Emmanuel, Salem State Make Up Men’s Soccer’s 2023 Opening Weekend

SUFFOLK at EMMANUEL
Date Time Venue Video Stats Series Last Meeting   Last Suffolk Win Streak	Friday, Sept. 1 2:00 PM Clemente Field Boston, Mass. Playsight GoSuffolkRams.com 11-8-1 Sept. 7, 2022, L, 2-1 Oct. 7, 2017, W, 1-0 (2OT) L4

SUFFOLK vs. SALEM STATE
Date Time Venue Video Stats Series	Saturday, Sept. 2 1:00 PM East Boston Memorial Park East Boston, Mass. Playsight GoSuffolkRams.com First Meeting

BOSTON – Suffolk men's soccer has back-to-back game days in store over Labor Day Weekend to get the 2023 season underway. The Rams will first visit Emmanuel Friday, Sept. 1 for a 2 p.m. cross city clash with the home opener scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 2 at 1 p.m. versus Salem State at East Boston Memorial Park's James A. Sartori Stadium. 

SOCIAL SAYINGS
Ram Nation has a chance to keep up with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics, its student-athletes and teams by following the Rams on  Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #RamNation a behind-the-scene look at Suffolk Athletics.

RAMS ROOKIES
Suffolk men's soccer's 2023 roster will have fresh faces in 2023 as head coach Bill Maddock brought in 10 recruits over the off season. 

MORE READING: 10 Newcomers to Boost Men's Soccer in 2023 

TRANSITIONING TRANSFERS
A pair of new Rams brought their talents to Boston from previous programs: Paola Tedesco and Everett Upton.  

Tedesco, a redshirt junior, is a Division I transfer who got his collegiate playing days underway at Winthrop, while Upton transitions from D2's Assumption. 

GEOGRAPHY 101
Suffolk's 38-man roster is comprised of national and international student-athletes.  

The bulk of the roster is stateside, mainly Massachusetts, with 12 Bay State natives. Overall, nine different states are represented with multiple student-athletes from Florida (6), Connecticut (5), California (2) and New Hampshire (2).  George, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia are represented by one student-athlete apiece. 

Internally, student-athletes have brought their talents to Beantown from Andorra, Bermuda, England, Italy and Switzerland.

CLASS CATEGORIES
Sixteen (16) juniors make up nearly one third of the Rams' 38-player roster. Seventeen underclassmen are nearly evenly divided between freshmen (8) and sophomores (9). A five-member senior class completes Suffolk's squad. 

POSITION PLAUDITS
Position wise, Bill Maddock has assembled a 38-player roster with depth at every spot on the field. There are 15 midfielders to go along 13 defensemen, seven forwards and three sets of goalie gloves. 

RAMS RINGLEADERS
Suffolk men's soccer will have a pair of Rams share the leadership role for the second consecutive campaign as head coach Bill Maddock named senior Jack Phelps and junior Taj Jensen co-captains.  

The twosome, who begin their first term as co-captains, follow in the footsteps of Dai Podziewski and Trevor Murdock as the second set of Rams to wear the 'C' in the Maddock era.   

MORE READING: Men's Soccer Announces 2023 Captains

COACH'S CORNER
Bill Maddock is set for his fourth season, third full competition campaign, at Suffolk after leading the Rams back onto the pitch and into the CCC after a year sidelined due to COVID-19. 

The head coach has a heap of help on the bench in 2023. Assistant coach Juan Gonzalez returns to the fold for his fifth year with the program, fourth on Maddock's staff, while Warren Backman and Danny O'Neill are back for their second seasons. Jose Meza joins the program as a first-year assistant along with Goalkeeper's Coach Kyle Tremblay. 

OPENING ACT

• Suffolk won its second straight season opener with a 2-1 win over Mitchell, which marked the first time since 2008-09 that the Rams have opened back-to-back seasons in the win column. 
• Since 2002, the Rams are 12-7-1 in the first test of the year.
• Suffolk will play on the road for the season debut for the first time since 2019 and first time in the Bill Maddock era. The Rams are 4-5-1 when opening the curtain on its campaign away from home since 2002. 
• The Rams are 8-2-0 when opening the curtain on its campaign in front of its home crowd since 2002.
• The Rams have locked up a victory in game one of the season in shutout fashion five times since 2002, including the 2021 opener, 4-0 triumph over Mass. Maritime. Four of those five cleansheets have come on Suffolk's home pitch.
• On the flip side of things, Suffolk has been kept off the scoreboard twice in game one. Framingham State is the last opponent to hold the blue-and-gold scoreless in the season debut, doing so in 2014 by a 4-0 margin.
• Suffolk has needed extra time to determine an outcome in the first contest of the year twice since 2002. In that span, the Rams are 0-1-1 in game one OT outings.
• The blue-and-gold is unbeaten in game one under Bill Maddock's guidance, 2-0-0.
• The Rams will tangle with Emmanuel in the first game of the season for the first time.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Following a runner-up finish in the Commonwealth Coast Conference a year ago, the league's nine head coaches have predicted Suffolk men's soccer to finish third per the Preseason Coaches Poll, the conference office announced Wednesday. 

MORE READING: Men's Soccer Projected Third in CCC Coaches Preseason Poll 

SAINTS SAYINGS
Like Suffolk, Emmanuel starts its season Friday. The Saints are coming off a 7-5-7 overall season. 

Joey Soucy, an all-league performer from a year ago, returns to EC after leading the team's 34-goal offense with 10 goals of his own and four helpers. 

Maddox Pierce is the most experienced goalie on Emmanuel's roster with just four appearances a year ago. The Saints brought in freshmen keepers Isaiah Etienne and Aristidis Stefanis to help take on the workload.  

INSIDE THE SERIES

• The Suffolk, Emmanuel series dates back to 2002.
• The Rams trail the all-time series, 11-8-1.
• Suffolk last met the Saints, Sept. 7, 2022, and fell, 2-1.
• The Rams look to snap a four-game skid versus Emmanuel.
• Suffolk's last win over the Saints came in overtime 1-0 Oct. 10, 2016.
• Three contests have needed extra time to determine a winner between Suffolk and Emmanuel. The Rams hold a 2-0-1 record in OT against the Saints.
• The last and only draw between the foes came via a 1-1, double overtime decision Oct. 7, 2017.
• Four contests have been cleansheets in the series. Suffolk is 3-1-0 when one team is kept off the scoreboard when playing Emmanuel.
• At home, Suffolk holds a 6-5-0 mark versus the Saints.
• On the road the Rams are 5-3-1 against Emmanuel.

MORE INFO: Suffolk vs. Emmanuel – All-Time Series 

EYES ON THE GAME
 

VIKINGS VIEW
Salem State beings its 2023 Friday, Sept. 1 at Lasell before visiting Suffolk Saturday, Sept. 2. 

The Vikings will be anchored by a strong defensive unit that last year allowed just .071 goals per game. All-MASCAC First-Team honoree Dylan Senra will lead a squad that returns 21 of its players, 11 of which will be seniors. Two-time all-conference keeper Matt Hauntsman is back for SSU as well. He has posted back-to-back 10-win seasons with 14 shutouts.  

INSIDE THE SERIES

• Suffolk and Salem State will meet for the first time.  

EYES ON THE GAME
 

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The Rams spend next week on the road with trips to Babson and Emerson on tap. Suffolk travels Tuesday, Sept. 5 to take on the Beavers at 7 p.m., before making the short journey across town for a Beantown battle with the Lions Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.