POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – As the fall semester begins at Marist College, the Marist men's soccer program opens its 2021 fall campaign as well, as the Red Foxes prepare to take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks in their season opener on Thursday, August 26th at 7:30 p.m.
Following the campaign lidlifter, Marist heads to Navy on Sunday, August 29th at 4 p.m.
- Both games will air on ESPN+ for viewers in the United States. For more information on how to sign up for a subscription, please click here.
- Saint Joseph's will provide an international stream for viewers outside of the United States. For more information, please click here.
- Live statistics for the season opener will be available courtesy of GoRedFoxes.com.
- The matchup against Navy will be available via Navy Athletics using the link above.
- The Marist men's soccer Twitter account, @MaristMensSoc, will provide in-game updates throughout the match.
- The Red Fox captains for this season are a pair of defenders: graduate student Huib Achterkamp and senior Justin Scharf.
- Achterkamp, a 2019 All-MAAC Second-Team selection, scored six goals in his first season with Marist.
- Scharf will make his Red Fox debut after transferring to the school from Lehigh University ahead of the 2020-21 academic year.
- Hear from the two, as well as Head Coach Matt Viggiano, in interviews with the Red Fox Network at the top of the article.
- Marist returns to a fall schedule for the first time since 2019.
- The Red Foxes were slated to play in the spring 2021 semester after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 MAAC season, but disruptions caused by the pandemic prevented Marist from competition.
- In 2019, the Red Foxes went 10-9, going 6-4 in conference play to earn the fourth seed in the MAAC Championships.
- No 4. Marist beat fifth-seeded Manhattan 2-1 in the quarterfinal round before falling to top-ranked Saint Peter's in the semifinals.
- Fourteen Red Foxes from that 2019 squad will suit up this season.
- On the flip side, there are 15 student-athletes on the roster who have not played a single minute for Marist, which has created multiple opportunities to secure playing time in the preseason.
- However, nine Red Foxes are transfer students, including seven that will don the Red and White for the first time in 2021, aiding Marist's experience in personnel who have played at the collegiate level.
- Senior netminder Samuel Ilin is the incumbent and will resume his role as the starter in 2021. In his first year as a Red Fox in 2019, he was named the MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, recording a .720 save percentage with 67 stops.
- Junior Dylan McDermott and sophomore Jaiden Pean have not appeared in any games for Marist, and will serve as backups. McDermott was named to the NPSL East Region Best XI with Stockade FC this summer.
- Though Marist does not have a large number of players who are listed as forwards, their versatility and pace allow for midfielders to play up top and create chances in front.
- Junior Stefan Copetti, a 2019 MAAC All-Rookie pick, will have a large role on offense after ranking second on the team with 16 points in his freshman year.
- Graduate transfer Kyle Galloway transferred from Rutgers and recently joined the fold, and will see minutes up front as well. His classmate, Justin Jaime (11 points in 2019), adds versatility at forward and midfield as well.
- Freshman Richard Morel earned minutes with his preseason play as well.
- Senior Skylar Conway headlines the group after posting three goals and four assists in 2019.
- Juniors Antek Sienkiel (two goals and two assists in 17 starts) and Joe Mac (six starts in 12 games) will look to provide leadership and production as upperclassmen.
- Seniors Jacob Schulman (three points in 2019) and Sam Latorre (team-high five assists with Stockade FC over the summer), junior Liam Salmon, and sophomore Justin Rodriguez aim for impact minutes throughout games as well.
- With versatility on defense and midfield, junior transfer Henrique Cruz will assume a heavy role following his tenure at Akron.
- As captains, Scharf and Achterkamp project for major minutes on the back line.
- Junior transfer Bernardo Gracindo vies to make an immediate impact following his arrival from Northeastern.
- Redshirt junior Demarre Montoute, who came from Marshall in 2020, is also poised for substantial minutes.
- Senior Evan Mason, redshirt junior Bryan Scoffield, and junior Matt Newfield look to find playing time at various spots on the back line.
- In the spring 2021 season, Saint Joseph's went 3-7, including a 1-4 record against A-10 foes.
- This year, the Hawks are projected to finish 12th in the conference, based on the A-10 Preseason Poll. No Hawks were named to the preseason team.
- Alvin Dahn is the leading returning scorer for Saint Joseph's, posting two goals in 2020-21. He notched 10 assists in 2018.
- Marist and Saint Joseph's have squared off three times since 2014. The Red Foxes are 2-1 and have won two straight, most recently a 1-0 win at Tenney Stadium in 2019.
- Navy boasted a 4-2-1 record in the spring 2021 campaign, going 3-1-1 against Patriot League opponents.
- This year's edition of the Midshipmen were predicted to finish fourth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll.
- Defender Matt Nocita earned his second-consecutive Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Preseason All-PL Team accolades after Co-Defensive Player of the Year and All-PL First Team honors in 2020-21. Midfielder David Jackson also nabbed a spot on the preseason team.
- Marist and Navy will square off for the first time in each program's history with the matchup.
