WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College men's soccer team begins its 2023 season in Greencastle, Indiana, on Friday with a contest against DePauw University. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and DePauw. The Quakers are looking to build upon a 2022 campaign that saw the Quakers finish 12-6-3 and make an appearance in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament title game for the first time in over a decade. The Tigers are looking to rebound from a 2022 season that saw DePauw finis 6-7-5 overall and 1-5-2 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contests.
The Coaches: Wilmington is led by second-year Head Coach Cory Bucur. In his first season leading the program, Bucur guided WC to a 12-6-3 overall record, a fourth-place finish in the OAC and an OAC Tournament finals appearance. Previously, he guided Defiance College to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament championship in the fall of 2021. Steven McCarthy enters his first season as DePauw's head coach. The Capital University alumnus spent the previous three seasons as head coach at Loras College.
The Players: The Quakers need to replace their top four offensive threats, but Sakarias Bahamondez seems up the to challenge as the sophomore ended his freshman season scoring goals in four of the team's last five games. Thomas Grimes, who started every game but the season-opener in 2022, returns having tallied an 11-5-2 record with seven shutouts as a freshman. Sam Thiel returns for his senior season having led the Tigers offensively with eight goals and four assists for a total of 20 points.
OAC Preseason Poll: The OAC coaches have picked the Quakers to finish fourth in the league in 2023.
Series History: Since becoming an NCAA Division III member, Wilmingtin is an even 1-1-0 against DePauw. The Tigers won the season-opener 3-1 at Williams Stadium to begin the 2022 campaign. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Up Next: Wilmington travels to Anderson University for a 5 p.m. contest on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
