Men’s soccer ready to make an impact in 2021 season
WEST POINT, Ga. (August 17, 2021) – Coming off an unusual 2020 season, the Point University men's soccer team is ready to return to a more "normal" season as they begin the 2021 campaign Thursday night at home.
Following a stint of two challenging road exhibition games against NCAA Division II opponents Emmanuel College and Georgia Southwestern University, the Skyhawks begin Thursday in a nonconference matchup with Warner at River Bowl Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Head Coach Mark Wozniak will be entering his third season at the helm of the program and is expecting the team's work during the offseason to carry over once season begins on Thursday.
"It has been really great to return to a more 'typical routine'," said Wozniak. "I know the players are extremely excited about having a more 'normal' season compared to last year."
Wozniak says the team has come together to establish a motto for the season, which is "team first". The purpose of this motto, Wozniak says, is for the players to think of the team first in all that they do and not themselves as individuals.
A look at last season
The Skyhawks finished the 2020 season fifth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference with an overall record of 5-5-2 and an AAC record of 5-3-1. Point picked up two paramount victories to start the season off, winning their season opener at Bryan 1-0 in overtime before returning home and defeating AAC foe Truett McConnell 3-0. The Skyhawks battled it out against the top teams in the conference, falling to the AAC regular-season champions, Milligan 3-2, and the AAC tournament champions, Reinhardt, 2-1. The Skyhawks finished their conference schedule last fall by defeating AAC foe Montreat 2-1 in overtime. Due to the heavy presence of the COVID-19 pandemic last season, Point played a conference-only schedule and only the top four teams in the AAC advanced to the conference tournament. Point competed in three nonconference matches in the spring of 2021.
According to the AAC Coaches' Preseason Poll released last Tuesday, Point is projected to finish the 2021 season fifth in the conference. "I feel that it is always hard to read a lot into preseason rankings as no one knows what players were brought in or what has changed from one year to the next in a program," said Wozniak. "Overall, I am fine with the ranking, but we are not satisfied with that prediction and our aim is to finish above fifth place and improve upon last season's ranking."
This year's squad
The Skyhawks will be returning a handful of key players and several newcomers who Wozniak expects to make an initial impact on the team. Serving as captains this season will be senior midfielder Lorenzo Delvecchio and senior goalkeeper Julio Gomes.
Delvecchio, a native of Cesena, Italy, earned a spot on the 2020-21 All-AAC second team for his efforts last year, finishing the season with four assists and three goals, taking 27 shots with 17 on frame. Delvecchio scored the golden goal in Point's season-opening victory against Bryan and earned AAC player of the week from his efforts following that game.
Gomes, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, will be expected to lead the defensive end of the field this season. The Skyhawks' goalkeeper played in six games, starting in three last year, and compiled a total of 20 saves, with a career-high eight saves against then-ranked No. 16 Georgia Gwinnett College and four saves in Point's victory against Truett McConnell.
Point returns their leading scorer, sophomore Jeronimo Leguizamon, who connected for eight goals in conference play last season and averaged nearly four shots per game. Leguizamon finished the season at No. 13 in the NAIA in shots on goal per game with 2.55.
This season, the Skyhawks will be looking to reload on defense after graduating four key members who contributed heavily to their defensive efforts. Amongst the newcomers who are expected to make an impact include Julien Sagnol, a center back from Saint Etienne, France, and Guus Wolters, a left back from Oldenzaal, Holland.
On the schedule this season
Point has a total of 17 games with 13 conference matches. The Skyhawks open their season with three nonconference games hosting two of the three at River Bowl Stadium before transitioning to AAC play on Sept. 11.
Point's four nonconference opponents include Warner, Pensacola Christian, No. 11 Dalton State, and Middle Georgia State. The Skyhawks will also compete against AAC newcomers, Johnson University, out of Knoxville, Tenn., and Columbia College, out of Columbia, South Carolina. This fall, Union will also be returning to action after suspending its season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Point hosts nine matches at River Bowl Stadium, with their most notable matches being against No. 22 Milligan on Sept. 18, Montreat on Oct. 16 and CIU on Oct. 20. The Skyhawks hit the road for eight matches, traveling to face in-state rivals Truett McConnell, on Sept. 15 and Reinhardt on Sept. 29, and AAC foe Tennessee Wesleyan on Sept. 22.
"We have a solid schedule this season with three nationally-ranked teams including No. 11 Dalton State, No. 22 Milligan, and No. 33 Reinhardt," Wozniak said. "Those matches will be big games for us, but the players also know that each game is important in a long season."
Attendance and streaming
Fans are allowed to attend all home games this season. All games will be streamed live and live stats will be available.
