MEN'S SOCCER NOTEBOOK
The UVM men's soccer team returns to Virtue Field this weekend to host Central Connecticut State, Niagara, and Florida Gulf Coast in the Peter Baldwin Memorial Classic, presented by Morgan Stanley. UVM will take on Florida Gulf Coast under the lights on Friday (Sept. 1) at 7 p.m. in the return of former head coach Jesse Cormier. The weekend will wrap up with Vermont and Niagara on Sunday (Sept. 3) at 2 p.m.
 
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office on gameday. Free HD video and live stats will be available for all four games at AmericaEast.TV.
 
RELATED LINKS
Florida Gulf Coast: Video | Live Stats | Tickets
Niagara: Video | Live Stats | Tickets
 
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PROMOTIONS
For the first 200 fans on Friday night, UVM will be handing out free license plate frames. Sunday's contest against Niagara is Poster Day, presented by UVM Print and Mail, as fans will have the opportunity to receive a free poster and meet the team after the game for an autograph. 
 
OPENING WEEKEND RECAP | VIDEO: Alves' Goal vs. San Diego State
The Green and Gold opened the 2017 campaign with a 4-1 win at Hartwick last Friday and fell to San Diego State 2-1 in overtime on Sunday for a weekend split. Junior Geo Alves netted a pair of goals and handed out an assist in the victory over the Hawks to give UVM its highest goal tally in a season opener since 1993. Rob Dow was one of four first-year head men's soccer coaches to earn a victory in their collegiate coaching debut this season - Brysheem Hancock (Radford), Kirk Harwat (Cleveland St.), Kevin Nylen (FIU).
 
After the Azteks scored early in the first half, Alves contributed an impressive equalizer in the 69th minute after ripping a shot off a deflection from his own corner kick. SDSU recorded the walk-off win with a goal in the 95th minute.

AWARD WORTHY
Alves was named America East Player of the Week on Monday after racking up seven points in his first two contests on three goals and one assist. His two goals against Hartwick came within 27 seconds of each other and later added an assist on Vermont's final goal. Alves started both contests for the Catamounts and closed the weekend with 13 total shots to lead the team. He is a transfer from Dean College, where he registered 25 goals and 14 assists as a sophomore. In the latest NCAA rankings, the 5-8 forward is tied for third in goals and tied for fourth in points.
 
RETURN OF SOME FAMILIAR FACES
The Florida Gulf Coast coaching staff will have two former Catamounts returning to Burlington – head coach Jesse Cormier '95 and director of soccer operations Bernard Yeboah '17. Cormier coached UVM from 2004-16 before accepting the position at FGCU. He finished his tenure in a tie with Ron McEachen as the program's all-time leader in coaching wins with 114 victories. He led the Catamounts to three NCAA Tournaments, including an at-large bid last season during a 14-win campaign, which was the second-most in program history. Yeboah earned NSCAA Third Team All-East and America East Second Team All-Conference honors as a senior. He helped set a program single-season team record of 42 goals last season and he was a part of the top classmate scoring tandem in program history with Brian Wright.  
 
SCOUTING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Central Connecticut State comes into the weekend with an 0-1 record after dropping its season opener 2-1 to 18th-ranked UMass Lowell last Saturday. Head coach Shaun Green enters his 33rd season at the helm of the Blue Devils which is tied for the sixth-longest active tenure in Division I. CCSU was picked to finish seventh in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and seniors Nick Velleca and Luke Albertini will help lead the squad as the pair were named co-captains prior to the season. Velleca was an All-Northeast Conference Second Team selection last season after posting a .720 save percentage and started 14 games between the goalposts. Albertini started 17 games and netted a goal for CCSU a year ago.
 
SCOUTING NIAGARA
Niagara dropped its first two contests last weekend at the Lipscomb/Belmont Challenge. The Purple Eagles were edged by Libscomb 3-2 on Friday and fell to Belmont 6-1 on Sunday. Niagara has a tough stretch to open the 2017 season with seven straight road games. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) pegged the Purple Eagles to finish 10th in the preseason poll. The Purple Eagles will have a blended mix of veterans and newcomers as the roster includes 14 fresh faces, including four transfers. Niagara also returns its top two scorers from a year ago - Mackenzie Roach (7 points on 2 goals and 3 assists) and Mbongeni Tshuma (5 points on 2 goals and one assist).
 
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST
The Eagles came into 2017 ranked No. 15 in the country but dropped out of the rankings after suffering two tough losses – a 3-1 defeat at No. 3 Denver last Friday and a 3-2 setback at Air Force on Sunday. A year ago, Florida Gulf Coast owned the top scoring offense in the nation with 179 points on 62 goals and 55 assists. FGCU was tabbed as the Atlantic Sun Conference preseason favorite and reigning ASUN Player of the Year Albert Ruiz was a unanimous preseason selection to repeat. Ruiz, a senior forward, was also named to the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. He was the Division I leader as a junior with 22 goals and single-handedly produced more scores than 74 NCAA teams. Nicolas Samayoa also garnered ASUN preseason honors as the Defensive Player of the Year.
 
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont hosts the first of three Ivy League opponents this season when Yale visits Burlington on Saturday, Sept. 9. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. The contest is UVM's annual Rally Against Cancer game presented by Otter Creek Awnings and Vermont Custom Closets. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of the cancer research initiative. Single game tickets are available at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Box Office on gameday. Free live video will be available in HD at AmericaEast.TV.