GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's soccer team opens its 2024 season on Saturday, Sept. 7 when the Pioneers host King University at Pioneer Field for a 5 p.m. match.
First-year head coach Kyle Hughes takes over on the sidelines after longtime coach Allen Vital departed for ETSU after last season. Hughes welcomes a group of 17 freshmen to a team that has six starters back from last year's 8-5-3 squad. The Pioneers went 3-5-3 in South Atlantic Conference play and were nudged out of a postseason berth via tiebreaker.
FORWARDS
A group of freshmen includes Kelechi Ekeleme (Vail, Ariz.), Zaki Goes (Sanford, Fla.), Lorenzo Jacon (Lyon, France) and Clarenns Sainrimat (Marcoussis, France), along with returning senior David Evans (Johnson City, Tenn.).
Of the 28 goals scored by the Pioneers last season, just eight were contributed by players who will be active for Tusculum this fall.
MIDFIELDERS
Senior Mo Bouta (Berkane, Morocco) was second-team All-SAC last season after finishing with four goals and playing a total of 1,099 minutes. Bouta was selected team Most Valuable Player, with three of his four goals coming in conference play including a game-winner at Newberry.
Senior Gui Busato (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) made 11 starts last season and scored three goals, two of which came in conference play. Busato has five goals and two assists in 26 matches across two seasons for the Pioneers.
Junior Devin Vital (Greeneville, Tenn.) tied for second on the team with three assists in 15 starts last season, while ranking third on the team with 1,222 minutes played.
Senior Lars Schutrups (Wolvega, Netherlands) played in nine matches, making five starts, and has played in 22 matches during two seaosns with the Pioneers. Sophomore Matheus Daibert (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) appeared in one match during his freshman season.
The Pioneers will also feature a host of freshmen in Pedro Avila (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Enoch Brako (Obomeng, Ghana), JP Campione (Woodbridge, Ont.), Gio Carneiro (Melbourne, Fla.), Wilfredo Castillo (Houston, Texas), Mason Clark (Coral Springs, Fla.), Mateo Mialet (La Ciotat, France), Tomas Ramos (Charneca de Caparica, Portugal) and Feliz Triftshauser (Munich, Germany).
DEFENDERS
Three starters are back for the Pioneers, as senior Federico Belintende is joined by juniors Asbjorn Saevik and Linus Salomonsen on the back end.
Belintende (La Plata, Argentina) made 11 starts on defense and played all 90 minutes seven times last season, while Saevik (Ulsteinvik, Norway) had 15 starts and was second on the team with 1,340 minutes. Salomonsen (Stavanger, Norway), also a two-year starter along with Saevik, made 11 starts last season and has started 24 matches in his Tusculum career.
Also returning for the Pioneers are senior William Lerby (Taby, Sweden), junior Dimitri Davourlis (Kirkland, Que.) and sophomore Kasper Hansen (Stathelle, Norway). Lerby had one appearance for the Pioneers last season, while Hansen played in three matches and scored a goal.
The Pioneers welcome three transfers to the roster on defense. Junior Conor O'Brien (Sneem, Ireland) was second-team All-Conference at Midway last season after scoring three goals in 18 matches. Junior Gustavo Figueira Oliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) played three matches in two seasons at Hanover, and sophomore Kadmiel Anderson (London, England) had four appearances last season at Radford.
Three freshmen join the Pioneers this season - Djibril Diop (Magnanville, France), Bertram Josefsen (Soeborg, Sweden) and Juan Tapia (Guayaquil, Ecuador).
GOALKEEPERS
Sophomore Sondre Liahagen Kolnes (Randaberg, Norway) had a 2-0-1 record with a 0.33 goals against average in three starts for the Pioneers last season, including a shutout against Anderson. Freshman Noe Delmotte (Bondues, France) joins the roster for the Pioneers.
