After a three month layoff, the Potomac Exiles are ready to ramp up the trainings as they start the defense of their 2014-15 Mid-Atlantic Conference Championship. After running through the division, beating every team in the MAC at least twice (including playoffs) the Potomac Exiles are ready for a new season and a new challenge.
The team had a disappointing showing in their loss to eventual National Champion NYAC, but are looking forward to exceeding the benchmark they set last season. “Last year was our debut season, and we didn’t really know what to expect from a performance standpoint. Obviously you hope for the best, but winning the Conference Championship was a huge accomplishment. Now we set the bar, know what we are capable of and are ready to improve our standard of play,” said Potomac Exiles President Mike Minchik.
To enhance its National Championship aspirations, the club announced the inception of its new Division 3 side that will strengthen the team as a whole. Players who don’t make the final D1 roster will now be guaranteed a competitive match every week, instead of relying on a not-so-dependable B game to get some action. With coaches able to evaluate all players in “real” games, no D1 roster spot will be safe, meaning the intensity and competition will be higher than ever in practice.
“I think [the season] will be more positive than what we had last year, because we’ll have guys constantly playing,” explained Potomac Exiles’ Head Coach Chris Mahony. “The majority of the time the B team does play, we only play 25 or 30 minute halves, and that’s got to be disappointing to people that are coming to training and not getting the time to show what they can do. It will strengthen the squad because more players [will] get more time out in the action.”
Practice starts on Tuesday, September 1st at 8:30PM until 10:30 at Heurich Park in Hyattsville, MD. Practices will be at the same time and place every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the season. For players that are metroing, the pitch is just a few minutes’ walk from Prince George’s Plaza Station.
The teams will have three full weeks to prepare for their first games, against Raleigh and Washington Irish, respectively. Full D1 and D3 schedules can be found here.
Additionally, to kick off the season, the team will host a happy hour at Solly’s in DC on Friday, September 11th at 6PM. We hope to see you all there, and at practice on Tuesday as we start the hunt for a National Championship!