Beavers Prepare for Season Opener Friday
August 24, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Oregon State will Take on DePaul ay 5 p.m.
Kicking Off: The Oregon State men's soccer team opens the 2016 campaign with a pair of home games at Paul Lorenz Field. The Beavers will kick things off by taking on DePaul on Friday at 5 p.m., and will follow that up by facing off with Wright State on Sunday. The matches will be part of the Hensor/Zaher Nike Classic, hosted by Oregon State.
Follow Along: Live stats for every game this season will be available on the men's soccer schedule page of OSUBeavers.com, and twitter updates are available at @BeaverMSoccer.
Strong Starters: Oregon State has won its season opener in each of the last four seasons, dating back to 2012. The Beavers won their first five matches in 2015, after earning victories in their first three matches of 2014.
Strike Force: The Oregon State forward combination of Timmy Mueller and Jordan Jones have already combined to score a total of 34 goals in their two seasons with the Beavers. They are the highest scoring combination of Oregon State players since Robbie Findley and Ryan Johnson took the field with a combined 40 goals in 2005. Overall, Jones and Mueller's career numbers are remarkable similar. Mueller currently holds a narrow edge with 38 points on 17 goals and four assists, while Jones sits just behind with 17 goals and three assists.
Hensor/Zaher Classic: The Hensor/Zaher Classic has been played since 2004, and honors a pair of student-athletes who were tragically lost just a few months apart. Stephen Hensor was a midfielder on the 2000 and 2001 squads, who was stricken by liver cancer and died on Aug. 30, 2002. Then, following a season that saw him earn Freshman All-America and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, Joe Zaher died in a car accident on Dec. 1, 2002.Â
"It's a storied tournament, and it's hard to believe those boys have been gone so long," said head coach Steve Simmons. "I was on the staff when Stephen and Joe played here, and they were both tremendous players, but even more than that they were tremendous people. Having this tournament in their honor is special to me, and to all the people that were close to the situation at the time. We always get up for the tournament, because of its significant meaning."
The Beavers are 16-5-3 all-time at the Hensor/Zaher Classic. Timmy Mueller, Jalen Markey and Nolan Wirth all made the All-Tournament team at last season's Hensor/Zaher Classic.
In Memory: Oregon State is playing this season in the memory of John Chambers, who passed away on July 8. Chambers appeared in four matches for the Beavers during his freshman season.
They're Back: The Oregon State centerback pairing of juniors Jalen Markey and Sam Tweeton have gained significant experience working together over the last two seasons. Markey and Tweeton have each started 32 matches over the last two years, and will be joined at the back by redshirt-senior Zach Striar, the most expereinced player on the team.Â
Preseason Preparations: Oregon State played a pair of exhibition matches in early August, as they prepared for the 2016 campaign. The Beavers got things started with a 3-1 win over the University of British Columbia, as Timmy Mueller, Jaime Miralles and Jordan Jones all found the net on Aug. 12. OSU followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Portland on the 19th, as Jalen Markey and Davis Chimento both got on the scoresheet.
It Ain't Easy: Oregon State once again faces a challenging schedule. The Beavers will take on 2015 Sweet 16 participant Ohio State on Sept. 5, and will follow that up by taking on national runner-up Akron on Sept. 9 in Ohio. OSU will return home for a matchup with west-coast power UC Irvine on Sept. 26, before it opens its always challenging Pac-12 slate, which features a pair of matches vs. defending national champion Stanford. Stanford and Akron enter the season ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, while Ohio State is ranked No. 18.
All Over The Map: The 2016 Oregon State roster features players from eight different states and three foreign countries. Here's the breakdown:
   - Oregon - 8 (Chimento, Garcia, Segovia, Arbogast, Ballenger, Striar, Vincent, Diaz)
   - California - 5 (Sarmiento, Jones, Brill, Sungvornrajasabh, Michael)
   - Texas - 3 (Dickey, Small, Waugaman)
   - Colorado - 3 (Tweeton, Braaten, Hurtado)
   - Canada - 3 (Wirth, Poulter, Norman Jr.)
