STATESBORO – After the 2021 season, the Georgia Southern men's soccer team is looking to have a strong bounce-back season in a new-look Sun Belt.

The Sun Belt is looking to plant itself as one of the top Division I men's soccer conferences with its third incarnation beginning play later this week. The SBC has a lot of weight behind its name with three teams ranked in the preseason top 15.

In order to compete in such a strong league, however, you need players who are comfortable in the system and have had ample practice time. That's why the Eagles scheduled four exhibition games this preseason, to make sure everyone had experience before Thursday's match against Presbyterian.

"I can't think of too many teams in the country that attempted to do what we did by playing two doubleheaders, using two of the scrimmage dates," Murphy said. "That was done for a couple of reasons. One, we have a large group. Two, we have an influx of new players. Three, the universal start date and our classes starting so early, it cut down our timeline a little bit."

The turnover from last year is another big storyline for the Eagles. Of the 30 active student-athletes, 20 are new to the team, with 17 freshmen and three transfers making up 66% of the roster. Murphy sees this as a great opportunity for the team. "With the new faces comes new energy, excitement, and enthusiasm, which is always a good thing," Murphy said. "I think it's a step in the right direction."

Georgia Southern opens the season on the road against the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Thursday, August 25. Here's an in-depth look on how the Eagles will look in 2022.

DEFENDERS

Murphy describes the defenders on this year's squad as "dynamic," and he says it starts at the top with one of the captains. "Alex Smith is a very talented two-way defender. He's good with the ball and obviously very strong in one-on-one situations. He encapsulates how we like to play and the type of players we want on the pitch there." Veteran presence is crucial when you have a young squad, and both Austin Hardy and Thomas Jackson will be looked toward as the veterans to help the young defenders. "Austin Hardy is someone that came in last year as a freshman, eventually got into the starting group and has really just gone from strength to strength. He's a classic one-on-one lockdown defender but also has a great appetite to go forward and join in on the attack," Murphy said about Hardy. "Thomas Jackson's a senior who can be deployed either as a left back or pushed up further into left wing but he's a good user of the ball. Very intelligent and a very good communicator."

On the freshmen, Murphy feels confident in their abilities. "Keeyen Deane, Konnor Herrmann, and Nick Gettridge, those are three center backs that can be utilized anywhere across the back line. I'd also put Thaddeus Harp in that category. Thad has been played a little bit more center back lately, but is definitely a full back and can push forward to get into the attack. On the other side, Angel Sagrero is a very good left-sided attacking full back who could be easily deployed in the midfield. You feel like Victor Kubel could be someone that's going to make an impact with us right away, very experienced center back, very good user of the ball. Noah Escobar can be deployed in the back line or in the midfield." Murphy describes the defenders as "a physically strong enough [group] to be able to deal with the challenged of playing at this level, but also have the capacity to pass and play, which is very important."

MIDFIELDERS
Moving on to the midfielders, Murphy thinks it's very important to have a captain within your midfielder group, and Mauro Gutierrez-Solis fits the mold in his mind. "Fantastic worker. Great energy. He's a fighter, with a high level of technique. Very attack-minded, but also has the energy and the maturity to get back and defend." Murphy says having a captain down the midfield "sets the tone for the rest of the group." Along with a captain, Murphy talks about Miguel Perez as someone that will bring some veteran presence to the pitch. "[Perez] is a guy that has been in our program for a couple years, really a solid player. But more importantly, a top person. As he's getting older, we're putting him further back into the midfield because he has the ability to understand what's going on and organize his teammates."

Talking about the newcomers, Murphy starts Jacob Gompers, who adds a different set of skills to the core. "Jacob Gompers is completely different than Miguel. Miguel is very quick and agile, while Jacob can cover a lot of ground, has a tremendous vertical leap that gives us a completely different look in that part of the field." Next, Murphy discusses Bill Okumu, who he says is "more of a deep-lying midfielder." He says Okumu is "very calm and very intelligent."

