GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Slated for two road matches this weekend, Davenport University men's soccer will face the Cedarville Yellow Jackets and Thomas More Saints to commence the 20th season in program history.

The Panthers were one victory shy of returning to the GLIAC Tournament Finals for the second-straight year, but a semifinal road loss to Purdue Northwest (PNW) cut DU's season short.

With eight incoming true freshmen and four transfer players, DU welcomes back 15 returns as they look to lean on tested players like Andrew Dykstra, George Deveau, Faheem Patel, Austin Hall, and Cam Power once more. Dykstra (Second Team), Patel (Second Team), and Deveau (Honorable Mention) were named All-Conference a season ago, with Dykstra also receiving D2CCA All-Midwest Second Team honors in 2023 as the team's leading scorer (seven goals) and the fourth-best scorer in the GLIAC.

DU was tabbed at No. 4 in the 2024 GLIAC Preseason Poll, behind Parkside, PNW, and Saginaw Valley State - the Panthers splitting the regular season series against the Bears and Pride (1-1) while taking a 1-0-1 series over the Cardinals last year.

As the team ponders this season's starting keeper and creates a mold for the starting XI, the Panthers are due in Ohio on Thursday (Sept. 5) to kick off a five-game road stretch.

Cedarville Matchup
The Yellow Jackets come into the year as the No. 5 team in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Preseason Poll. Cedarville finished 2023 with an 8-6-5 record, falling 2-0 to Lake Erie in the GMAC Tournament quarterfinals.

Cedarville lost two big names in Trey McBride (First Team All-Conference, D2CCA Midwest Region Second Team) and Jabari Gray (2023 Goalkeeper of the Year, First Team All-Conference), but retained Michael Catanzarite - a United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region Third Team honoree. Catanzarite's first season with the Jackets saw him post a team-high five assists while netting four goals.

Preparing for the season opener against first-time opponent DU on Thursday, Cedarville will host Boyce College on Sept. 7 to cap off a two-game homestand.

Thomas More Matchup
Thomas More is heading into its second year as an NCAA DII program and member of the GMAC, posting a 10-7-3 record (7-5-2 GMAC) in its inaugural season as a varsity team. Selected No. 4 in the GMAC Preseason Poll, the Saints fell short of their first-ever GMAC Tournament Finals appearance after losing to Lake Erie in PKs during a semifinal matchup.

2024's roster consists of three key returns for the Saints; Charlie Allan, Emilio Benmergui Rodriquez, and Julen van Egmond. Allan had 15 starts in 17 appearances, tabbing one goal and six assists through 1,136 minutes logged. Benmergui Rodriquez was the go-to keeper, starting and playing nearly every minute of each match. Lastly, van Egmond recorded five goals and six assists to tie for the team-high in points.

Saturday's match will be the first time in program history that Thomas More and DU face each other.

Live Coverage
Thursday, Sept. 5 at Cedarville (7 PM) - Live Video (Great Midwest Network) - Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 7 at Thomas More (7 PM) - Live Video (Great Midwest Network) - Live Stats