CHARGERTV SEASON PREVIEW

UAH (0-0-0) at Carson-Newman (0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 5 | 5:30 p.m. | Stats | Video

Oakwood (0-0) vs. UAH
Monday, Sept. 7 | 6 p.m. | Stats
 
A NEW SEASON: The Chargers enter 2015 following a 13-4-2 overall record and a 6-3-0 mark in league games last year, falling in the 2014 GSC Tournament semifinals against West Alabama to end the season. Third-year head coach Matt Watts – who saw the Chargers first national ranking since 1997 in 2014 – returns 13 players from last year's roster including All-GSC honorees Rafn Haraldsson, Leo De Smedt, John Imwalle and Michael Winstone.
 
DEFENSIVE STRENGTH: The UAH defense was a major reason for the squad's success last season, as the Blue & White ranked 36th in NCAA with a .95 goals against average. Imwalle – who led the team in minutes played – highlights the defensemen, with Winstone (1.01 GAA, 49 saves) anchoring the goal.
 
PREDICTING THE GSC: The GSC's preseason poll has the Chargers as co-favorites to win the league in the upcoming season, as the team was selected alongside Christian Brothers who also received three first-place nods. In third was defending champion West Alabama, while West Florida and Lee rounded out the first five in the poll at fourth and fifth, respectively. De Smedt and Imwalle earned Preseason All-GSC status in the poll as well.
 
PRESEASON POLLING: Hero Sports released its national preseason rankings and the Chargers came in at No. 21, moving up 11 slots from the previous ratings. Lynn – who won the 2014 NCAA Championship – comes in at No. 1 in the rankings to lead the South Region, while Christian Brothers is tops in the GSC at No. 19.
 
SUMMER VACATION: Junior Leo De Smedt spent the summer break playing with Chatanooga FC, where he was recognized as one of the nation's top players after being named to the 2015 All-NPSL Team. De Smedt was a catalyst for Chatanooga's success, with the squad advancing to the NPSL National Championship match. De Smedt was key to the Chargers run in 2014, as the Lille, France, native led the team with three game-winning goals and a total of 10 points (3g-4a) on offense.
 
MATCHUP HISTORIES: The Chargers hold all-time winning records against both upcoming opponents, which include a 4-2-0 mark against Carson-Newman and a 1-0-0 record over Oakwood. UAH matched up against Carson-Newman last season, winning by 5-1 at Charger Park.
 
TICKETS: Admission is free to all UAH students with valid Charger ID, while adult tickets are six dollars and student-aged tickets are four dollars. Tickets can be purchased at the Charger Park box office. For group ticket information, contact Jason Rucker at 256-824-6584 or Jason.rucker@uah.edu.