EAST STROUDSBURG -- The East Stroudsburg University men's soccer team finally returns to game action on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., when the Warriors travel to Felician for the 2021 season opener. The contest marks the first game for the program since November 12, 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fans can watch the broadcast of the season opener (PPV) here and live stats here.
Three All-PSAC East Second Team selections return from the 2019 squad that posted an 11-5-3 record, including forward Bradley Turocy, midfielder Oliver Lundberg and goalkeeper Evan Miele.
Miele posted a 0.99 goals against average and a .753 save percentage. He brings 20 career starts into the 2021 season. His six shutouts in 2019 was 36th best nationally.
Lundberg ranked 17th in the country in assists per game, leading the PSAC with .47 assists per contest. His nine assists were the 14th most of any player at the Division II level. The Sweden native was a huge factor in ESU ranking second in the conference in assists.
"The players and coaching staff are all really looking forward to getting back out on the field after missing the 2020 season," said Berkowitz. "The hope is the tough non-conference schedule against quality ECC and CACC opponents will prepare us for the very difficult PSAC East this Fall. We will have a good blend of returners with experience and newcomers with strong playing backgrounds."
Berkowitz enters his 10th season at the helm of the men's program and 14th season as head coach of the Warriors' women's team, looks to continue the upward trend of men's program in recent seasons. He guided the Warriors to an 11-5-3 record during the 2019 campaign, as the program seeks its fourth consecutive winning season in 2021. He led ESU to a PSAC Championship during 2017 season.
The Warriors were selected to finish third in the PSAC East Preseason Poll.
ESU has not lost a season opener since 2016, posting a pair of wins over Felician in 2017 and 2018, while tying Molloy in 2019. ESU owns a 10-1 record in the series, with three consecutive wins. Overall, ESU has outscored Felician 32-7 in the 11 games, including a dominant 7-0 victory at Eiler-Martin Stadium in 2019.
After taking on Felician, the Warriors will head to Molloy on Sunday. ESU's season opener will take place on Wed., Sept. 8 against Staten Island.
