Box Score Head Coach Ryan Pflugrad '02 enters the 2014 season looking to reignite the Roanoke College men's soccer team after a trying second half of the season in 2013.  Joined by his coaching staff of Cory Speed and recent Roanoke College graduate, Brian White '14, Pflugrad believes his squad has an eagerness to succeed in 2014.

"Having faced some adversity last year in terms of injuries and some close, disappointing results late in the season, we have a very driven group of returners eager to get back together and compete," Pflugrad said.
 

Leading that driven group in the 2014 season are four of Roanoke's six All-ODAC performers from the previous season: Dionys Beck, Tyler Carbaugh, Garrett Eldridge and Marc Dinkel.  Captain Dionys Beck was named Second Team All-ODAC in 2013, leading the Maroon backfield, playing in 18 games and tallying one assist."
 
"Dio is a central defender who has very good feet, tough in the tackle, while being consistent and a leader," Pflugrad noted.
 
Tyler Carbaugh enters his junior year as a two time All-ODAC student-athlete, as well as earning Second Team VaSID honors in 2013.  Carbaugh netted four goals and four assists during last year's campaign, ranking eighth in the ODAC in game winning goals.  Joining Carbaugh with First Team All-ODAC accolades from 2013 is Garrett Eldridge.  Eldridge also started every game last season, picking up five points on the season.  Pflugrad is excited about what these two bring to the Maroon squad.
 
"Both Tyler and Garrett are very technical players," Pflugrad stated.  "Tyler has a relentless work rate on both sides of the ball, being able to score and set up goals for his teammates.  Garrett links the game very well, with a great endurance and work rate."
 

Returning to the field after being on the sidelines for almost half the season is Third Team All-ODAC midfielder, Marc Dinkel.  The Switzerland native led the Maroons in total points for the 2013 season, finishing with five goals and six assists.  He finished with at least one goal or one assist in eight of 10 consecutive games last year.
 
"We're excited to have Marc back on the field this season," Pflugrad said.  "He plays a very sophisticated game. His passing and service is excellent, and he is also very good in front of the goal."

Roanoke returns five of its top six scorers from the previous season with Dinkel, Carbaugh, Robby Lentine, Jackson Goyette and Eldridge.  The only name missing out of that top six, Brian White, is now on the sidelines as assistant coach of the Maroons.  The five returners of the group combined for 18 of Roanoke's 29 goals from 2013, as well as 14 of the team's 22 assists.

Along with the returners for the Maroons, Pflugrad brought in an incoming class that will complement the current roster. 
 
The incoming class consists of players from a very diverse area geographically. In addition to some local players, others hail from Northern Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, a Division I Transfer, as well as a couple of international players.
 

"We are bringing in a talented recruiting class that we believe will ensure success of program for years to come," Pflugrad said.  "Assistant Coach Cory Speed did a fantastic job of evaluating and recruiting a group of young men who fit both the soccer and character profile we want in our program here at Roanoke College. We believe we will have some guys who can step in and make immediate contributions as well as some that can develop to have great futures here at Roanoke College."
 
The Maroons will host the yearly Roanoke Invitational on August 29-30 at Kerr Stadium.  Roanoke's opponents for the tournament will be Case Western Reserve and Averett.  Case Western comes out of the UAA Conference, where they went 6-7-4, while having three All-Conference selections on their team.  Averett is from the USA South Conference, where they tallied a record of 8-9-2.  The Cougars had five All-Conference nods, including Adil Iich who was named USA South Rookie of the Year.
 
Roanoke will take on a pair of conference champions during Lynchburg's invitational tournament on September 8-9.  First they will face off against Greensboro College.   Greensboro went 13-6-2 on the 2013 season, winning the USA South Tournament over Methodist to go on to the NCAA Tournament.  In the second game, they will play against, Oglethorpe the champions of the SAA.  The Stormy Petrels finished the season 11-3-3, winning their conference tournament, but did not advance to the NCAA's.
 
"Our early season non-conference slate against many perennially strong programs including two conference champions and three NCAA Tournament teams will challenge our team and should provide a great strength of schedule", said head coach Ryan Pflugrad.  "It will also help to prepare us for the tough ODAC schedule that will lie ahead. We also play Salisbury at a neutral site game in Maryland at Prince Georges Community College.  This is a great regional match up that will give our Maryland alumni contingent a chance to see us play."

In September, Roanoke will play three Old Dominion Athletic Conference games against Shenandoah (9/10), Randolph (9/19) and Randolph-Macon (9-26).  Randolph College won the regular season title in the ODAC in 2013, going 17-2-1, 10-1 ODAC.  The overtime battle against the WildCats was Roanoke's first conference loss in 2013, after starting 5-0-1.  The Maroons start October with Bridgewater College (10/1) and 2013 ODAC Champion Virginia Wesleyan (10/4).  The Maroons were picked third in the ODAC Preseason Poll, earning two first place votes.
 
"The ODAC will be very tough again this year," said Pflugrad  "There are several teams that return many good players; it should make for an exciting season."

Pflugrad believes that success in the 2014 season is more than just wins and losses, but stems from the daily commitment from the squad.
 
"Every Roanoke College team sets its eyes each year on conference championships and the NCAA Tournament, and this year is no different," Pflugrad stated.  "However, we feel those accomplishments come as a byproduct of what we do every day. To consider this year a success I would say we could be judged on our commitment to our daily work rate, our team 1^st mentality, and attention to detail in our preparation.  Our success this season will be a byproduct of continuous improvement in those categories."
 
The Maroons are in action on Friday, August 29^th as they take on Case Western Reserve at 7:30 PM in the Roanoke Invitational, followed by Averett University at 7:30 on Saturday, August 29^th.  Both games will take place in Donald J. Kerr Stadium.