SALT LAKE CITY — Westminster men's soccer (0-0) will kick off the 2021 regular season this weekend as it welcomes back fall home events at Dumke Field with a pair of nonconference matches beginning with Humboldt State (0-0) on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.  The Griffins will then have one day of rest before taking on San Francisco State (0-0) on Saturday night, starting at 7:30 p.m.

The Westminster Athletics Griffins Club will be hosting a one-hour tailgate at the Kim T. Adamson Alumni House on Thursday, beginning at 6:30 p.m.  Those interested in attending must RSVP.  Registration is free and can be completed online here.

Westminster Athletics will also play host to a pair of neutral non-conference matches with San Francisco State kicking off its regular season against Northwest Nazarene University (0-0) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a match between Humboldt State and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Live stats and live streaming for all matches will be available on westminstergriffins.com and there will be free admission for all of the weekend's matches at Dumke Field.

Scouting the Griffins:
- Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Head Coach Josh Pittman had led the Griffins to their first back-to-back winning seasons in almost a decade after finishing 2019 10-7-2 (7-4-2).
- The Griffins return a total of nine starters from their team that fell in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinal last spring following an abbreviated regular-season schedule that saw them finish 3-2-1 overall.
-  Returners include sophomore forward, Max Bingman, who was named Second Team All-RMAC in the spring and tied for the conference lead in goals scored (10) as a true freshman in 2019.
- Also returning to the squad is senior midfielder, Kaden Amano, who earned first team all-conference honors in the spring and has started out of the Griffins' midfield for the past four years.
- Westminster's back line will have experience on its side and is led by graduate center back, Gavin Flitton.

Scouting the Opponents:
    Humboldt State
- The Humboldt State Lumberjacks head into the fall after a 2-1-1 Spring 2021 record.
- The Lumberjacks, led by ninth-year head coach, Fred Jungemann, welcome a host of newcomers with 11 freshmen listed on the fall 2021 roster.
- Humboldt State's keepers, Adrian Gallardo and Jacob Cotton, split time last season in net and will both look for their share of the action between the posts this fall.
    San Francisco State
- San Francisco State heads into the season after missing out on competition during the pandemic year.
- The Gators went 10-7 (7-5 CCAA) in 2019, their sixth-consecutive with a winning record and third-consecutive season with at least 10 wins.
- San Francisco State is led by Head Coach Pedro Osorio who begins his third season at the helm in 2021.

Up Next:
Westminster will make its first road trip of the season next weekend to take on Northwest Nazarene on Thurs., Sept. 9, beginning at 6 p.m. (MDT).  The Griffins will stay in Nampa, Idaho, to play Montana State Univ. Billings on Sat., Sept. 11, kicking off at 12 p.m. (MDT).

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