Quinnipiac on Tap in Season Opener

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College men's soccer team is set to get the BC Athletics 2017-18 home slate underway on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. on the Newton Campus Soccer Field.

The Eagles' game against season opener against Quinnipiac will be the first Boston College home contest of the new academic year – and the first of our home events at BC on a jam-packed Friday, which also includes field hockey at 5 p.m., women's soccer at 7 p.m. and volleyball at 7:30 p.m.

Boston College vs. Quinnipiac
Friday, August 25, 2017 | 4 p.m.
Newton Campus Soccer Field | Newton, Mass.

SEASON OPENERS

Boston College is 6-0-1 in its last seven season openers dating back to the 2010 season
The Eagles have opened against Quinnipiac each of the last two seasons and three of the last five years (2012, 2015, 2016)
At home, the Eagles are undefeated in season openers since 2008, going 4-0-0 in that span
Under head coach Ed Kelly, Boston College is 16-11-2 all-time in season openers
BC is 8-1-1 in the first game of the season in the last decade

30 FOR KELLY

The 2017 season marks Ed Kelly's 30th at Boston College, and 33rd coaching season overall
Kelly became the 19th active coach to reach the 300-win plateau on Oct. 30, 2015, with the Eagles' 2-1 upset of No. 12 Syracuse at home
Kelly is 271-217-59 at Boston College, part of his 311-230-65 career record that includes three seasons at Seton Hall

AGAINST QUINNIPIAC

The teams' series began in 2005
The Eagles are 9-1-1 all-time against the Bobcats, including a 7-0-1 mark in the last eight meetings since 2009
Boston College has shut out Quinnipiac the last three meetings (2-0 at QU in 2016, 1-0 at home in 2015, 2-0 at QU in 2014) since the teams played to a 2-2 draw in Newton in 2013
All-time, BC is 4-1-1 at home against Quinnipiac, and 5-0-0 on the road in Hamden, Conn.
The teams have met every year since 2005, except 2008

LAST YEAR'S GAME

In last year's meeting, Maximilian Schulze-Geisthovel netted the first goal of the year to put BC up 1-0 in the 39th minute
Raphael Salama doubled the advantage in the 50th minute with her headed goal off Mohammed Moro's corner kick
BC out-shot the Bobcats 12-1 in the victory

ACC PRESEASON POLL

The Eagles were voted to finish fifth in the ACC's six-team Atlantic Division
All four teams ahead of the Eagles in the Atlantic are ranked in the Preseason United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) top nine: Wake Forest (No. 2), Clemson (No. 5), Syracuse (No. 8) and Louisville (No. 9). NC State rounds out the six-team Atlantic Division list
Four Coastal division teams are also ranked in the USC Preseason Poll: North Carolina (No. 4), Notre Dame (No. 10), Virginia (No. 13), Virginia Tech (No. 17). Duke and Pitt complete the Coastal predictions
North Carolina was predicted to win the ACC Championship with 5-of-12 votes ... Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia and Notre Dame also received consideration

2017 CAPTAINS

A trio of Eagles are serving as the BC captains this season
Len Zeugner is now in his third season as a captain after first receiving the armband in 2015 as a sophomore
First-year captains include senior Henry Balf and junior Joshua Forbes

LEN IS BACK!

The Eagles three-year captain, Len Zeugner, is back on the field in 2017 after missing all of 2016 with injury
In 2015, Zeugner helped back the Eagles' trip to the NCAA Elite Eight and earned All-ACC Third Team honors
He has played 30 career games – 14 as a freshman in 2014 and 16 in 2015 – and has tallied one goal and added two assists
The former Borussia Dortmund product still has two years of eligibility remaining

PRESEASON PROGRESS

The Eagles played a pair of preseason scrimmages to prep for the 2017 season
On Aug. 15, the Eagles faced USL side New York Red Bulls II, falling 4-0 at the Red Bulls' training facility in Whippany, N.J.
On Aug. 19, BC and No. 18 UMass Lowell played to a 0-0 draw in Newton in a game that featured a chippy first half and a BC-controlled second half. The Eagles out-shot UML 3-2 in the game.

GUNNING FOR ANOTHER POSTSEASON BERTH

The Eagles are starting the hunt for their 15th NCAA Tournament berth
BC has been selected eight of the last 10 years and 12 of the last 17 years
Ed Kelly has taken BC to 13 of its 14 NCAA Tournament appearances
The Eagles have twice advanced to the Elite Eight: 2002 and 2015

HOMEFIELD EDGE

The Eagles went 6-3-3 at Newton Campus Soccer Field last year, including a 1-0 win over Fordham in the NCAA First Round
Five of BC's home games went to at least one overtime period, with the Eagles posting a 1-1-3 record in those games - which also include advancing past Virginia Tech on penalties in the first round of the ACC Championship
In the last four years, Boston College is 17-11-6 in games played at Newton

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Players Mentioned

Henry Balf

Joshua Forbes

Mohammed Moro

Rafael Salama

Maximilian Schulze-Geisthovel

Len Zeugner