UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's soccer team is set to begin its new season against the Pittsburgh-Bradford Panthers on Saturday, September 2 at 2 p.m. at Laura M. Casamento Field. The Pioneers will then continue their season-opening three-game homestand against Plattsburgh State on Sunday, September 3 at 2 p.m. 
 
Follow Along: Those unable to attend can tune in for live video and/or stats here.
 
Hungry For More: The Pioneers finished the 2022 campaign with an overall 8-9-2 record and 4-4-1 Empire 8 record to clinch the fourth-seed in the Empire 8 Tournament. The team upset number one seeded St. John Fisher University in the Semifinals to reach the program's first-ever Empire 8 Championship. Utica fell just short in the title game, yet the season was one for the record books and the team looks to continue the success this season. Utica was an offensive powerhouse ranking in the top-three in the E8 in many offensive categories such as shots, goals, and goals per game. 
 
Schedule Breakdown: Utica's 16 game schedule will consist of nine home games (four Empire 8, five non-conference) and seven away games (four Empire 8, and three non-conference). The season-opening homestand will be against Pitt-Bradford, Plattsburgh, and SUNY Poly before the team hits the road to face SUNY Cortland. Rounding out the second half of September, the team will host SUNY Oneonta and Elmira before heading to SUNY Delhi and finishing off the month hosting Hamilton College and Nazareth University. October is road heavy for the Pioneers with the team heading to Hartwick College and St. John Fisher University before hosting Russell Sage College on October 11. Utica then has a three-game road trip consisting of Houghton University, Hobart College and Alfred University before concluding the regular season at home against Keuka on Wednesday, October 25.
 
At the Helm: Head coach Brian Marcantonio begins his tenth season as the Utica University head coach after leading the team to its first Empire 8 Championship appearance which included upsetting the number one seeded St. John Fisher 4-2 in penalty kicks on their home turf in the semifinals. Marcantonio has eclipsed 55 wins thus far with the program and looks to continue being at the head of the team's success. Marcantonio said "there are a lot of newcomers capable of making an immediate impact and a bunch of nationally ranked teams on our schedule."
Assistant coach Jeremy Pantoni begins his first season with Utica after playing four seasons at SUNY Oneonta with 72 appearances, 32 games started, 30 points and over 3000 minutes logged over the course of his career.
 
Running it Back: Utica will keep its core from 2022 intact with 17 players returning including Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes), Cody Baker-Green (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley), Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret), and Noah Nassberg (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) as headliners. The duo of Mugushu and Baker-Green were dominant, combining for 23 goals last season and were the only pair of teammates in the Empire 8 to score double-digit goals. The two were also top-10 in the conference in assists with each recording at least four. Xidias returns as the team's top goaltender and his 1.619 goals against average ranked third in the conference. The senior led the Empire 8 with 81 saves and also recorded three clean sheets last season. Nassberg had a strong freshman campaign appearing in 18 games, starting 16 with six points and over 1300 minutes logged. The sophomore looks to be another focal point on the offense joining Mugushu and Baker-Green and continue to pour on the goals.
 
Key Losses: The team lost 11 players with Brady Maloney (Ellisburg, NY/Bellville Henderson), Michael Bernardo (Bayshore, NY/Bayshore), and Nick Webster (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) being three crucial losses. Maloney was a lockdown defender who was able to fend off the opposition's best scorer while adding some keen playmaking ability to the team. Maloney logged over 3,300 minutes over his four year career. Bernardo was a veteran who spent four seasons with the program including appearing in over 60 games with 10 points. Bernardo's energetic play style was a key part in helping the offense thrive. Webster was a veteran appearing in 58 career games and logging over 3,600 minutes. He was a workhorse in the midfield and his play style and leadership will be missed.
 
Bringing in Reinforcements: The team is full of new faces bringing in 22 newcomers headlined by graduate student Giovanni Fornino (New Hartford, NY/New Hartford) who was a SUNYAC Champion over his four year career at SUNY Oneonta. Other notable transfers are the duo of Jonathan Tolpa (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) and Adin Day (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) who each played at Mohawk Valley Community College. The new faces bring depth to the Pioneers all over the field. The new midfielders include Fornino, Day, Anderson Velazquez (Norwood, NY/Marble Hill), who was an All-SUNYAC team member, Joseph Cavallo (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall Central), who was an All-Section 9 selection in Fall 2022. Other midfielders include Ryan Ching (Temple City, CA/Temple City), Caleb Peterson (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast), who was First Team All-Area 2022-23 and Gulf Coast MVP 2022-2023, Kosta Karousis (Merrick, NY/W.C. Wellington Mepham), a Spring 2021 All-Conference, three-time All County, two-time All State and All-Region 22, Alan Catic (Utica, NY/Proctor), and Mason Bucher (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point). The forwards include Felix Loselose (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham), an All-CNY All-Star and Nottingham Player of the Year, Kaleb Mattice (Newbury, NH/Kearsarge Regional), and Evan Smith (Baldwinsville, NY/Barker), a two-time Second Team All-Conference member, two-time First Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-CNY, 4th Team All-State, News Channel 9 Student Athlete of the Week, and a two-time Team Captain. New defenders feature Jorge Lagunes (Lewes, DE/Cape Henlopen), who was Second Team All-State (22-23), First Team All-Conference (22-23), and Second Team All-Conference (21-22). Tyler Mormando (Wantagh, NY/General Douglas MacArthur), an All-County Honorable Mention (2022), All-County (2023), and Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2023). Carson Rother (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) was a Section 9 All-Star in 2021, New York Times Player to Watch in 2022, a two-time Section 9 Champion. Jonathan Tolpa (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) was a two-time Center State Conference First Team All-Star (2019-2020, 2020-2021), NYSPHSAA record holder for saves in a game, season and career, All-Mohawk Valley First Team, (2020-2021), Mohawk Valley Player of the Year Finalist (2020-2021) and the Holland Patent Boys Soccer Team MVP (2019-2020). Fresh goalkeepers include Jairo Salazar (Amityville, NY/Amityville) and Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point), an All-County selection and League Goalkeeper of the Year. Martin Mendoza (Walden, NY/The Mount Academy) comes in as a High School State Champion (2019 Class D) while Marcos Gadea (), Ryan Schlacter (), and Jalen Lucero () also join the squad.
 
About Pitt-Bradford: The Panthers struggled last season going 2-14 and had a tough time getting consistent offensive production scoring just 13 goals. The team started off the season 1-1 yet really struggled down the stretch especially in conference play and will look to turn that tide in 2023. The team is young with the majority of players being underclassmen and look to lean on its seniors to lead them to victory. The Panthers return two of their top three scorers from last season as Spencer Sklar and Devin Stowe each netted three goals in 2022. Both Jared Scarlett and Evan Scmidt return in net for their senior campaigns after each starting at least five games and recording at least 46 saves last season. 
 
Looking at Plattsburgh State: The Cardinals went 8-8-3 in the 2022 campaign and sported a 2-4-3 in SUNYAC play. The team reached the SUNYAC Semifinals after topping SUNY New Paltz in the Quarterfinals 3-2 yet fell 2-0 in the Semifinals to SUNY Oneonta. The Cardinals top player Brian Coughlan returns after a magnificent sophomore season in which he scored eight goals, with 10 assists which totaled 26 points which was near the top of the conference. Other strong returners include John Hayes, Dylan Shalvey, and top goaltender Teddy Healey. Hayes and Shalvey were two strong midfielders who each recorded at least eight points while Healey started 17 games, allowing just 25 goals with a .725 save percentage, 66 saves, and five shutouts.

Up Next: Utica will remain home and host crosstown rival SUNY Poly on Saturday, September 9 at 11 a.m.