QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University men's soccer team opens the 2026 season Thursday afternoon with a familiar opponent as the Hawks travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to take on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Kickoff is scheduled for noon at Wood Road Soccer Field.

The matchup continues a series that has been about as even as possible over more than five decades. Quincy and Parkside enter Thursday tied 18-18-1 all-time in a series dating back to 1971, with the programs meeting as both conference rivals and non-conference opponents throughout their histories.

Quincy enters its 15th season under head coach Mike Carpenter after finishing 8-7-3 overall and 6-6-2 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play last season. The Hawks finished eighth in the conference standings and were picked to finish tied for eighth in the 2026 GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Parkside finished 5-5-6 overall and 5-3-4 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action last season, placing fourth in the league. The Rangers were selected fourth in the 2026 GLIAC preseason poll.

A Series Deadlocked

Thursday's winner will take the lead in an all-time series that currently sits squarely at 18 victories apiece with one draw.

Parkside had controlled the series in recent years, winning five consecutive meetings entering last season's opener at Legends Stadium.

Quincy responded emphatically.

The Hawks rolled to a 5-0 victory in the 2025 season opener, handing Parkside its largest loss in the series in more than a decade and snapping the Rangers' five-match winning streak against QU.

Leo Cann opened the scoring less than four minutes into the match before adding his second goal during a four-goal Quincy second half.

The Hawks finished the night with a 24-11 advantage in shots and put 10 attempts on goal compared to just two for Parkside.

Goalkeeper Jake Offerman, making his first collegiate start, helped complete the shutout in what would become the beginning of an impressive freshman campaign.

Looking to End a Kenosha Drought

While Quincy took last year's matchup convincingly, Wood Road Soccer Field has presented a different challenge.

Parkside holds a 9-5 advantage over Quincy in Kenosha and has won each of the last three meetings between the teams played on its home field. The Hawks' last victory at Parkside came during the 2016 season, when Quincy earned a 3-1 win.

Quincy went 4-4-2 on the road last season and will look to end its nearly decade-long wait for another victory at Wood Road Soccer Field on Thursday.

Parkside finished 2-1-4 at home in 2025 when including its postseason contest.

Two Familiar Faces on the Sidelines

While both rosters have experienced significant turnover over the years, there has been remarkable stability at the top of the two programs.

Carpenter enters his 15th season leading Quincy with a 126-96-30 career record.

Across the field, Parkside head coach Jason Zitzke begins his 16th season at the helm of the Rangers and enters the year with a 121-97-38 overall record.

The two longtime head coaches have spent years matching up on opposite sidelines, first as conference opponents and more recently through the annual non-conference series between the programs.

Familiar Weapons Return for Quincy

Quincy welcomes 24 new players to the program this season but still brings back a significant amount of experience from its 2025 squad.

The returning Hawks accounted for 9,485 minutes, approximately 53 percent of Quincy's total playing time last season.

Quincy also returns 13 of its 25 goals, good for 52 percent of its scoring production, including three of its top four goal scorers.

Josh Nwosu, Leo Cann and Mathias Bringedal headline that group after combining for 13 goals last season.

Nwosu scored five times and added an assist, while Cann finished with four goals and three assists. Three of Cann's goals proved to be game-winners.

Bringedal added four goals of his own while leading the Hawks with four assists and finishing with a team-best 12 points among returning players.

Quincy will have to replace its leading scorer from last season, who finished with eight goals, but the return of Nwosu, Cann and Bringedal gives Carpenter several experienced attacking pieces to build around.

Cann will also look to continue his success against Thursday's opponent after scoring twice in last year's five-goal victory.

Offerman Anchors the Hawks

While Quincy brings back proven pieces offensively, one of its biggest strengths entering the season sits at the other end of the field.

Offerman returns after starting every match in goal as a freshman and helping anchor one of the top defensive units in Division II.

The Hawks allowed only 14 goals in 18 matches, an average of 0.78 goals per contest, while recording six shutouts.

Quincy's 0.778 team goals-against average ranked 12th in NCAA Division II, while its .833 team save percentage ranked eighth nationally.

Offerman was at the center of that success, finishing the year with a 0.78 goals-against average, 69 saves and six shutouts. His .831 save percentage led the GLVC and ranked 10th nationally.

After beginning his collegiate career with a shutout against Parkside last season, the sophomore will return to Kenosha looking to begin year two in similar fashion.

A Different Look for Parkside

Parkside enters the opener with significantly more turnover in several key areas.

The Rangers return 19 of 31 players from last season's roster but bring back only seven of their 20 goals.

Parkside must replace its top two goal scorers from 2025, who combined for 12 of the team's 20 goals.

Leading scorer Eduardo Aguilera-Guillen accounted for nine goals alone, meaning the Rangers will enter 2026 looking for new sources of production in the attacking third.

Senior defender Jaime Vazquez provides one of the most experienced returning pieces after earning Second Team All-GLIAC honors last season. Vazquez started all 14 matches in which he appeared, logged nearly 1,200 minutes and scored twice from the back line.

New Face in Goal

Perhaps Parkside's biggest question entering the season will be at goalkeeper.

The Rangers led NCAA Division II with 7.00 saves per match last season and ranked 11th nationally with an .824 save percentage.

However, the goalkeeper responsible for the majority of that production, two-time GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year Daniyal Rana, is no longer on the roster.

Rana made 111 saves in 2025 and was a major reason Parkside was able to remain competitive despite allowing 24 goals across its 16 matches.

The Rangers will now turn to a new goalkeeper as they look to maintain a position that was one of their biggest strengths a season ago.

That provides a sharp contrast entering Thursday: Quincy returns one of Division II's top statistical goalkeepers, while Parkside will debut a new starter at the position.

Contrasting Defensive Production

Both programs relied heavily on their goalkeepers last season, but the overall defensive numbers favored the Hawks.

Quincy allowed 14 goals, averaging 0.78 per match, while Parkside surrendered 24 goals, an average of 1.50 per contest.

The Hawks also held opponents scoreless six times.

Offensively, Quincy scored 25 goals, averaging 1.39 per match, compared to Parkside's 20 goals and 1.25 goals per contest.

Those numbers now meet two rosters undergoing different levels of change, with Quincy returning more than half of its offensive production while Parkside searches for replacements for its two leading scorers and starting goalkeeper.

Opening Day

Thursday provides Quincy with an immediate opportunity to answer several questions entering the new season.

The Hawks will look to build around an experienced group that includes three of last year's top four goal scorers and one of the top returning goalkeepers in Division II, while integrating 24 newcomers into the program.

They will also attempt to follow up last year's 5-0 statement victory over Parkside, earn their first win in Kenosha since 2016 and take sole possession of the lead in a series that has remained deadlocked through 37 meetings.

Parkside, meanwhile, will try to defend its home field while replacing a substantial amount of scoring and one of the GLIAC's top goalkeepers from a season ago.

Kickoff between the Hawks and Rangers is scheduled for 12:00 PM Thursday, August 27, at Wood Road Soccer Field in Kenosha, Wisconsin.