GREENEVILLE, Tenn. ---The Tusculum men's soccer program enters a new era this Friday under the direction of first-year Head Coach Steve Voltz, as the Pioneers will open the 2010 campaign against King College. The match will be played in Banner Elk, N.C. on the campus of Lees-McRae College. The Pioneers will return to Banner Elk on Sunday to take on No. 2 Lees-McRae.

Coach Voltz welcomes a solid group of returners back into the fold alongside a diverse and talented recruiting class. Tusculum, fresh off its seventh straight winning season and second consecutive Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship, is poised to continue building on the program's previous success with a young and talented squad rich with promise.

Tusculum continued to provide a difficult challenge for the rest of the Southeast Region in 2009, posting a 10-6-2 record to finish fifth in the conference before returning to top form and capturing the program's fourth SAC Tournament title. Several Pioneers garnered individual recognition last season, including Preseason All-SAC First Team selection Andres Jarquin (Guatemala City, Guatemala).

Coach Voltz's squad returns three starters from last season, including senior defenders Dean Hopewell (Leicester, England) and Horton McKinney (Johnson City, Tenn.). The Pioneers are expected to rely heavily on a talented group of newcomers, with as many as nine starting spots open to intense competition.

FORWARDS
Jarquin returns for his senior campaign to lead the Pioneer attacking corps, fresh off a strong first season with Tusculum. The 5-8, 150-pound forward posted a solid 2009 campaign with the Pioneers, tallying six goals, seven assists and 19 points en route to an All-SAC Second Team selection. Joining Jarquin in the attacking third will be a diverse and talented group of forwards, led by sophomore Petr Buzyan (Mars Hill, N.C.). Buzyan will challenge for playing time and a spot in the starting 11 after appearing in five matches last season.

Freshmen Ivan Primak (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Matheus Andrade Silva (Basilia, Brazil), and lead a talented group of newcomers, with each bringing a valuable and unique skill set to the Pioneer attack. Primak joins the Pioneers from Saint Gregory's College in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was a two-time Player of the Year at Colegio Americano de Quilto.

Silva comes to Tusculum from Colegio Dom Bosco in Brasilia, Brazil, and is expected to challenge for significant playing time in the attacking third for the Pioneers. JT Carrino (Greeneville, Tenn.), Russell Sexton (Morristown, Tenn.), and Mason Fox (Crossville, Tenn.) round out the Pioneers' attacking corps.

Carrino joins the Pioneers for his junior season as a transfer from the University of Tennessee where he played club soccer after a stand-out career at Greeneville High School. Sexton comes to Tusculum from Morristown West High School, where he garnered Conference Player of the Year honors. Fox joins the program from Stone Memorial High School, where he was a two-time All-District performer.

MIDFIELDERS
Matthew McKeever (Belfast, Northern Ireland) returns for his junior season in an expanded role, as the 5-9, 150-pound half back is expected to begin the campaign in the starting 11 for Coach Voltz's squad. McKeever appeared in six matches for the Pioneers last season, including one start, while tallying an assist.

A trio of newcomers is expected to join McKeever in the starting midfield, with freshmen Janik Bold (Otterberg, Germany), Javier Portillo (Guatemala City, Guatemala), and Curtis Berger (Stuart, Fla.) slated to open the campaign in the starting 11. Bold, a 6-0, 175-pound freshman, joins the Pioneers from Heinrich-Heine Gymnasium Kaiserslautern in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where he also played club soccer for TUS Hohenecken. Portillo, a junior transfer from Middle Georgia College, comes to Tusculum after tallying 11 goals and 25 points as a sophomore at the Cochran, Ga. school. Berger, a 5-4, 140-pound freshman, joins the program from Jensen Beach High School where he garnered Scripps Treasure Coast Player of the Year honors as a senior.

Freshmen Illya Gurynovich (Asheville, N.C.), David Montes (Coral Springs, Fla.), Jacob Norris (Maynardville, Tenn.), and Ray Cruz (Winchester, Tenn.) round out a deep group of midfielders for the Pioneers, and will each compete for playing time.

DEFENDERS
Hopewell and McKinney return for their senior seasons to provide stability and experience to the Pioneer backline. Hopewell, a native of Leicester, England, played in nine matches last season, making six starts and tallying one assist in an injury-shortened campaign. McKinney appeared in 13 matches for Tusculum in 2009, making 10 starts in the back third for the Pioneers.

Slated to join the senior duo in the starting 11 is freshman Matt Davies (Blaxland, NSW Australia), who joins the Pioneers from Blaxland High School where he was a two-year captain and recipient of the Pierre de Coubertin Award, given to high school student-athletes who exemplify the philosophies of the modern Olympics, both on and off the field.

Freshman Drayson Davenport (Acworth, Ga.) and sophomore Justin Williams (Nashville, Tenn.) are expected to compete for the final starting spot on the backline. Davenport joins the program from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Ga., where he was a two-sport star in football and soccer, while Williams looks to earn valuable playing time after sitting out last season. Freshman Robert Reed (Rutledge, Tenn.), an All-District performer from Grainger High School, is also expected to compete for playing time on the backline.

GOALKEEPERS
Sophomore Andy Goellner (Denver, Colo.) and junior transfer Keegan Graham (Memphis, Tenn.) are expected to battle for the starting nod at goalkeeper for the Pioneers, as both bring tremendous skill and experience to the pitch. Goellner appeared in three matches for Tusculum last season, making one start and posting a 1.18 goals against average. Graham joins the Pioneers from Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Ga., where he recorded 73 saves and a 0.82 goals against average last season.

Sophomores Trevor Lund (Hebron, Conn.) and Clay Jarrell (Tullahoma, Tenn.) round out a deep goalkeeping corps for the Pioneers, and will both compete for playing time behind Goellner and Graham.

With an experienced corps of returners, along with a diverse and talented recruiting class, the Pioneers are poised to build on the program's success from the last three seasons and return to the elite levels of the NCAA Division II. If Coach Voltz's young and gifted squad can come together and find its identity quickly, the Pioneers should improve on their fifth-place preseason ranking in the South Atlantic Conference.

The Pioneers will open the home portion of their schedule Sept. 11 when they host Young Harris College at the Niswonger Sports Complex and Pioneer Field.

- TC -

Former Tusculum Assistant Media Relations Director Whitney Noble contributed to this release.