Day one of pre-season practice for the University of Evansville men's soccer team brought together 14 veterans and 11 newcomers this morning. They combine to form a team whose theme is 'The Future Is Now.'

The Aces play their first of three friendlies on Saturday, at the University of Louisville at 6:00. Fans wishing to reserve space on a fan bus to Louisville should contact the athletics department at 488-ACES. Below are notes from this afternoon's Media Day at Black Beauty Field.

Up & Coming

The Aces’ soccer program has changed dramatically in Mike Jacobs’ two years as head coach. UE has produced back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1995 and 1996. Last season’s team finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference behind two teams that reached the NCAA Sweet 16, and the Aces advanced to the MVC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1999. In addition, UE finished sixth nationally in scoring with 45 goals, and won 10 matches for the first time since 1999.

Award Winners

Five players who earned MVC post-season awards last November return in 2008. The group is led by sophomore midfielder Robby Lynch, a Top Drawer Freshman All-American who was also the 2007 MVC Freshman of the Year. Lynch scored five goals and made five assists for 15 points. Also back are MVC honorable mention players Alec Dufty, Reggie Edu, Mike Luttrull and Kipp Erskine.

Blast From The Past

Also returning this season is sophomore forward Tom Irvin, who made the 2006 MVC All-Freshman Team after totaling five goals and six assists for 16 points. He missed all of 2007 with a broken foot.

Good In The Classroom, Too

Success on the field hasn’t come at the expense of academics. UE received the 2007 NSCAA Team Academic Award, given only to schools with a team grade point average of 3.0 or better.

High Profile Newcomers

This appears to be an exceptional freshman class, ranked 23rd nationally by College Soccer News. Goalkeeper Phil Boerger was a Parade All-American. Boerger and Mitch Day were chosen by College Soccer News as ‘Top 100 Freshmen To Watch’. Richard Menjivar was chosen in July to play for the U.S. U-18 National Team in a four-match series against Uruguay and Paraguay.

Replacing 23 Goals

The biggest challenge facing UE this season may be at the offensive end. Players who accounted for 23 of the team’s 45 goals are gone, including leading scorers Cory Elenio (7-9-23) and Dustin Awe (5-5-15). Three double-figure scorers do return–Lynch (5-5-15), forward Mike Luttrull (5-2-12) and defender Kipp Erskine (4-2-10).

The Season Starts Saturday

Evansville plays three exhibition matches prior to the August 29 regular season opener against Detroit. First comes a road match against Louisville this Saturday, followed by friendlies at home against USI next Tuesday and Bellarmine on Sunday, Aug. 24. Tri-Captains UE’s three captains this season are senior goalkeeper Alec Dufty, senior defender Kipp Erskine and junior midfielder Reggie Edu. Dufty and Erskine were high school teammates in Raleigh, North Carolina. Big-Time Schedule The Aces play three of the last four NCAA Division I national champions–2006 winner UC-Santa Barbara on the road Sept. 18; 2003 and 2004 champion Indiana at home Sept. 30, and 2005 champion Maryland on the road Oct. 17. The match against Indiana will be the first against the Hoosiers at Black Beauty Field since a dramatic 2-1 overtime win by IU in 1998.