Season Preview: 2021 Men’s Soccer

MILLIGAN UNIVERSITY, Tenn. (August 20, 2021) – The Milligan University men's soccer team enters the 2021 season with its sight set upon Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season and tournament titles after a historic 2020-21 season.

Visual Preview | Coach Lilly Preseason Interview

The Buffs open the season ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Men's Soccer Preseason Top 25. Milligan begins its 2021 campaign by hosting Middle Georgia State on Tuesday, Aug. 24 at 6:00 p.m.

2020-21 Season Review: The Buffs burst onto the scene in 2020-21 by winning their first four games and 10 out of 11 regular season contests to capture a share of the program's first AAC regular season title since 2012 and the top overall seed in the conference tournament.

In the AAC Tournament, Milligan avenged its only loss of the regular season with a 4-2 victory over St. Andrews in the conference semifinals. The Buffs hosted the AAC final at Anglin Field, but fell to Reinhardt 2-1.

Milligan qualified for the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship for the first time since 2006 by virtue of earning the No. 1 seed in the AAC. The Buffs earned the No. 3 seed in the Lawrenceville bracket in the NAIA Men's Soccer Opening round and were paired against second-seeded and No. 12-ranked Georgia Gwinnett.

After 90 minutes of action, the game was deadlocked at two. In overtime, Odin Solheim volleyed in the game winner from beyond the 18-yard box to advance Milligan. The men's soccer season ended a game away from the national championship final site with a 2-1 defeat to St. Thomas in the opening round final.

The Buffs' concluded their season with a 12-3 (9-1 AAC) record and were ranked No. 22 in the final NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Milligan had a pair of wins over top-15 opponents with a 3-2 regular season victory over No. 14 WVU Tech and the NAIA Opening Round triumph over No. 12 Georgia Gwinnett.

"Last year we made significant progress under extremely difficult circumstances," said head coach David Lilly. "The guys have a lot to be proud of for their sacrifices and their efforts all year."

2021 AAC Preseason Poll: The Buffs check in a No. 2 in the 2021 AAC Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Buffs picked up four first-place votes. Defending AAC Tournament champion Reinhardt secured the top overall spot with nine first-place votes.

2021 AAC Preseason Poll
Team - Voting Points (First-Place Votes)
1. Reinhardt - 178 (9)
2. Milligan - 170 (4)
3. Tennessee Wesleyan - 159
4. St. Andrews - 135
5. Point - 122
6. Union - 113
7. Montreat - 104
8. Columbia International - 98
9. Bryan - 91
10. Truett McConnell - 64
11. Bluefield - 58
12. Kentucky Christian - 32
13. Columbia - 27
14. Johnson - 22

Key Returners: All eight all-conference award winners from last spring return for the fall 2021 campaign.

Junior Spanish native Inaki Moreno returns after collecting AAC Offensive Player of the Year and NAIA All-American Honorable Mention accolades in the spring. Moreno totaled a team-high 23 points (6G, 11A), led the AAC in assists and ranked fourth in the nation in assists per game (0.730). Moreno scored twice and recorded an assist in the Buffs' impressive 3-2 win over No. 14 WVU Tech. In four AAC and NAIA postseason games, he recorded five points (1G, 3A).

Sophomore and fellow Spaniard Victor Castel returns after collecting All-AAC Second Team status in his debut season at Milligan. Castel began his collegiate career with goals in each of the Buffs' first four games and notched a pair of tallies in postseason action. Castel led the Buffs with eight goals and finished second on the roster in points (20). He ranked sixth in the AAC in goals and points, and his four game winning goals ranked No. 14 in the NAIA.

Australian sophomore Charlie Betts also reeled in All-AAC Second Team honors after a standout freshman campaign. Betts recorded five goals and four assists to finish third on the team with 14 points. He scored the deciding goal in the AAC semifinals against St. Andrews and ranked in the top 15 in the AAC in points, goals and assists.

Junior Alex Frances (4G, 2A) and sophomore Jett Carter (5G, 1A) were also key contributors in the forward line last year accounting for a combined 21 points.

In the midfield, Norwegian junior Odin Solheim collected All-AAC Second Team applause after making 13 starts and totaling nine points on four goals and one assist. Solheim scored twice in Milligan's NAIA Opening Round victory over No. 12 Georgia Gwinnett, including the game winner in overtime. Junior midfielders Luke Bennett (2G, 1A) and Simen Haraldstad (1G, 1A) were also key contributors in the midfield.

Milligan looks to feature a decorated defensive unit with three all-conference defenders returning as well as the conference's top goalkeeper. Canadian graduate student Raphael Sefriou returns after collecting All-AAC First Team status last season. Sefriou started all 15 games and finished second on the roster and tied for third in the AAC with five assists. He scored the first goal of his Milligan career in a win over Kentucky Christian.

Bahamian senior Andre Levarity and Norwegian sophomore Marius Grytdal earned All-AAC Second Team certificates along the back line in 2020-21. Grytdal joined Sefriou as the only player on the roster to start all 15 games last season. Levarity made 11 starts and notched five points (2G, 1A).

Paris native and graduate student Elies Sebbouh started 14 games and scored in the AAC final against Reinhardt. Sophomore Spaniard Albert Montragull appeared in all 15 games and made 12 starts in his Milligan debut season. He logged five points on two goals and one assist as a freshman. Junior Ethan Bishop appeared in 13 games and registered three assists last season.

German graduate student Jan Kuepper returns for his third season as the Buffs' goalkeeper. Last season he was named All-AAC First Team after allowing 17 goals in 14 games, good for a 1.28 goals against average. Milligan ranked 44th in the NAIA with five shutouts and the Buffs were third in the AAC in goals against average.

Newcomers: The Buffs welcome a class of newcomers from four states and three foreign countries.

No. Name Yr. Pos. Hometown/Previous School
00 Mark Matthews Fr. GK Wasilla, Ark./Colony HS
18 Brayden Conner Fr. MF Kingsport, Tenn./Dobyns-Bennett HS
20 Alexsander Krogh Fr. F Haugesund, Norway/Haugesund Toppidrettsgymnas
24 Sondre Haaland Fr. MF Fredrikstad, Norway/Wang Toppidrett Fredrikstad
26 Henrik Holm Fr. MF Olso, Norway/Lambertseter Videregaende Skole
30 Ludvig Wille Fr. Gk Halden, Norway/Halden Videregaende Skole
31 Luke Reed Fr. GK Gate City, Va./Gate City HS
32 Daniel Holl Jr. MF Ottawa, Canada/Salem International University
33 Bracken Burns Fr. MF Johnson City, Tenn./University
35 Xavier Ortiz Fr. MF Pace, Fla./Pace High School
38 Nicholas Arsenault Fr. D Athens, Tenn./McMinn County HS
39 Houston Burchfield Fr. MF Maryville, Tenn./Alcoa
44 Elies Simo Fr. D Valencia, Spain/IES Hort de Feliu

Looking at the Schedule: In 2020-21, Milligan only played one regular season nonconference game due to Covid-19. In 2021, the Buffs have five nonleague games on the slate before opening AAC on Sept. 11.

The Buffs face perennial River States Conference power and national contender WVU Tech on Aug. 28. Milligan welcomes Dalton State, the No. 11 team in the NAIA Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Top 25 poll, to Anglin Field on Sept. 4 for the Buffs' final tune-up before AAC play. Milligan's out-of-conference schedule also includes matchups with Middle Georgia State (Aug. 24), Pikeville (Sept. 1) and Fisk (Sept. 29).

The Buffs are set for a 13-game AAC regular season slate. Milligan's home schedule is highlighted by a visit from Tennessee Wesleyan under the lights on Sept. 11 to kick off AAC play. In a rematch of last season's AAC semifinals, St. Andrews comes to town on Oct. 20 and the Buffs celebrate Senior Day on Oct. 27 against Bluefield. Milligan also hosts Union (Sept. 15), Truett McConnell (Oct. 6) and Bryan (Oct. 13) in AAC play.

The Buffs' road schedule features a much-anticipated rematch of the 2020-21 AAC final on Oct. 23 when Milligan travels to Reinhardt. The Buffs and Eagles split two meetings last season with Milligan topping Reinhardt 1-0 in November and Reinhardt winning 2-1 in April. The rest of Milligan's away dates include trips to Point (Sept. 18), Kentucky Christian (Sept. 22), Montreat (Sept. 25), CIU (Oct. 9), Columbia (Oct. 16), and Johnson (Oct. 30).

The AAC sponsors an eight-team conference tournament. The top four seeds will host the quarterfinal games and the highest seed will host the remaining semifinal and final games. The AAC has two automatic bids to the NAIA Men's Soccer Championship. The regular season champion and the tournament champion receive automatic berths to the NAIA Men's Soccer Opening Round.

Last Word: "2021 is going to bring a new set of challenges and we are excited to meet them head on," said Lilly. "Our returners have set the bar very high and our incomers are helping us to raise it. We are energized and focused on the opportunities ahead."