and with 22 student-athletes who are either a freshman or a sophomore. That gives us a lot of unknowns as we prepare to play our first full Big South Conference schedule.”
Boulware is nevertheless excited about the prospects of the 2008 season, particularly since the 22 underclassmen give Boulware a stout core unit that will lead the Blue Hose through the NCAA Division I transition over the next three years.
The Blue Hose despite their youth still return 12 letterwinners overall and six starters from last year's squad that ended their first NCAA Division I campaign having gone 4-2-2 in their final eight contests of the year. That included two consecutive wins to close out the year at Martin Stadium over former NCAA Division II rivals Gardner-Webb and USC Upstate.
Things are not going to be easy for the Blue Hose in 2008 with PC set to undertake one of the toughest schedules in the 31-year history of the program.
The 2008 Blue Hose men's soccer schedule features a full Big South Conference schedule and six home games at Edens Field at Martin Stadium, including home matches with Wofford and Furman.
PC will play contests against squads from six different NCAA Division I conferences. The Blue Hose will square off against institutions from the ACC, CAA, Conference USA, SoCon, Atlantic Sun and Patriot League.
“This year's schedule is one of the toughest in program history,” remarked Boulware. “For the first time in program history we are playing a full NCAA Division I schedule, which is huge for our program. I am excited about all of the possibilities that this entails for the future of Blue Hose men's soccer.”
The Blue Hose may be young, but everything in 2008 starts with the two Blue Hose captains: Zach Sinkuler (Roswell, Ga.) and Tommy Rodriquez (Aurora, Colo.). Sinkuler is only a junior in 2008, but his presence has been a constant for PC in the back since his arrival as he has served as the last line between PC and the goal since his freshman season.
Rodriquez (Aurora, Colo.) returns for his final campaign looking to return to his form from his sophomore campaign,
The two captains are not the only two returning for PC that give the Blue Hose some much-needed leadership. Jonathan Edmonds (Aurora, Colo.) has netted six goals in the past two years for the Blue Hose and looks to improve his quality immensely in 2008, while Stevenson Gravlee (Columbus, Ga.) should see significant time in the midfield for PC in his senior season.
Jay Stewart (Roswell, Ga.) returns for his senior season ready to give PC more depth on defense and in the midfield. Stewart along with redshirt sophomore Nick Whicker (Collierville, Tenn.) and junior Brad Kocis (Greer, S.C.) team with Sinkuler to give the Blue Hose some leadership in the defensive area of the pitch.
