Coach Maullin previews the game

GREENSBORO, N.C.—UNCG men's soccer opens the 2011 season by hosting No. 12 Duke, 8 p.m., Friday at UNCG Soccer Stadium.

The men's game is the second game of a doubleheader as the women's team faces Wake Forest at 6 p.m. The doubleheader is sponsored by Sterling Cottages at West End.

The Spartans were 1-0-1 in a pair of exhibition games, tying NC State (0-0) and defeating UNC Pembroke (3-2). Duke, picked fifth in the ACC preseason poll, tied a pair of exhibition games at the ShinDigZ National Soccer Festival in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The Blue Devils posted identical 1-1 results against Indiana and IPFW.

UNCG was recently picked to defend its Southern Conference regular-season title in the conference's annual preseason poll, while five Spartans were chosen preseason all-SoCon.

Highlighting the Spartans' all-league selections is forward Hakan Ilhan who paced the SoCon with 12 goals and 31 points a season ago. The junior is joined on the list by midfielders Fannar Arnarsson and Brian Graham and defenders Mahdi Ali and Aaron Reifschneider.

The doubleheader will include the Spartan Restaurant Tailgate in the parking lot behind the south end zone from 5-8 p.m., as well as a kids' zone with inflatables. The tailgate will include chopped chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs. Guests can pay via meal plan, Spartan Cash, Flex, cash or Visa or Mastercard.

Spartan Storylines
•    The Spartans open their 41st soccer season against No. 13 Duke
•    UNCG is 24-15-1 all-time in season openers
•    Head coach Justin Maullin begins his second season with the Spartans and owns a 12-6-4 overall record. Maullin earned SoCon Coach of the Year honors as a rookie in 2010
•    UNCG is 3-13-0 all-time against Duke in a series which dates back to 1978
•    The Spartans' last victory over the Blue Devils was a 2-1 win on Nov. 21, 2008 during an NCAA Tournament first round match in Durham
•    UNCG is 30-48-3 all-time against ACC teams
•    The Spartans are listed in TopDrawerSoccer.com's Tournament 48 rankings of teams projected to qualify for the 2011 NCAA Tournament


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