UTICA, NY - The Utica University men's soccer team will begin their new season in just a few days! On August 29th, the team will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to begin their season with a 4:00pm matchup against King's College. Two days later, the Pioneers will travel to SUNY Delhi for a 3:00pm contest. Utica will host their home opener eight days later on September 6th at 3:00pm in a match against Marywood University.

Follow Along: Fans looking to follow the King's College game along from home can tune in to the video stream HERE and those interested in live stats can follow along HERE. Those interested in the links for the Delhi game can find the video stream HERE and the live stats HERE.

All of Utica's home games' video streams can be found HERE, with live stats found HERE.

Knocking on the Door: Last fall, the Pioneers found themselves in many close games, but were often unable to capitalize late, leading to a 3-9-7 record. The seven ties set a school record for ties in a season. Utica struggled at home, turning in a 0-3-7 record at Laura M. Casamento Field. In conference, the squad played to a 2-5-4 record, placing 10th in the Empire 8. Utica showed an ability to compete with the best teams in the conference, tying with eventual 1st place finishing St. John Fisher, and being just 13 minutes away from a win against 2nd place Nazareth.

Coaching the Climb Back: Head Coach Brian Marcantonio will lead the Utica University men's soccer team for his 12th season. A Utica alum himself, Marcantonio joined Utica's staff in 2014, taking over head coaching duties of both men's soccer, and the golf program. In 2023, Marcantonio earned his 60th win as a coach in Utica. Including last fall, he now sits at 63 career wins. After three years of playoff contention, including a double-overtime E8 Championship appearance, Marcantonio will look to prove last year was a fluke, and lead his team back to being among the top teams in the conference. Assistant coaches Jeremy Pantoni and Matt Guinto will also help lead the Pioneers. Pantoni, a four-year player with SUNY Oneonta, will begin his third season with the program, while Guinto will begin his second.

The Season Ahead: The Pioneers are scheduled to play in 17 matches this fall. Of the 17, eight of them will take place at Utica's Laura M. Casamento Field, with five of those eight involving Empire 8 competition. Of the squad's nine road games, six of them will occur within E8 Conference play.

The team will begin play with a trip to face King's College on August 29th. Two days later, they will again travel, this time to go head-to-head with the SUNY Delhi Broncos. Just under a week later, Utica men's soccer will play in front of the home crowd for the first time this season in a September 6th challenge with Marywood University. Hobart College will come to Utica next for the team's second home game. After Hobart, the team will go on a three-game road stand, including their first two games in conference play. Over the stand, they will face Morrisville State, followed by Houghton University and St. John Fisher. The Pioneers will then stay near home for several games. Across the next four games, three of them are hosted by Utica, with the sole road game taking place across town against SUNY Poly. The three home games will see the Pioneers faceoff with Elmira College, SUNY Geneseo, and Russell Sage. Back-to-back road games occur next before another stand of three home games across four total games. The back-to-back games will take place against Alfred University and Hartwick. Utica's final three home games of the season will feature Nazareth, Hamilton, and Keuka, with the final road game taking place at SUNY Brockport.

The Core: With losing a handful of significant pieces from last year's key pieces, this season's team will look to lean into several important players. Among them, Noah Scranton (Utica, NY/Whitesboro), Martin Mendoza (Walden, NY/The Mount Academy), and Noah Nassberg (Naples, FL/Gulf Coast) stand out.

Scranton started in all 18 games he played last season, playing 1591:29 minutes, which ranked 10th most in a single season in program history. He has shown that perhaps his best ability is availability, playing in 54 games, all starts, and totaling 4804:49 minutes across his whole Utica career. He has the chance to put himself high in the record book rankings for career games played, games started, and minutes played. Currently, he is tied for 13th most games started, and sits 7th for total minutes played. If he starts all 17 games this season, he will tie for 2nd most games started. While certainly a challenge, if Utica can secure a postseason appearance, he remains within reach of most total minutes played, needing 1,595 minutes this season, just four more than his total last season.

Mendoza leads all 2024 returners in points after a four goal, three assist sophomore season. After appearing in 11 games with just two starts as a freshman, he took the reins in his second season, playing in all 19 games, starting 17 of them. Mendoza, a Pioneer Athlete of the Week honoree, will look to take charge in a midfielder position that lost a significant number of pieces this offseason.

