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Men's Soccer Quinton Lilley

30 days till Jessup Men's Soccer makes its home debut

As 11 new players enter the fold in 2019, the Warriors look to contend for conference supremacy.

ROCKLIN, Calif - Jessup men's soccer made history last season making their first-ever appearance at the GSAC Tournament and head coach in his fourth season, Greg Lazaga, looks to continue that success striving for bigger accomplishments in the future.

"(To be successful this year) We will have to buy into each other, and buy into the work and dedication it will take to break new ground in the men's soccer division within the GSAC," Lazaga said. "Achieving a playoff berth was a good first step for many of these returners and hopefully, the taste of postseason play will drive us to continue to grow."

The Warriors' season opener will come at home Saturday, August 31 when they face Oregon Tech. The Owls are making their first-ever trip to Rocklin as OIT and Jessup have their first matchup in history. Both Jessup and Oregon Tech lost to common opponent Southern Oregon last year.

Their first road match will follow Thursday, September 5 at the University of Antelope Valley. The Warriors will be looking to even the score in this year's road opener after UAV defeated Jessup 4-2 in their only previous meeting in 2017.

Jessup's road series will continue as they head to Bethesda University Saturday, September 7. The Flames are currently 3-1 all-time against Jessup as BU won a tight contest 3-2 last year in Rocklin as the road team rallied late with two goals in the second half to secure the win.

The ensuing next three matches Lazaga feels will be a good barometer for where his team is at.

"Stanislaus State is always a quality opponent, then we have to travel to Holy Names for a match that should test us," Lazaga said. "A few days later we will return home for the annual match against UC Merced, who has made great strides over the past several years. This string of games should provide us an early look at our potential,"

The Warriors will play Stanislaus State Thursday, September 12, and Holy Names Saturday, September 14 at Cal State Eastbay's Pioneer Field.

In 2018, both Warrior squads faced off and Jessup came out on top 2-1 with a two-goal second half. The Jessup win represented one of six home losses on the year for Stanislaus.

Holy Names and Jessup have played 14 times since 2004 with their most recent meeting coming in 2015 with Jessup losing 2-1.

Jessup returns home for five-consecutive matches beginning with UC Merced as the teams will face off Tuesday, September, 17, then Thursday, September 19, Jessup hosts Simpson University.

UC Merced and Jessup played their first six meetings to a standstill as their records are tied at 2-2-2. The last meeting came in 2018 when the Bobcats took an early lead and held on late for a 2-1 victory at home.

Simpson and Jessup has a long history of close matchups as well, facing each other 25 times since 2004. Last season they met as the Warriors grabbed a 1-0 road victory. The Warriors close out their non-conference schedule with home matches against Pacific Union Monday, September 23 and UC Santa Cruz Wednesday, September 25.

The Warriors will then open GSAC competition in what could easily be one of the toughest NAIA soccer conferences. Last season six teams had 10 or more wins, and the conference's top two teams, Vanguard, and Arizona Christian finished ranked in the top 25, while The Master's were receiving votes.

The GSAC opener will be at home against Westmont College Thursday, October 3 as the Warriors will look to grab their first-ever win against the opposing Warriors.

Then on Thursday, October 10, Jessup will travel to face The Master's University. In 2018, the Mustangs finished their season receiving votes but didn't make the national tournament after losing to Arizona Christian in the semifinals of the GSAC Tournament.

On Saturday, October 12, the Warriors continue their Southern California trip down I-5 as they play San Diego Christian. In the last two seasons, Jessup has dominated their two matches with SDCC outscoring the Hawks 10 goals to one.

The following week the Warriors face one of their toughest home stretches of the year when they host both Arizona Christian and OUAZ October 17 and 19.

ACU won both matchups with the Warriors last season as the Firestorm held on late to win 4-3. Then ACU had a strong performance in the conference tournament to end the Warriors' season. In the team's regular-season meeting, the duel combined for 19 shots on goal.

Against OUAZ in the teams single meeting, the Spirit held on for a 2-1 win with a goal in the final 15 minutes of play.

The Warriors then have a road match up with regional rival Menlo College Wednesday, October 23 as they will look to snap a two-match losing streak. Last season the Warriors nearly grabbed a tie but the Oaks scored in the final minutes to take the win.

The Warriors home finale comes Saturday, October 26 against Hope International. The match will also be senior day when eight players will be recognized in a pregame ceremony and play their final home match.

Jessup closes out their conference schedule against preseason favorite Vanguard University. Last season VU finished No. 11 in the country and represented the conference at the national tournament.

While last season was a growing year for Lazaga's young recruits he expects the team this year to thrive as a more experienced bunch.

"In 2018 we had nine returning players and 16 new athletes to the program, while this season we have 21 returning players and eight seniors," Lazaga concluded. "We are going into this new season with a much better understanding of timing, rhythm, and program expectations. Playing together previously should give us a head start.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat).
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