   - Washington - 2 (Markey, Dotson)
   - Denmark - 1 (Strenov)
   - Idaho - 1 (Mueller)
   - Spain - 1 (Miralles)
Transfer Market: Oregon State has had success with transfers over the last few seasons, which could be an encouraging sign for newcomers Davis Chimento, Jaime Mirrales and Jesse Garcia. Last season, then-senior Phillip van Berkom (Longwood) started all 15 matches he played, while classmate Jaime Velasco (Portland) made 11 starts after joining the Beavers as a transfer.Â
Do Some Networking: Oregon State will appear on Pac-12 Networks 10 times this season, up from last year's total of nine. The Beavers' TV debut will come on Sept. 5, when they take on Ohio State at Paul Lorenz Field. OSU's Sept. 22 matchup with UC Irvine will air on Pac-12 Networks as well, and the Beavers will have eight of their 10 Pac-12 matches televised.
Beavers in the Pros: Oregon State has produced a number of outstanding professional players in recent seasons. Danny Mwanga was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLS Draft, before Khiry Shelton was selected second overall in 2016. Here is a list of current Beavers in the pros:
   - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC
   - Alan Gordon - LA Galaxy
   - Emery Welshman - Real Salt Lake
   - Robbie Findley - Rayo OKC (NASL)
   - Danny Mwanga - Ottawa Fury (NASL)
   - Will Seymore - Whitecaps FC 2 (USL Pro)
   - Matt Bersano - Seattle Sounders FC 2 (USL)
   - Tyler Back - Rovaniemen Palloseura (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
   - Mikhail Doholis - Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
Simmons Continues Tradition: Oregon State head coach Steve Simmons enters his eighth season with the Beavers this year as just the third head coach of OSU since the program was founded in 1988. Simmons led the Beavers to their first NCAA Tournament victory in 2014, and has produced three MLS SuperDraft picks during his time as OSU's top man. Prior to Simmons, Jimmy Conway was OSU head coach from 1988-1998 (11 seasons) and Dana Taylor was the team's skipper from 1999-2008 (10 seasons). Simmons served as Taylor's associate head coach in 2002, the team's first ever NCAA Tournament campaign.
Stoddard Steps Up: Oregon State assistant Ben Stoddard earned a promotion this offseason, as he was named Associate Head Coach by head coach Steve Simmons. Stoddard is in his third season with the Beavers, after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at Indiana Wesleyan. This summer, Stoddard was selected to be part of the NSCAA's 30 Under 30 Program, which is designed for a special group of young coaches who want to lead the way in developing soccer players and enhancing the game.
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Follow Along: Live stats for every game this season will be available on the men's soccer schedule page of OSUBeavers.com, and twitter updates are available at @BeaverMSoccer.
Strong Starters: Oregon State has won its season opener in each of the last four seasons, dating back to 2012. The Beavers won their first five matches in 2015, after earning victories in their first three matches of 2014.
Strike Force: The Oregon State forward combination of Timmy Mueller and Jordan Jones have already combined to score a total of 34 goals in their two seasons with the Beavers. They are the highest scoring combination of Oregon State players since Robbie Findley and Ryan Johnson took the field with a combined 40 goals in 2005. Overall, Jones and Mueller's career numbers are remarkable similar. Mueller currently holds a narrow edge with 38 points on 17 goals and four assists, while Jones sits just behind with 17 goals and three assists.
Hensor/Zaher Classic: The Hensor/Zaher Classic has been played since 2004, and honors a pair of student-athletes who were tragically lost just a few months apart. Stephen Hensor was a midfielder on the 2000 and 2001 squads, who was stricken by liver cancer and died on Aug. 30, 2002. Then, following a season that saw him earn Freshman All-America and Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, Joe Zaher died in a car accident on Dec. 1, 2002.Â
"It's a storied tournament, and it's hard to believe those boys have been gone so long," said head coach Steve Simmons. "I was on the staff when Stephen and Joe played here, and they were both tremendous players, but even more than that they were tremendous people. Having this tournament in their honor is special to me, and to all the people that were close to the situation at the time. We always get up for the tournament, because of its significant meaning."
The Beavers are 16-5-3 all-time at the Hensor/Zaher Classic. Timmy Mueller, Jalen Markey and Nolan Wirth all made the All-Tournament team at last season's Hensor/Zaher Classic.
In Memory: Oregon State is playing this season in the memory of John Chambers, who passed away on July 8. Chambers appeared in four matches for the Beavers during his freshman season.