Nassberg appeared in 15 games as a junior, starting 11 of them. He turned in his most productive season so far, scoring four goals and assisting another two. This output earned Nassberg E8 3rd Team All-Conference honors. Nassberg has been an ever-present piece throughout his career, playing 14 or more games in all three seasons, starting 10 or more of them each year. Across his 48 total games, 38 of them starts, he has turned in seven goals and five assists for 19 points.

Significant Losses: The team lost just short of half of last season's roster, with 15 total departures. The midfield will feel the most significant change, with nine of the 15 leaving players serving a role at the position. While there were several significant departures, two of the most significant are Cody Baker-Green (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) and Foti Xidias (Carteret, NJ/Carteret). Beyond Baker-Green and Xidias, Nico Leonard (Long Beach Township, NJ/Southern Regional), Anderson Velazquez (Norwood, NY/Marble Hill), and Eduardo Paez (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) are further significant players that will not return in 2025.

Baker-Green, a midfielder, will go down as one of the greatest Utica men's soccer players in program history. He leaves the program leading the record book in games played, games started, and total minutes. His 17 goals ranks 6th in the record book, with his 44 total points ranking 7th. Last season, Baker-Green played in all 19 games. He was one of just four players to appear in all 19 games last season for Utica, but was the only player to start all 19 opportunities. In his 19 games last season, Baker-Green played 1704:52 minutes, which ranks 4th in program history in single-season minutes. The E8 Conference repeatedly recognized his on-pitch excellence, naming him to an All-Conference team three separate times. In 2024, he was a member of the 3rd Team, while earning 2nd Team honors in 2023 and 1st Team honors in 2022.

Xidias, a goalkeeper, leaves the program near the top of every goaltending statistic. He ranks 2nd in six different categories: goalie games played (58), goalies games started (54), goalie minutes (4957:23), total saves (252), wins (19), and shutouts (10). Across his 58 games, he played to a 1.66 GAA and 0.735 save percentage, which rank 7th and 11th respectively. Last season, Xidias recorded 71 saves in 1,350 minutes. His 71 saves ranked 13th in a single season, while his 1,350 minutes slotted in 10th.

Leonard transferred to Utica from Drew University to begin his sophomore year. In his three seasons with the Pioneers, he appeared in 50 games, starting 27 of them. He played 2658:53 minutes in orange and blue, scoring one goal and one assist.

Velazquez played for SUNY Potsdam for one season before transferring to Utica. After transferring, he played in all 36 of Utica's games, starting 32 of them. Across 2191:07 minutes, he posted a five goal and six assist career in Utica, totaling 16 points. All but one of those points occurred last season, earning Velazquez Empire 8 3rd Team All-Conference Honors.

Paez leaves Utica with a respectable career. Despite playing in more than four games just once across his five-year Utica career, Paez leaves the program with his name in several record book categories. He played in a total of 20 games, starting 15, earning 1244:36 goalie minutes, each of which ranks 10th. His 15th ranked 42 saves helped lead to two shutouts and a 1.96 GAA, both of which rank 9th.

Build from Within: With the departure of many important players, the program will look for some of its younger players to take steps this season. Among these potential risers are senior Maximilian Pawlowski (Utica, NY/Whitesboro), junior Joseph Cavallo (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall Central), and sophomore Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point).

Pawlowski joined the team last season as a junior, and found instant success. He appeared in 12 games for Utica, starting nine and recording 783:48 minutes played. He additionally turned in one goal and four assists. Though he enters his senior year, the team will look for him to build upon a successful junior campaign.

Cavallo has been a prominent piece of Utica's team the last two years, playing in 35 games and starting 24 of them. Last season, Cavallo played in all 19 games, recording two assists in 1392:33 minutes. While he has already earned significant playing time, a battered midfielder group will look for him to turn in further box score statistics, including improving upon his .176 shot-on-goal percentage from last season.

