SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI – The University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team opens their official season with a pair of games on the road this weekend.  It will be a rematch of last year's opening weekend with a Friday night game at Missouri State at 7 p.m. and a Sunday afternoon game at 1 p.m. at Central Arkansas.

The Cardinals are led by fourth-year head coach Vince Martinez who has a 35-15-5 record in his first three seasons with the club.  The Cardinals begin the season with a brand new team from 2013 after graduating 10 players, including a pair of former All-Americans.  Eighteen new recruits make up over half of the squad.

In the midst of the new faces, however, they bring back key starters in senior Alex de la Garza (Mission/Sharyland HS), sophomore Joe Brown (Nottingham, England/The Becket School), junior Alex Hoyl (Dallas/Highland Park HS), sophomore Ben Conway (Wigan, England/Hawkley Hall) and senior Victor Pinal (Dallas/Skyline HS).  De la Garza and Pinal combined for 10 goals last season, splitting the tally evenly to tie for the team lead.  Conway added three goals as a true freshman while Brown and Hoyl will be central to the backline.

The Missouri State Bears will be looking to keep their unbeaten record against the Cardinals after a 1-0 victory last year.  Bringing back nine of their starting 11, the defending champions of the Missouri Valley Conference are picked to win the conference again.  James Fawke, the 2013 MVC Defensive Player of the Year, anchors the backline.  Jack Roberts and Emmerich Hoegg will be leading the offense after scoring four goals each last season with Hoegg scoring the only goal against the Cardinals.

Central Arkansas will be dreading the return of Victor Pinal to the pitch after he scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in the 96 minute to give UIW a 4-3 win in 2013.  The Bears return seven players, including leading scorer Wes Carson who found the back of the net seven times in 2013.
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