The ETSU men’s and women’s soccer teams had exciting seasons in fall 2015 and both teams will begin their 2016 seasons in August.

Although there has been little information released regarding scheduling during the upcoming season, there is some news of which ETSU soccer fans should be aware.

The women’s soccer team finished out last season with an overall record of 9-9-1 and a Southern Conference record of 4-4-1.

If the team can finish out next season with double-digit wins, it will be the fourth time in the last six years that they have achieved this accomplishment.

The fall 2016 season will also be important for Head Coach Adam Sayers. With just five more wins, Coach Sayers will become the fastest coach in ETSU history to get 60 wins at ETSU.

ETSU will return 23 out of 25 players from last season. A key loss for the team is Sarah Zadrazil (St. Gilgen, Austria), who holds the title of 2015 Southern Conference Player of the Year.

Four players will be returning who earned Southern Conference Postseason Accolades in 2015.  Simona Koren (Graz, Austria) and Paola Roversi (Rieti, Italy) who both made 2nd Team All-SoCon and Irina Brutsch (Zurich, Switzerland) and Emily McKerlie (Dumfries, Scotland) who made the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

An exciting event coming to ETSU next season is the 2016 Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament, which ETSU will host.

Last season when scoring the first goal ETSU was 8-3 and heading into next season the Bucs have out-shot their opponent in 12 straight games.

The mens’ soccer team finished out last season with an overall record of 8-7-4 and a conference record of 4-4-2.

The team will return key players Jeff George (Safety Harbor, Fla.), Joao Ramalho (Monte Santo, Brazil), Chase Clack (Memphis, Tenn.), Fletcher Ekern (Knoxville, Tenn.), Sam Sevigny (Quebec, Canada), Keegan Sanders (Kennesaw, Ga.), Yera Sissoko (Troyes, France), Corentin Ohlmann (Sainte Maire, France) and Jonny Sutherland (Chester, UK).

Last season Sutherland made Second Team All-SoCon, All-Freshman Team, and the All-SoCon Tournament Team. Ekern made the First Team All-SoCon and Ohlmann made the All-SoCon Tournament Team. Freshman Christian IIia (Norrkoping, Sweden) also made the All-Freshman Team.

Key losses for the team include Donte Brangman (Southampton, Bermuda), Henrique Novaes (Vinhedo, Brazil), and James Smith (Eastbourne, England).

Smith was SoCon Player of the Week in September 2015 as well as Player of the Month for September. He was also a member of the First Team All-SoCon and the All-SoCon Tournament Team.

Clack, Ekern, George, Novaes, Ohlmann, and Sevigny were all part of the the 2015-16 SoCon Fall Academic All-Conference.

The team earned their second highest RPI ranking last season at 42. The team averaged 14.84 shots per game, which made them second in the conference.

To stay up to date on the Fall 2016 season for both teams, fans can visit ETSUBucs.com.

Author

  • Kayla Strong

    Kayla Strong is a Gate City, Virginia, native completing her last few semesters of her undergraduate work at ETSU. She has recently found a passion for writing, which triggered her decision to join the staff of the East Tennessean as a writer and photographer. Strong is hardworking and likes to stay busy and organized. When she isn't in school or working, she's outdoors hiking and camping in nature. She likes to plan trips with friends and family, and once the day is done, she loves to get home to see her two cats, Fluffy and Marisa. Strong will graduate in December with a double major in history and biology.

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