Accetta has seen limited opportunities in his first two seasons as a Pioneer, but has shown promise. In his six total appearances, Accetta has played to a 0.97 GAA and .773 save percentage. In 2023, he posted a 0.82 GAA, which is the best single-season GAA in Utica history. This previous season, Accetta made 14 saves, 11 of those in an October matchup with Hamilton, and posted a .875 save percentage, which ranked 2nd best for a single-season in Utica. Though currently ineligible for some career records, if Accetta can keep his same pace, as well as earn 535 more minutes, and make 33 more saves, his 0.97 GAA would set a program record, and his .773 save percentage would slot in at 8th best all-time.

(Mostly) New Faces: Men's soccer will welcome 21 players to the team this fall, 14 of them as freshmen. Six players will transfer into the program, three of them from NJCAA National Champion Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). The most significant new player to the team in 2025 is actually not new to Utica soccer. Forward Byamungu Mugushu (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Grimes) will return to the team after not playing in 2024. Asim Gacic (Utica, NY/Mohawk Valley Community College (NJCAA)), a goalkeeper transferring from MVCC, will look to contribute from day one in a goalkeeper room that just lost its #1 option. Carter Cookinham (Poland, NY/Poland) enters as a freshman forward after putting up eye-popping numbers with his high school team.

Mugushu's previous time with Utica was nothing short of spectacular. He earned E8 All-Conference 1st Team honors in both 2022 and 2023. Across 56 games, Mugushu played 3974:42 minutes, scoring 21 goals and assisting 10 others. His 21 career goals ranks 5th in school history, matching the ranking of his 52 total points. Perhaps Mugushu's most viable path to a school record is with game-winning goals. Currently, he is in a three-way tie for 2nd place with seven career game winners, which is just one behind the current record, held by Shane Ruffing (2011-15). 

Gacic transfers in from MVCC as a National Champion. Though he did not appear for Mohawk Valley, he turned in an exciting performance over his senior season of high school. At Thomas R. Proctor, Gacic appeared in 17 games, recording a shutout in 14 of them. This statline led to Gacic being voted as the best goalkeeper in his league, as well as earning 1st Team honors for both All-County and All-Conference.

Cookinham, a forward, will enter Utica with one of the most historic individual athletic high school careers. In his 50 games played for Poland Central School, Cookinham posted 95 goals, 41 assists, and 231 points. Across those 50 games, he scored three or more goals in 12 of them, scoring five goals twice. He posted 10 or more points three times with Poland, with his highest-scoring game coming in a five goal and one assist game. Additionally, he played baseball and basketball in high school and put up similarly shocking numbers.

About King's: The King's College Monarchs finished 7-6-4 last season, playing to a 2-3-2 record in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Monarchs' biggest victories came against Marywood University in a 4-1 contest in early October, as well as a 3-0 victory in their season opener against Keystone College. King's College was led by then-junior Philip Permyashkin and senior Shane Serio. Permyashkin scored three goals, and tallied seven assists for a team-leading 13 points. Serio was the only other Monarch to record three goals, and was one of only three players to record multiple assists, tallying two to finish with eight total points. Benjamin Van Valkenburg will look to build upon an impressive freshman season that saw him win four of 13 games played with a 1.00 GAA and 0.817 save percentage. 

Broncos at a Glance: The SUNY Delhi Broncos had a successful 2024 season, playing to a 9-6-4 record, and playing in the North Atlantic Conference Championship game. The 0-2 loss to Thomas College was the first in-conference loss of the season, as Delhi went 6-0 in regular season conference play. The Broncos had two massive games against Vermont State Lyndon, winning by scores of 14-0 and 10-0. Delhi won by more than three goals just one more time in the season, defeating SUNY Cobleskill by a score of 4-0 in the NAC Championship semifinals. Four players scored 10 or more points for the Broncos, with Roberto Velasquez-Osorio and John Walsh turning in the two highest totals. Both players, as well as Matthew Pozo and Matt Serrao earned NAC All-Conference First Team honors. Velasquez-Osorio led the team with 24 points, a result of eight goals and assists, each of which were also team leads. Walsh scored five goals and assisted another seven for 17 points. Delhi leaned heavily into Salvatore Meloni, starting the then-sophomore keeper in 17 of 19 total games. Meloni turned in a 1.10 GAA and .793, earning an All-Conference honorable mention.

Up Next: Utica will host Marywood University in the team's home opener at 4:00pm on September 6th.