BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Fresh off a No. 20 national ranking, the Gardner-Webb men's soccer team will return to the pitch on Friday, August 29, traveling to take on the Wildcats of Davidson College in an early season showdown at the Alumni Soccer Stadium.

The Runnin' Bulldogs kicked off the season with a bang in Harrisonburg, Va. last week during the Fairfield by Marriott Invitational hosted by James Madison University.

To get things rolling, the Dawgs completely dominated their opening opponent, Drexel, en route to a convincing 4-0 win before taking down host JMU, 1-0, in the final match of the two-day tournament.

Senior forward Jaylen Orr leads the way for Gardner-Webb, posting three goals and an assist for seven total points over the first two games. Newcomer Samson Kpardeh made his mark early with a goal and team-leading two assists. In total, seven different players registered at least one assist in the wins over Drexel and James Madison.

Senior goalkeeper Alan Horrocks was also a standout for the Runnin' Bulldogs, collecting a pair of clean sheets while picking up five saves in 180 minutes.

Davidson also enters the contest with a 2-0 record after defeating Campbell 2-0 and Charleston 3-2. Tobe Ibe leads the Wildcats with two goals while Baylen Young has provided a team-leading four assists. Lucas Beltran earned the start in goal for the first two games, allowing a pair of scores while tallying seven total saves.

Friday's contest marks the fourth ever meeting between Gardner-Webb and Davidson on the soccer pitch with the Wildcats holding a slim 2-1 advantage in the series. However, the Dawgs picked up a 3-1 win in the last meeting on August 26, 2016.

Follow along with all the action at gwusports.com. Live stats can be found here while video is located here.