THOMASVILLE, Ga. – After a convincing 3-0 victory over Auburn-Montgomery boosted the team's record to 6-1, the Thomas University men's soccer team will travel south to Miami Gardens, Fla., to begin conference play on Sept. 25 and Sept. 27 against No. 18 Florida Memorial and St. Thomas, respectively.
 
The Nights Hawks hold a considerable amount of momentum entering conference play, as Ricky Zambrano's side is now ranked fourth in the NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll after an impressive start to the season.
 
After beating the likes of top-ranked Davenport and No. 23 Auburn-Montgomery, Thomas has another golden opportunity to capture a quality win on Friday, while simultaneously winning the conference opener, when the team hits the road to face No. 18 Florida Memorial.
 
The Lions are one of the best teams in the Sun Conference and have proven that notion continually, as Fernando Valenzuela's team went 8-2 in conference action last season before kicking off the 2015 campaign with a trio of upsets.
 
Florida Memorial's scoring production to date could best be described as evenly distributed, as six different Lions have scored goals to contribute to three early-season upsets.  Despite a recent rough stretch, FMU has beaten Top 25 opponents in Mobile, St. Andrews and Bethel while playing one of the most difficult non-conference schedules of any Sun Conference team.
 
The Lions graduated just four seniors from last year's 12-win squad and the team will return all five recipients of All-Conference Honors.  Matias Solari, the 2014 Sun Conference Freshman of the Year, leads the talented group of returning players for FMU.  He scored three game-winning goals and added four assists in 18 matches during his rookie season.
 
The Lions also return four Second Team All-TSC members in Martin Scapparone, Pablo Garcia, Henrique Rezek, and Marco Perretta.
 
After the Top 25 showdown with Florida Memorial, the Night Hawks will face a capable St. Thomas side that is more talented than its record indicates.  While the Bobcats have not fared quite as well as FMU to start the season, Felix Mats' side has a winning history with strong odds to improve on a disappointing 2014 season. 
 
Despite winning just three games a season ago, the Bobcats have already won twice in 2015, thrashing Talladega 4-1 before shutting out Middle Georgia in a 1-0 victory.  Additionally, St. Thomas' goal differential in the team's three defeats is just -3.  The Bobcats are competitive in nearly every match and will pose a difficult road test for the fourth-ranked Night Hawks.  The Bobcats have scored eight goals from seven different players, presenting a balanced attack that is difficult to predict.
 
Just weeks into the 2015 season, the TU men have established themselves as not only one of the best teams in the country, but also as one of the most balanced.  Through just seven games, the team's 16 goals have been scored by nine different players.
 
The upcoming weekend presents a great opportunity for the Night Hawks to extend the non-conference success into a stretch of important road contests.  Thomas University will surely relish the opportunity to begin TSC play 2-0.
 
For up-to-date information on these games 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.