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2023 Men's Soccer Season Preview

8/28/2023 11:00:00 AM

Laying the Foundation

Salisbury turned the page to a new chapter in 2022, finishing the season with a 5-12-2 overall record in the first season under head coach Zack MacDougall. The Sea Gulls secured a notable victory over national semifinalist Mary Washington on Oct. 26. They also edged third-seeded UW-Platteville in penalty kicks in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Championship quarterfinal before falling to Mary Washington in the semifinals.

A pair of Sea Gulls garnered all-conference recognition following the regular season: Ethan Dolezal on the All-C2C First Team and Sean Barwick on the Second Team. The team also landed nine student-athletes on the C2C All-Academic Team.

A GLIMPSE INTO 2023

ALL-CONFERENCE RETURNERS

Ethan Dolezal | Jr. | M

Sean Barwick | Sr. | F

Dolezal is back to boost the Sea Gull midfield after accounting for just over a quarter of their points last season. The Churchville, Maryland native made 18 starts in 2022, scoring seven goals and an assist.

Along with Dolezal, Barwick was a focal point of the Salisbury offense. He tallied five goals and an assist, ranking second on the squad with 11 points. Barwick was one of four Sea Gulls to play in all 19 contests.

OTHER KEY RETURNERS

Conner Appleby | Sr. | F

Brady Young | Jr. | M

Ryan Kegley | So. | D

Attack
Midfield
Defense

Conner Appleby led the Sea Gulls with four assists for the second consecutive season in 2022. The senior added three goals to reach 10 points on the season. Like Barwick, Appleby appeared in all 19 games for Salisbury.
David Peters provided the Sea Gulls with a spark in his freshman campaign, scoring goals against Mary Washington on Oct. 15 and Pratt on Oct. 22. The Baltimore native put 10 shots on target and recorded over 1,000 minutes played in 2022.

A 2021 All-C2C First Team selection, Brady Young returns to bolster the midfield. The native of Boyds, Maryland logged over 1,000 minutes of action in 2022 and collected his third career assist on Oct. 22.
Jacob Rarig made nine starts and 18 total appearances a season ago. Rarig had his breakout game on Oct. 22 vs. Pratt, scoring his first two collegiate goals on just two shots in 35 minutes of action.

Ryan Kegley was a workhorse in his first season donning the maroon and gold, leading the Sea Gulls with over 1,500 minutes played in 2022. He helped the Salisbury defense to collect three shutouts last season and picked up a pair of assists as well.
Joseph Ennas also provided a pair of assists for Salisbury in his first season of collegiate soccer. The freshman ranked sixth on the team in minutes played (1,107) and set up goals against Shenandoah on Sept. 3 and King's College on Oct. 8.
Skyler McCarthy is the lone returner in goal, making six starts and appearing in seven games in 2022. The second-year keeper boasted a 0.689 save percentage in just over 530 minutes of action, a clip that ranked first on the team.

2023 Roster

That's the beauty of a place like Salisbury ... You have the opportunity to play against the best teams in the country and for us as a growing young team, I think that's invaluable.

Head Coach Zack MacDougall on the team's 2023 schedule

2023 SCHEDULE

The Sea Gulls face a 17-game regular season in 2023. Salisbury opens the campaign with the Elmer Lord Classic, hosting Rowan and King’s College on Sept. 1-2. The team then hits the road for three games before returning home to face Washington (Md.) on Sept. 13. Salisbury hosts Messiah, ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll, three days later on Sept. 16.

Salisbury will play eight of their final 10 competitions on the road, including several duels with teams ranked in the preseason poll. The home stretch will feature pairs of matchups against both Mary Washington and Christopher Newport, ranked No. 4 and No. 21 in the preseason poll, respectively. The team will also travel to face No. 7 Johns Hopkins on Oct. 11.

The team concludes the regular season in Carlisle, Pennsylvania against Dickinson. The Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament heads west for the 2023 season, hosted by the University of California, Santa Cruz on Nov. 2-5.

FULL 2023 SCHEDULE

UPCOMING GAMES

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