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HOUSTON – Year two under head coach Ryan Pratt kicks off on Friday as the HBU men's soccer team hosts Siena and Saint Francis as part of the 2018 HBU Invitational at Sorrels Field.

Last season, the Huskies' season-opening tournament was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey, forcing the team to start its season a week late. This year, they head into the season riding a pair of exhibition victories over Saint Thomas and Dallas Baptist.

In those exhibitions, junior Malik Key scored the lone goal and game-winner against UST while sophomore Gianluca Natera's brace against DBU staked the Huskies to a 2-0 lead which held up in a 2-1 win after the Patriots converted a penalty kick.

HBU is set to face Siena on Friday, Aug. 24, at 7:30 p.m. immediately following a match between UT Rio Grande Valley and Saint Francis. Siena is coming off a 2017 season in which the Saints posted a 4-7-7 record. Siena was picked to finish ninth in the MAAC in the conference's preseason poll. The Saints return their leading scorer from last season, sophomore Alejandro Riquelme, who totaled six goals and two assists over 18 games.

On Sunday, Aug. 26, the Huskies will close out the HBU Invitational at 7:00 p.m. against the Red Flash from Saint Francis. SFU posted a 10-8 record last season and were among the top offensive teams in the nation, averaging 2.11 goals per game. Senior forward Mario Mastrangelo returns and looks to replicate a 2017 year in which he ranked eighth nationally with 13 goals.

The Huskies' two matches will be their first against both their respective opponents.
Next weekend, HBU heads south to Edinburg, Texas for the UTRGV Invitational where they will face Northern Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne.