THOMASVILLE, Ga. – After earning the highest preseason ranking in program history, 11th-ranked Thomas University men's soccer team will travel to Lawrenceville, Ga., to open the 2015 season against the NAIA's top-ranked Davenport University.  The matchup, which is undoubtedly the biggest season-opening match in the country, pits the Night Hawks against the defending NAIA National Champions.
 
Incredibly high expectations surround the Panthers entering the 2015 campaign but, despite the fact that Davenport is looking to defend its national crown, there has been an equal amount of hype surrounding the Night Hawks.
 
Thomas enters a new season on the fringes of a Top 10 ranking, having earned a place in the preseason poll in back-to-back years for the first time in program history.  To add to the already sky-high expectations, the Night Hawks are returning 10 of its 11 starters from last year's squad, a group that was ranked as the top team in the country on two separate occasions in 2014.
 
The back-to-back Sun Conference tournament champions will be led by German striker Severin Abt, Thomas' leading scorer in 2014 and an Honorable Mention All-American.  Also returning for the Night Hawks is defensive anchor Donal Branagan, the catalyst to a back line that surrendered more than two goals just three times last season while recording seven shutouts in 21 matches.
 
Thomas' midfield looks to be formidable as well, as the return of seniors Joey Lopez and Lyle Gifford significantly bolsters a well-rounded squad picked to top the Sun Conference again this season.
 
On paper, the Night Hawks are one of the best teams in the country, but head coach Ricky Zambrano and company know that real recognition is earned by defeating quality opponents, and the team will have a golden opportunity to do just that Friday against NAIA juggernaut Davenport.
 
The Panthers, despite losing NAIA National Player of the Year Dzenan Catic to the MLS' Philadelphia Union, still figure to have a real chance at a repeat of 2014's 22-win season.  Davenport returns second-leading scorer TJ Infaturoti, who logged 11 goals and seven assists despite being just twelfth on the team in minutes played.  Infaturoti figures to see a significant uptick in playing time as an effort to replace Catic's production by head coach Chris Hughes.
 
Davenport also possesses some proven youth who will be asked to raise the team's level of play this season in second year players Aaron Orban and Cameron Cavanagh.  Orban, a member of the NAIA All-Tournament team as a freshman goalkeeper last season, posted 10 shutouts (a Davenport record) in 26 matches.  Cavanagh also earned a spot on the All-Tournament team in his first year, as the midfielder recorded game-winning assists in multiple national tournament matches to aid the Panthers' run to the title.
 
Preseason expectations aren't worth much once the ball is finally put in play for the first time, but it's hard to not get excited about a season-opening match between the likes of these two squads because there simply aren't many holes to be found in either side.  Friday's matchup should be a thriller between two teams with great chances to play into early December.
 
For up-to-date information on this matchup and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU men's soccer team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMSocc.