Newburgh, N.Y. – Mount Saint Mary College Head Coach Kevin Longacre will begin his 11^th season on the sidelines, and 12^th year overall at the Mount, Thursday night when the Knights begin the 2022 season at home against Lycoming. Thursday's tilt will be the first of two straight at home to kick-off the new year with Vassar paying a visit to Newburgh Saturday afternoon. Live Stats and Video will be available for both contests.
 
A Look Back: Mount Saint Mary posted a 9-7-1 overall record in 2021, its first competition since 2019 after the cancelation of the 2020 campaign due to Covid-19. The Knights posted an 8-2-1 mark in Skyline Conference play, earning the fourth seed in the Skyline Conference Championship where it was upended by USMMA in the First Round.
 
Mount Saint Mary boasted three First Team All-Skyline Conference selections in 2021, including returners Connor Doyle (New Windsor, N.Y.) and Matt Wyant (Beacon, N.Y.). Doyle was named the 2021 Skyline Conference Offensive Player of the Year, while Wyant set new standards for the program in both single season and career assists.
 
Longacre picked up a milestone victory in 2021, collecting his 100^th win with the Mount in a 5-0 blanking at Old Westbury on September 22. Through 10 seasons of competition with the Mount, Longacre has produced a 107-72-16 record and mentored the Mount to three Skyline Conference Championships.
 
Who's Back: The Knights return their top three-point producers from a season ago, headlined by Doyle who scored 16 goals, including three game winners, good for 32 points. Wyant set the new single season program record in assists with 13 helpers in 2021, adding five goals for 23 points. Peter Ramirez (Newburgh, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points for the Mount on the strength of four goals and a pair of helpers.
 
Forward/Midfield: In addition to the top three point producers from last season, Mount Saint Mary also welcomes back senior Christopher Maggi (Franklin Square, N.Y.), sophomores Geancarlo Espinoza (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), David Giraldo (Farmingdale, N.Y.), Jack Perna (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and juniors Ismael Bravo (Middletown, N.Y.), Jake Kwong (Staten Island, N.Y.) and J.C. Lopez (East Islip, N.Y.).
 
Maggi started 15 games and played nearly 1,200 minutes in 2021, producing three points on a goal and an assist. Kwong scored his first career goal, the game winner in a 2-1 regular season win over USMMA, with Perna assisting on a pair of goals in his first collegiate campaign. Espinoza appeared in four games as a rookie in 2021 for the Mount.
 
Bravo returns after producing a pair of assists in 2021 in 15 games played, while Lopez started 11 of the 13 games he appeared in a season ago, potting a pair of goals for the Knights.
 
Newcomers to the group include J.C. Gutierrez (Long Branch, N.J.), Ryan Kieser (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), Ryan Alvarado (South Bound Brook, N.J.), Quinn Tynan (Schenectady, N.Y.) and Marco Mazzarelli (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.).
 
Mazzarelli joins the Knights after a three-year varsity career at Pathfinder Academy, while Tynan is welcomed to the fold after three years of varsity experience at Guilderland High School where he was named First Team All-State. Kieser was an All-Section selection at nearby John Jay East Fishkill with Alvarado starring at Bound Brook High School and Gutierrez at Shore Regional in New Jersey. Jason Adams (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) will miss significant time due to injury, but joins the Mount after All-League and All-Section selections while playing at Our Lady of Lourdes.
 
Defense: A talented returning group is tasked with filling the void left by three-time All-Skyline Conference selection Joseph Mesoraca.
 
Joe Colatrugio (Carmel, N.Y.), Matt Riccardi (Staten Island, N.Y.), Nick Rescigno (Franklin Square, N.Y.), Vito Lombardo (Franklin Square, N.Y.), Anthony Guglielmo (Setauket, N.Y.), Jaden Nelson (Staten Island, N.Y.), Matt Flanagan (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) and Cole Horos (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) look to anchor a backline that surrendered just 11 goals in 11 conference games in 2021.
 
Flanagan and Guglielmo each played in each of the of the team's 17 games in 2021 with Guglielmo logging better than 1,100 minutes and Flanagan playing nearly 1,400 minutes. Flanagan assisted on a pair of goals last season with Guglielmo scoring once for the Mount.
 
Lombardo appeared in six games for the Mount with Colatruglio, Horos, Nelson, Rescigno and Riccardi looking to take on increased roles in their second collegiate campaigns.
 
Newcomers Sam Bevevino (Albany, N.Y.), Jack Hoffman (Wingdale, N.Y.), Aiden Davis (Beacon, N.Y.) and Rob Kaufman (Mullica Hill, N.J.) will look to make an immediate impact when the season kicks-off on Thursday.
 
Davis comes to the Mount following a two-year career at SUNY Potsdam and after playing his high school soccer across the river at Beacon. Bevevino begins his collegiate career after earning Second Team All-Suburban Council honors as his team at Shaker finished ranked 13^th in the state.
 
Hoffman after an All-League Honorable Mention citation at Arlington while Kaufman being named First Team All-Conference, Second Team All-South Jersey and Second Team All-State at Clearview Regional. Kaufman was also tabbed a top-100 senior in New Jersey Public Schools.
 
Goalkeeper: After Zach Decker played every minute between the pipes a season ago, Caesar Martinez (Lake Katrine, N.Y.) joins the Knights as the squad's new keeper in 2022. Martinez makes his way to Newburgh after competing at Kingston High School and SUNY Ulster.
 
A Look At The Warriors: Lycoming is coming off a 7-8-3 overall record and a 3-5 mark within the MAC Freedom. Joe Bamfo is back after pacing the Warriors with four goals and eight points in 2021. Nick Wilke is the lone returning keeper to see time from 2021, appearing in 10 games and posting a 1.31 goals against average while turning aside 43 shots.
 
Recent History: The two side were scheduled to open the 2021 season in Williamsport, Pa., but heavy rain and hazardous travel washed the contest out. Thursday's tilt with be the first on record between the Knights and the Warriors.
 
Previewing Vassar: The Brewers begin the 2022 season on Thursday at home against Western Connecticut. Vassar posted an impressive 11-4-2 overall record and a 5-2-2 mark in the Liberty League in 2021.
 
Recent History: The two sides have met 14 times since 2007 with the Mount earning a win and a draw. The Knights topped the Brewers 3-0 in Poughkeepsie in 2017 and played Vassar to a scoreless draw a year later at Kaplan Field.
 
The Schedule: The challenging non-conference schedule continues after the Vassar match with a trip to Middlebury on September 6 and a return trip to Fredonia for two contests at the Blue Devil Classic September 9-10.
 
Mount Saint Mary returns home to host SUNY Poly on September 14 before beginning Skyline Conference play on the road at Yeshiva on September 18.
 
The Knights will play host to league rivals the College of Mount Saint Vincent (9/21), who claimed the 2021 conference crown, Farmingdale State (10/1), St. Joseph's-L.I. (10/11), Manhattanville (10/19) and Old Westbury (10/25).
 
The 2022 Skyline Conference Championship commences on October 29 and continues with the Semifinal Round on November 2. The conference champion will be crowned on November 5.