Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Soccer team begins the 2018 season on Friday afternoon when it welcomes Gwynedd Mercy to Kaplan Field. Kick-off in the first game of a doubleheader with the women's squad is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary claimed its second Skyline Conference Championship in 2017, traveling to Cortland to take on the #15 Red Dragons in the program's second ever NCAA Tournament contest. The Knights welcome back a pair of All-Skyline Conference selections in 2018 and three of their top four point producers.
Forward: Up top, the Mount welcomes back a talented group of returning players in seniors
Matthew Fuge (Avon, Conn.) and
Bereket Watts (Addis Abuba, Ethiopia). Fuge finished his junior season third on the team with 11 points, while Watts potted two goals as a junior and finished with six points.
Matthew Iaria (Suffern, N.Y.) and
Joseph Bacalhau (Woodbridge, N.J.) also look to find time in the front for the Knights.
Newcomer
Connor Doyle (New Windsor, N.Y.) is welcomed by the Knights and will look to add depth to a talented position group.
Midfield: Mount Saint Mary welcomes back five players who look to find time in the midfield in 2018, highlighted by seniors
Fred Stark (Hollis, N.Y.) and
Connor Lynch (Clifton Park, N.Y.) and sophomore
Joseph Mesoraca (Oceanside, N.Y.). Stark and Lynch tied for the team lead in assists with four apiece in 2017, while Mesoraca started 19 games as a freshman and totaled five points. Sophomores
Max Antisell (Kendall Park, N.J.) and
Andrew Darling (Staatsburg, N.Y.) also return for their second season with the Knights.
A pair of freshmen and two transfers look to make immediate contributions for the Knights in 2018, with
Daniel Grella (Glen Cove, N.Y.) and
Tyler Vermilyea (Rosendale, N.Y.) joining the Knights with previous collegiate experience. Freshmen
Zidan Douglas (Middletown, N.Y.) and
Matthew Wyant (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) join the fold in 2018 following successful High School careers at nearby Middletown and Roy C. Ketcham, respectively.
Defense: The Mount defense surrendered just four goals to conference rivals in 2017 and welcomes back Second Team All-Skyline Conference pick
Bobby Caronia (Ossining, N.Y.) and
Jared Whitford (Melrose, N.Y.) in 2018. Caronia and Whitford were two of just four players to start all 20 games a season ago for the Knights.
Andrew Marcantonio (Bristol, Conn.) is also back for the Mount after registering an assist in eight games played as a sophomore.
A talented group of newcomers looks to step in and contribute from the start in 2018.
Matthew Connoly (Walden, N.Y.),
Vito Lombardo, Jr. (Franklin Square, N.Y.),
Christopher Maggi (Franklin Square, N.Y.),
Anthony Gugliemo (Setauket, N.Y.) and
Matt Flanagan (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) will all vie for time in the back in their first collegiate seasons.
Goalkeeper: All three goalkeepers on the 2018 roster saw game action as freshmen in 2017.
Tyler Rapp (East Berne, N.Y.) was named First Team All-Skyline Conference after posting seven shutouts and a 0.75 goals against average, while
Jakup Myrtja (Ulcinj, Montenegro) played in just over 662 minutes and stopped 37 shots.
Sean Madden (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) returns after appearing in two games as a freshman in 2017.
Head Coach: Kevin Longacre will be on the sidelines for his eighth season as the Mount's head coach in 2018. He holds a 70-53-13 record as the Mount's mentor and guided the Mount to the NCAA Tournament in both 2013 and 2017. He has been named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year three times, with the most recent citation coming in 2017.
Preseason Predictions: The Knights have been picked to repeat as conference champions in 2018 after earning 97 total points and nine first place nods from the league's 11 head coaches in the preseason poll released Thursday morning.
The Schedule: The Mount's 2018 slate features eight home games, including local rival Vassar and regional power Rutgers-Newark. The Knights will also play host to Middlebury and St. Joseph's-L.I. in a rematch of the 2017 Skyline Conference Championship Final. The road schedule features a pair of games at the Alfred Tournament.
