SAN DIEGO – The Brian Quinn era of San Diego soccer begins when the Toreros play host to UC Irvine on Friday at 7 p.m. (PT).
 
After eight seasons as an assistant coach and three years as an associate head coach, Quinn takes the reigns of the program and will make his head coaching debut against the Anteaters. Seamus McFadden, who served as the head coach for the first 39 years of the program, remains on Quinn's staff as an assistant.
 
The Toreros return eight starters and 16 letterwinners from its 2017 squad, including United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region selections, Miguel Berry and Henry Lander.
 
Berry had an outstanding sophomore campaign at striker, leading USD in points (15), goals (5) and assists (5). He was named to the All-WCC first team after earning honorable mention recognition as a freshman.
 
Lander was an All-WCC second team selection, anchoring USD's backline and helping limit opponents to 18 goals in 17 matches. Among his numerous standout plays throughout the season, his most impressive highlight occurred when he preserved a 1-0 victory for the Toreros against UC Santa Barbara, heading away a shot on the goal line with four seconds remaining in regulation.
 
USD also returns WCC Freshman of the Year, Aaron Frey, who will help solidify the backline. Frey, Berry and Lander were all named to the 2018 All-WCC Preseason team.
 
All-WCC honorable mention, Freddy Polzer, also returns and will be a key piece to the midfield and attack. He'll likely be joined by senior, Gustav Brandt, who provides size, physicality and quality distribution through the center of the field.
 
The Toreros will look to Connor Hountalas, Matt Wiher and Marley Mascarenas to fill the void in goal left by four-year starter, Thomas Olsen, who graduated this past year. Olsen played every minute of the 2017 season and was drafted in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids.
 
The Toreros will be tested early and often with a challenging nonconference schedule and competitive WCC slate. After an opening contest against a quality opponent in UC Irvine, the Toreros will travel to UCLA and play host to No. 10 Duke in its next two matches.
 
Overall, the Toreros 2018 schedule features 19 regular-season games, including six against teams that competed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
 
The match against UC Irvine will be streamed via theW.tv and live statistics will be available at USDToreros.com.