Men’s soccer ready for return to Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field
On Wednesday, Sept. 1 the Defiance men's soccer team will play their first home game at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field since 2019.
After playing the spring 2021 season on the turf at Justin F. Coressel Stadium the Defiance men's soccer team will begin the 2021 fall season at home against Heidelberg University on Sept. 1 at 4:00 p.m. The game will be the first soccer match played at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field since 2019.
The Coach: The Yellow Jackets are led by third-year head coach Cory Bucur. In his first two seasons as head coach Bucur coached four players to All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors.
The Captain: Junior midfielder Noah Svanberg will have the honor of donning the captain's armband this season. As a sophomore, he played in nine games with eight started and logged a goal and an assist. As a freshman in 2019, Svanberg plate din 20 games with 16 starts and finished second on the team in scoring with five goals and four assists. His outstanding freshman campaign earned him the Swarm Award for Male Newcomer of the Year from the Defiance athletic department. Svanberg was recently named a player to watch by the HCAC.
The Players: Other players named to the HCAC watchlist include seniors midfielders Jeremy Jimenez and Chase Stiner, and junior goalkeeper Orry Killam.
Jimenez has appeared in 24 games over the course of his career and has scored three goals. Stiner has appeared in 46 games with 36 starts and has logged five points off a goal and three assists.
Killam made eight appearances in goal last season and recorded 32 saves, three shutouts, and one combined shutout. Also returning his junior goalie Austin Boles who posted a 2-0 record with two full shutouts and one combined shutout.
The roster also features a solid mix of returning veterans and a large incoming class that includes freshman and transfer students from all three NCAA divisions.
The Schedule: Defiance will play a 20 game schedule consisting of 9 HCAC matches and 11 non-conference contests. The Yellow Jackets will open the season with three home matches against Heidelberg, Capital University, and the College of Wooster with the latter two games taking place as part of the Purple and Gold Classic.
Broadcasts: All home games will be played at the Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field and live stats and video can be found on defianceathletics.com.