Aug. 30, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SEATTLE -The 2010 men's soccer season officially begins this weekend as the Dawgs travel one state south to participate in the Nike Portland Invitational on the campus of the University of Portland, Friday and Sunday.
Washington will open up the tournament by taking on the Evansville Aces at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Huskies will then battle with the Northern Illinois Huskies on Sunday at 11 a.m.
About The Huskies
After missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight season, head coach Dean Wurzberger and the Huskies have a hunger to get back. Senior captain Taylor Mueller experienced the postseason as a freshman and would love to leave UW with another trip to the tournament. Wurzberger has led the Huskies to the NCAA's in 11 out of the last 14 seasons. Mueller, along with junior Brent Richards are this year's team captains. The 2009 team went 5-7-6 and 2-3-5 in the Pac-10, finishing fifth. Nine letterwinners return, seven starters and 10 newcomers join the team, including a couple of transfers.
Season Opener History
This is the fourth-straight season the Huskies will open on the road. Last year, they defeated Seattle University 1-0 at Championship Field to open the season.
Scouting Evansville
Evansville and UW will meet for the season opener for both teams on Friday night. These two teams last met in 1999 in what resulted in a 2-1 UW win. UW leads the overall series 2-0-1. Washington defeated the Aces 5-1 in 1997 and the two tied, 5-5, in 1994. In exhibition play, the Aces went 1-0-2, tying St. Louis and Michigan at 1-1 each and defeating Cincinnati 2-1. Three key seniors return for Evansville this year and three All-Midwest Region honorees a year ago in Tom Irvin, Robby Lynch and Justin Sass. In 2009, the Aces earned votes in the Soccer Times and NSCAA polls and were ranked by Top Drawer Soccer. Their head coach is Mike Jacobs in his fourth year.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The NIU Huskies went a perfect 3-0 in preseason exhibition matches with wins over Indianapolis, Valparaiso and IPFW. In 2009, NIU was nationally ranked for the fifth-straight season while racking up 10 wins on the year. Eric Luzzi enters his second season as head coach for the Huskies. They were picked to finish second in the MAC behind No. 1 Akron, last year's NCAA Runner-Up. A total of 14 letterwinners return for NIU, including scoring threats Brad Horton and Juan Hoyos. Northern Illinois and UW have only met once in what resulted in a 5-0 UW win back in 2006.
Scrimmages Give Newcomers Experience
UW hosted Simon Fraser and Seattle Pacific in preseason scrimmages the last two weeks. These two games gave Coach Wurzberger the opportunity to play around with different lineups and see where the freshmen will fit in. In both games, numerous newcomers saw playing time with senior transfer Daniel Gray netting a goal vs. Simon Fraser. Against SPU, Dylan Tucker-Gangnes netted a goal for the Dawgs in the second half. The scrimmages didn't affect the team's or individuals records or statistics.
Topdrawersoccer.com Honors Five Huskies
Topdrawersoccer.com released its Pac-10 preview and its top 20 players within the conference. Washington led all teams with five players making the list. Brent Richards, Taylor Mueller, Ryan Moore, Matt Van Houten and Jamie Finch were all mentioned.
Harris and Richey Named Top 100 Freshmen
College Soccer News named its list of "100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On" and included Husky freshmen defender Michael Harris and goalkeeper Spencer Richey to the list.
Huskies Picked Sixth in Pac-10 Poll
The Pac-10 preseason coaches poll picked UCLA to repeat and Stanford second. Cal was picked third, followed by Oregon State, San Diego State and Washington. UW received nine total points.
10th Anniversary of Pac-10 Championship
UW is celebrating its 10th anniversary of its 2000 Pac-10 Championship. The 2000 season was a special one for Coach Wurzberger who led the Huskies to their first Pac-10 title in his ninth season. Ranked No. 13 in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Huskies earned the right to host the First Round and defeated Alabama-Birmingham 1-0 in four overtime periods. UW also hosted the NCAA Second Round, falling 2-1 to Indiana. They finished 14-6-0 that season and 7-1 in the Pac-10. Bryn Ritchie was named a second-team all-american and nine Huskies earned All-Pac-10 honors that year.
Armstrong Joins Rapids
Davy Armstrong was supposed to be a freshman on this year's team but he had another offer he couldn't refuse. The Colorado Rapids of the MLS signed Armstrong to a pro contract two days before fall camp began.
Live Online Coverage
Live scoring for all home matches will be available on GoHuskies.com. Live video broadcasts of Washington's home games can be accessed on GoHuskies.com with a Dawg Channel All-Access pass for all of the men's and women's soccer games free of charge.
Follow the Huskies Via Social Media
Become a fan of the Washington men's soccer team on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/UWMensSoccer. The fan page includes exclusive updates, video content and photos updated weekly.
Fans can also follow the UW men's soccer team through the Huskies' all-sports Twitter page, www.twitter.com/UWSportsNews.
UW is also on www.youtube.com/UWAthletics. Fans there can find new video context from all of the Husky sports teams.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all Husky home matches are on sale now either online at GoHuskies.com or by calling the Husky Ticket Office at 206-543-2200. Tickets may also be purchased at the field on game day.
Fans looking for season tickets can purchase the Husky Gold Card which grants general admission access to all men's and women's soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, baseball and softball games.