Once you start getting wider, you find another of the Eagles' captains this season, Chase Winters. Murphy talks about Winters as a "classic wide midfielder, very strong in one-on-ones defending and attacking, really an all-action player." Another new name to Eagle Nation is Haya Yoshizawa, who comes from Montverde Academy down in Montverde, Florida. Murphy says Yoshizawa is a "very technical player that can be deployed wide of be pushed up into the 10 (attacking mid)." Alex Guzman, a transfer from Presbyterian, joined the Eagles in the offseason, and Murphy describes him as "more of a classic 10 where he can work in central players and move the ball." When discussing Manuel Prieto, Murphy says that "he's a wide midfielder that can also play as a winger for us. I like his fitness and technical ability." Another veteran the Eagles are expecting a lot out of is Jona Kafka, who Murphy spoke highly of. "Jona Kafka played significant minutes last year as a central midfielder and we expect him to be contributing against. He's left-footed, very fit, covers a great deal of ground. He's a guy who has played in big games for us, so he understands what it takes to play at this level."

FORWARDS
Murphy spoke highly of his forward's performances during the preseason. "We scored goals in the preseason, which is a good sign. We scored eight goals in four games. I think going forward, we're really going to occupy opponents." One of the players leading the charge on that front is Segundo Navarro, a graduate transfer from Sacred Heart. "He's got four years of Division I experience, he's a very clever, crafty striker." One of the new freshmen on the team, Zachary Martin, was one that Murphy mentioned as different compared to some of the other forwards. "Zachary Martin's a different kind of player. A lot bigger and more powerful, very direct." Another veteran the Eagles will lean on is Samuel Odame, who, as Murphy says, "is someone who could be deployed up the middle and wide areas, he's a very dynamic, exciting player." Another new face to the lineup, Hilary Odhiambo, is "the same type of player" compared to Odame. "Now you have two similar players coming from different sides, it's going to give up a lot of pace and attacking areas."

Jack Ireland, a freshman from Lake Mary, Florida, is a striker Murphy had praises for during the preseason. "[He's] six foot two, powerful, a target striker and he's done well. He's scored a couple goals in two games, so that's a good rate for a striker, and we hope it continues." A product of New Rochelle, New York, Jordan Regis is "more like a slashing, penetrative direct winger with good pace," said Murphy. Ervinas Vilkaitis, a new face from Lithuania, has a good amount of experience with the game in his home country, which works to his advantage. "He's very intelligent, great movement, very well balanced and mature," Murphy said. "He comes in as a freshman but he's kind of an old soul. He's definitely got a great deal of experience in the game and he's someone that should be able to step in and help us right away."

GOALKEEPERS
For the final position to highlight, Murphy talks about how the four-man goalkeeping corps is a strong one. "It has to start with Maverick Boring. He's a senior, very dynamic, powerful athlete. In his two games he's played this preseason, he's looked very good, very aggressive, strong off the line which is important if you are pushing up and you play with a higher line." A transfer from Florida Atlantic, Cameron Braswell, has been described as a "well-rounded goalkeeper" by Murphy. "He transferred in midyear last year and had a very good spring … He's technically sound and a very fit, dynamic athlete."

The two freshmen in the position, Dagoberto Romero and Nate Martinez, also drew high praises from Murphy this preseason. "Dagoberto Romero is mature beyond his years. He's played a very high level at Atlanta United. [He's] someone that has played in big games before and understands what it takes to succeed playing against top teams. I think he's come in and looked very good." Martinez, a six foot three goalkeeper and the final new face to the squad, was described as having "fantastic feet and is very mobile and very athletic." Murphy ends with saying "with the four goalkeepers, you really do have four different types of goalkeepers, and I think that bodes well for us because you can address different situations [in practice]."
 
Georgia Southern opens its season on the road against Presbyterian on Thursday, August 25. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The Eagles' home opener is against Charlotte on September 4 at 7 PM.