THOMASVILLE, Ga. – Thomas University's men's soccer team is no stranger to fast starts; the Night Hawks went unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches to start 2014 after just two losses in 16 matches to begin 2013.  This start, however, might be a little better than most.
 
The Night Hawks blanked top-ranked, defending national champions Davenport 3-0 in the Grizzly Classic to open the 2015 season this past weekend, a win that reverberated around the NAIA world and potentially sealed Thomas' spot in the top 10 of the next national poll in September.  To continue the torrid start, head coach Ricky Zambrano and TU avoided any sort of letdown in the following match, as the team overcame a slow start to oust Talladega 2-1.
 
But the tough early-season schedule does not let up this weekend, when the Night Hawks play host to the upstart Middle Georgia State Knights.  The Knights struggled to a paltry 4-9-1 record a season ago, but a deeper look into the team showed that head coach Elvar Gudjonsson and company were on the verge of significant improvement.  Middle Georgia State returns a key nucleus of players, including sophomore midfielder Rasmus Arousell, this season from a 2014 squad whose competitiveness didn't often translate to the win column.  Five of the Knights losses last season were by two goals or less, an encouraging stat for MGSU given that over one-third of the team's matches came against squads ranked in the Top 25 nationally.
 
Arousell, who led the Knights with 10 goals a season ago, is already off to a tremendous start through three matches in 2015, having netted five goals in three games.  Arousell scored a hat trick against SCAD-Savannah, the team that Thomas University defeated in the Sun Conference final last season, to help his team open the season with an upset 4-3 victory over the twenty-first-ranked Bees.  The Knights followed up their season-opening upset with two high-scoring affairs, as the team defeated Point University 4-3 before falling to Florida Memorial 4-2.
 
The Night Hawks' defense will undoubtedly be tested Saturday afternoon by a team that has already netted 10 goals in just three matches, but Middle Georgia State's attacking ability doesn't figure to draw much concern from a back line that has opened the season in solid form.  Thomas University has allowed just a single goal so far, and while two matches is undoubtedly a small sample size, a shutout of defending national champion Davenport points to the potential of the squad's defense.
 
Production for Thomas University has come from all over the board through two matches, another encouraging facet of the Night Hawks' 2-0 start.  The team's five goals have been scored by five different players, Antoine Akoure, Jake Slocombe, Jesper Svall, Jonathon McGrath, and Eric Persson, pointing to the depth of TU in the starting lineup and on the bench.
 
Saturday afternoon is another opportunity for the Night Hawks to establish themselves as one of the NAIA's best teams when the Middle Georgia State Knights come to town.  Kickoff is at 4:00.  Join the Night Hawks for an in-game barbecue sponsored by Goalline Ministries.  The first 400 fans in attendance will receive free hotdogs and chips.
 
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.