They're Back: The Oregon State centerback pairing of juniors Jalen Markey and Sam Tweeton have gained significant experience working together over the last two seasons. Markey and Tweeton have each started 32 matches over the last two years, and will be joined at the back by redshirt-senior Zach Striar, the most expereinced player on the team.Â
Preseason Preparations: Oregon State played a pair of exhibition matches in early August, as they prepared for the 2016 campaign. The Beavers got things started with a 3-1 win over the University of British Columbia, as Timmy Mueller, Jaime Miralles and Jordan Jones all found the net on Aug. 12. OSU followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Portland on the 19th, as Jalen Markey and Davis Chimento both got on the scoresheet.
It Ain't Easy: Oregon State once again faces a challenging schedule. The Beavers will take on 2015 Sweet 16 participant Ohio State on Sept. 5, and will follow that up by taking on national runner-up Akron on Sept. 9 in Ohio. OSU will return home for a matchup with west-coast power UC Irvine on Sept. 26, before it opens its always challenging Pac-12 slate, which features a pair of matches vs. defending national champion Stanford. Stanford and Akron enter the season ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, while Ohio State is ranked No. 18.
All Over The Map: The 2016 Oregon State roster features players from eight different states and three foreign countries. Here's the breakdown:
   - Oregon - 8 (Chimento, Garcia, Segovia, Arbogast, Ballenger, Striar, Vincent, Diaz)
   - California - 5 (Sarmiento, Jones, Brill, Sungvornrajasabh, Michael)
   - Texas - 3 (Dickey, Small, Waugaman)
   - Colorado - 3 (Tweeton, Braaten, Hurtado)
   - Canada - 3 (Wirth, Poulter, Norman Jr.)
   - Washington - 2 (Markey, Dotson)
   - Denmark - 1 (Strenov)
   - Idaho - 1 (Mueller)
   - Spain - 1 (Miralles)
Transfer Market: Oregon State has had success with transfers over the last few seasons, which could be an encouraging sign for newcomers Davis Chimento, Jaime Mirrales and Jesse Garcia. Last season, then-senior Phillip van Berkom (Longwood) started all 15 matches he played, while classmate Jaime Velasco (Portland) made 11 starts after joining the Beavers as a transfer.Â
Do Some Networking: Oregon State will appear on Pac-12 Networks 10 times this season, up from last year's total of nine. The Beavers' TV debut will come on Sept. 5, when they take on Ohio State at Paul Lorenz Field. OSU's Sept. 22 matchup with UC Irvine will air on Pac-12 Networks as well, and the Beavers will have eight of their 10 Pac-12 matches televised.
Beavers in the Pros: Oregon State has produced a number of outstanding professional players in recent seasons. Danny Mwanga was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 MLS Draft, before Khiry Shelton was selected second overall in 2016. Here is a list of current Beavers in the pros:
   - Khiry Shelton - New York City FC
   - Alan Gordon - LA Galaxy
   - Emery Welshman - Real Salt Lake
   - Robbie Findley - Rayo OKC (NASL)
   - Danny Mwanga - Ottawa Fury (NASL)
   - Will Seymore - Whitecaps FC 2 (USL Pro)
   - Matt Bersano - Seattle Sounders FC 2 (USL)
   - Tyler Back - Rovaniemen Palloseura (Finnish Veikkausliiga)
   - Mikhail Doholis - Kitsap Pumas (PDL)
Simmons Continues Tradition: Oregon State head coach Steve Simmons enters his eighth season with the Beavers this year as just the third head coach of OSU since the program was founded in 1988. Simmons led the Beavers to their first NCAA Tournament victory in 2014, and has produced three MLS SuperDraft picks during his time as OSU's top man. Prior to Simmons, Jimmy Conway was OSU head coach from 1988-1998 (11 seasons) and Dana Taylor was the team's skipper from 1999-2008 (10 seasons). Simmons served as Taylor's associate head coach in 2002, the team's first ever NCAA Tournament campaign.
Stoddard Steps Up: Oregon State assistant Ben Stoddard earned a promotion this offseason, as he was named Associate Head Coach by head coach Steve Simmons. Stoddard is in his third season with the Beavers, after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at Indiana Wesleyan. This summer, Stoddard was selected to be part of the NSCAA's 30 Under 30 Program, which is designed for a special group of young coaches who want to lead the way in developing soccer players and enhancing the game.
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