BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—The CSU Bakersfield men's soccer team opens the 2015 season Saturday night when the Roadrunners travel to the University of Denver. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (MDT).
Saturday's match will be televised by Altitude 2 which is available nationally on Direct TV (Ch. 681-1) and Dish Network (Ch. 448 or Ch. 9518). Bill Rogan will be on the play-by-play with Chris Bianchi doing the color commentary. The match is also available for viewing online at DenverPioneers.com. There is a fee for viewing.
CSU Bakersfield and Denver are playing for the eighth time with the Roadrunners leading the all-time series 4-2-1. The Pioneers defeated CSUB 4-0 on Sept. 1, 2013 in the last meeting between the two schools.
A former MPSF foe for CSU Bakersfield, Denver is the defending Summit League champion. The Pioneers advanced to the 2014 NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with an 11-8-1 record after losing to Oregon State in the national tournament.
Denver was picked to repeat as Summit League champion in the league's preseason poll released Aug. 19. The Pioneers return four all-conference selections including midfielder Jordan Schweitzer who started 16 of 19 appearances a year ago.
Seattle U narrowly edged past UNLV in the preseason coaches' poll with both the Redhawks and Rebels picking up five first-place votes. CSU Bakersfield earned the remaining first place vote as the Roadrunners were picked third in the preseason poll. Utah Valley earned the fourth place position ahead of fifth-place San José State. Missouri-Kansas City and Incarnate Word tied for sixth place followed by Grand Canyon, Air Force, Houston Baptist and first-year program UTRGV.
CSU Bakersfield's Christian Duarte and Julian Zamora are two of 30 men from NCAA Division I schools around the country that have been marked as potential contenders for the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy.
The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer presented annually to one male and one female athlete. The winners will be announced Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the trophy presentation banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
The lists are compiled by the NSCAA Men's and Women's NCAA Division I All-America Committees, based on analysis of returning All-America and All-Region players, as well as any prominent newcomers.
A 2014 first team NSCAA All-Region selection, Duarte was chosen first team All-Conference for the second year in a row last season. He was selected first team All-Conference by CollegeSportsMadness. Duarte tied for second on the team with Simon Doherty (5) in assists. He was third on the team in goals (5) and points (15).
Zamora was also chosen first team NSCAA All-Region last season. The Bakersfield native was named the WAC Freshman of the Year and first team All-Conference in 2014. Zamora was selected CollegeSportsMadness WAC Offensive Player of the Year, CollegeSportsMadness Freshman of the Year, and CollegeSportsMadness first team All-Conference a year ago. He led CSUB and the WAC in goals (12) and points (26) as a rookie.
Near the end of the collegiate regular season, NCAA Division I coaches whose programs are current NSCAA College Services members will vote on their top choices and the lists will be narrowed down to the top 15 players. College soccer fans will also have the opportunity to participate in the selection process, by voting for their favorite semifinalist in November at the MAC Hermann Trophy website, managed by LockerDome.
From that pool of 30, six finalists (three men, three women) will be chosen for the award. The winners will be announced in January.
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