The Westminster men's soccer team begins the 2015 season this weekend as they play host to a pair of home games at Dumke Field. The Griffins will welcome Hope International to town on Saturday before facing Bellevue on Sunday. Both games will begin at noon.
 
Tickets for the two games are on sale now by clicking here.
 
COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Both games of the weekend will be carried live on the new Griffins TV Game Central portal. The coverage will not have audio commentary.
 
There will also be live stats available for both of the contests from Dumke Field. Access to all live features are available at www.WestminsterGriffins.com/live.
 
FOLLOWING WESTMINSTER MEN'S SOCCER
Make sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube for the latest news about the Griffins.
 
Fans can stay connected with Westminster Men's Soccer by following @westminstersoccer soccer on Instagram.
 
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster begins the 32nd season of men's soccer in 2015 as they begin play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Griffins are coming off a 2014 season that they went 9-8-2 overall and qualified for the Unaffiliated Conference Tournament.
 
The 2015 squad returns 20 players from last season, including seven that started at least half of the games last season. That groups includes the leading scorer from last season, Connor Thompson, who finished with five goals and four assists. Thompson took 32 shots with 15 on goal and he tallied three game-winning goals.
 
Jonnathan Rodriguez is also back for his sophomore season after posting four goals on 18 shots. Look for Jaden Olsen, Josh Jackson, and Matthew Warne to also get time playing in the midfield early in the year.  Warne led all field players with 1,723 minutes played last season with one assist.
 
The backline will feature the team's most experience led by senior Aaron Rees who has played in 56 games as a Griffins. Rees has made 22 consecutive starts and was credited with nine shots attempts in 2014. Hunter Stutz and Emilio Giokas will also move into a starters role at defense this season with Michael Porter making the transition to the backline.
 
Taylor Ruff and Sean Lyne are back in goal after getting time last season. Lyne made seven starts in frame last season with a 0.94 goals-against-average and .825 save percentage. Ruff finished with a 1.65 GAA and .647 save percentage. The duo combined to go 3-5-2 with three shutouts. Sophomore Sean Speirs could also get some time in net for the team this season.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
• Hope International – The Royals will come to town receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Poll and they are 1-0 on the season after a 2-1 win over the NAIA's No. 3-ranked Marymount (Calif.) on Aug. 29. HIU got goals from seniors Oleg Parent and Irvin Guadarrama in the win. Manuel Madrigal made one save in earning the win in goal.
 
• Bellevue – The Bruins make the trip to Salt Lake City at 2-0-1 on the year and riding a two-game winning streak. After playing Grand View to a scoreless draw on Aug. 22, BU has claimed wins over Warner Pacific, 1-0, and Johnson & Wales (Colo.), 4-2. Jamie Henderson leads the team with two goals and eight shots while Ben Martin has made 11 saves in goal.
 
SEASON OPENERS
Going back over the 31 year history of the men's soccer program, Westminster has compiled a record of 19-8-4 in the season opening game. They have seen even more success since the start of the 2000 season with a record of 12-3 in the 15 games. The Griffins enter Saturday's game having won three straight season openers and four the past five.
 
RMAC PRESEASON POLL
Westminster begins its first season in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2015 and they were picked to finish tied for 10th in a poll of the league's coaches that was released last month. The Griffins received 18 points in the poll to tie with fellow conference newcomer, South Dakota Mines. Colorado Mines was chosen as the favorite to win the RMAC title this season. The RMAC schedule features 14 games overall with 10 counting – five home and five road – towards the season standings.
 
SCORING THREAT
Connor Thompson returns in 2015 for his junior season after leading the team with five goals and 14 points last season. Thompson took 32 shots with 15 on goal as a sophomore and he had three game-winning-goals. He has scored seven goals in his career and added five assists for 19 career points.
 
STABILITY AT DEFENSE
Aaron Rees will anchor the Griffin defense and the senior enters the season having played in 56 games and 4,757 minutes. Rees started every game last season and 22 straight games going back to the 2013 campaign. He is a key part of a defense that finished 2014 with a goals-against-average at 1.02.
 
UP NEXT
Following the opening weekend of action, the Griffins will not return to action until Sept. 18 when they host MSU Denver at Dumke Field in the RMAC opener. They will also host UC Colorado Springs on Sept. 20.