The Arcadia University men's soccer team, fresh off a season in which it was the top seed in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) Tournament, will look to build on last season's success when it kicks off the 2022 season against Rutgers-Camden on Thursday. The Knights, selected to finish third in the annual MAC Freedom Coaches' Preseason Poll, return several key players with experience in the system of fifth-year head coach Joe Clementi '11.
"We really want to start off on the front foot in the non-conference games, and then as we move into conference, really start to put the foot on the gas pedal and hopefully compete for a championship," Clementi said.
In net, Arcadia returns fifth-year goalkeeper Jake Varatto, the reigning MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-Conference performer. Returning in net with Varatto are Brett Hintz and Michael Paznokas, while first-year Logan Gildea will look to make an impact.
On the back line, the Knights bring back multiple players who have gained valuable experience, including Aidan McGrath, a Second Team All-MAC Freedom pick as a first-year. Joining McGrath will be Steven Warren, who made 17 starts as a first-year and tallied four goals, Troy Toohey, who made an appearance in all 19 contests, and Connor Wright, who started all 16 games he appeared in a season ago. Zack Fereno, Cole Madera, Eli Wolman, Nathaniel Sellers, Gima Suh, and Declan Davis return with experience while first-years Gunnar Swanger and Sean Lock join the defense.
In the middle, Second-Team All- MAC Freedom honoree Thomas Hoy leads the pack, along with Cole Gordon's 17 starts in 19 games, and Zac Runkle, who appeared in 17 matches. Matt Brook, Christian Spearman, and Tanroop Sandhu return looking to make contributions while transfer TJ Scollan and first-years Declan Kelly, Ashton Davis, Josh Neely, Giancarlo Ciotoli, Matthew Clevenger, Simon Tekabe, and Elijah Yoder will try to carve out playing time in their first game-action.
Up front, the Knights graduated a lot of experience and will be looking to fresh faces to pick up where last year's class left off. Returners Emin Gunaydin, Chris Fletcher, and Michael Heim will look to make their mark while newcomers Ethan Torpey, Jonathan Matthews, Kyle Horowitz, Evan Kolaris, Landon Varady, and Reilly Dougherty enter the 2022 season with aspirations to set the standard for their careers moving forward.
Arcadia begins the 2022 season on Thursday when it welcomes Rutgers-Camden to Jean Lenox West Field starting at 4:00 p.m. The Knights kick off MAC Freedom play on October 1st when they head to Misericordia University for a 7:30 p.m. first whistle, and the MAC Freedom Tournament starts with the First Round on November 1st.
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