JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven men's soccer team kicks off its 2016 season on Thursday at H.T. Newell Field, hosting the Centenary College Gents at 3:30 p.m. 

The Blazers and the Gents will be facing off for the first time since 2007 when Centenary grabbed a 2-0 victory over Belhaven. The Blazers trail the Gents in the all-time series, 4-6-1. 

The 2016 season will be the second for Belhaven as a member of the NCAA Division III and the NCCAA Division I. The Green and Gold will look to build on the success they had in year one membership. The Blazers posted a 14-4-2 overall record last season with an 8-2-1 mark versus American Southwest Conference foes. 

The Blazers closed out the 2015 regular season with an eight-game win streak, including a 3-0 victory over No. 25 Texas-Dallas in the regular season finale. Belhaven outscored opponents 22-6 over that stretch and rode that momentum into the NCCAA National Championship Tournament. The Blazers advanced to the semifinals of the national tournament before falling to the two-seeded Bethel College.  

The Blazers will have an abundance of experience on this season's squad as 26 of the team's 33 players are upperclassmen. Key returners include seniors Piercen Burchfield, Phillip Nichols, Nicolas Cornejo, Joravar Malli and Simon Gouabault, and sophomore John Dunbar.

Dunbar started in all 20 of the Blazers games last season and led the team in minutes played. Cornejo ranked second on the team in assists last season, totaling four helpers. 

"Preseason is always quick and goes by very, very fast," said Belhaven head men's soccer coach Carl Griffiths. "But the guys came in fit and we're happy about that. And we'll have to see who's going to step up and be a leader for us this year."

Belhaven's roster will also feature plenty of new faces as well. Fifteen players will be donning the Green and Gold for the first time season, including 12 transfers.

"We've got a lot of new players that are showing us that they can potentially be a guy that we rely on," said Griffiths. "So we'll so how that comes together as we start this new season."

The Blazers men's soccer game versus Centenary proceeds the women's soccer season opener, which begins at 1 p.m. Following the conclusion of the men's soccer match at 5:30 p.m., Belhaven Athletics will be hosting a march to Harper Davis Field from H.T. Newell Field for the football season opener at Millsaps. The Blazers Marching Band, Cheerleaders and Dance teams, along with the student body will march to the stadium from Newell Field in support of the Blazers football team. Fans are encouraged to attend all three athletic events to help the Blazers kick off the new year. 

Live streaming and live stats for the men's soccer game will be available here.