WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes University men's soccer team returns to Bruggerworth Field to build off the success they had last season. They finished the 2021 season with a 12-7-0 record, the most wins the team had accumulated since 2006, which was good enough to finish fifth in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom and participate in the MAC Play-In Game. Their head coach Michael Piranian enters his sixth year of coaching for the Colonels.
 
"The guys came in very excited and working very hard," said Piranian. "The guys are bouncing around."
 
The Colonels look to their returning upperclassmen to continue the success of last season. They begin with the return of two goalkeepers, seniors Zach Tone (Easton, PA/Easton Area) and Nick Kinzler (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial). Tone started all 19 games for the Colonels, posting a .753 save percentage and 58 saves in the season, while Kinzler had a 1.67 goals against average (GAA) in his six appearances in the net.
 
The midfield looks to keep their pressure going with senior Matthew Horwedel (Delanson, NY/Schalmont Senior) leading the charge. Horwedel lead the team with six assists, was second in points and shots on goals with 14 and 18 respectively, and added four goals as well, giving him Second Team All-Region IV and First Team All-MAC Freedom honors. Owen Breisch (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood Area) and Cameron Fiester (Muncy Valley, PA/Sullivan County), round up the midfield seniors for the Colonels. Breisch appeared in 10 games last season, starting in one of them. Fiester has played in 15 games during his tenure with the Colonels.
 
Junior midfielders Colin Schulmeister (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) and Eli Gordon (Jacksonville, FL/The Bolles School), along with sophomore Herbert Ramirez (Highstown, NJ/Highstown) look to step up with their experience. Schulmeister tied for third on the team with 14 shots-on-goal, adding two assists and a goal as well. Gordon started in 18 games for the Colonels, while Ramirez added three assists from a season ago. Sophomore Nick Romas (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) round up the returning midfielders for the team.
 
The forward position is led by sophomore Xavier Guerreiro (Newtown, PA/Council Rock North). Guerreriro finished tied second on the team with five goals and fourth with 10 points on the season. Junior Conner Maciejczyk (Allamunchy, NJ/Hackettstown) rounds out the returning forwards for the Colonels.
 
In the defensive end, graduate student Nicholas Surgent (Wall. NJ/Wall) and junior Andrew Slusser (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood Area) return to keep the success for the Colonels that allowed only 1.37 goals per game and held six shutouts. Surgent started all 19 games for the Colonels, adding three shots on goal last season. Slusser was given recognition as All-MAC Freedom honorable mention in his freshman campaign. Senior Vincent Ippolito (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge), junior Zachary Dudak (Stroudsburg, PA/Stroudsburg), and sophomores Jesse Lippner (Mt. Olive, NJ/Mt. Olive), Matthew Meagher (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside), and Kevin Doran (Cream Ridge, NJ/New Egypt) round up the returning defenders.
 
"The leadership we have is very strong. We have two graduate students who we are reliant on, as well as our current captains are the voice of the team," exclaimed Piranian. "We have high expectations and goals to improve every year."
 
Adding to their talent on that side of the field, incoming first year players Joseph Zisa (East Windsor, NJ), Will Wagstaff (Allentown, PA/Parkland), Wil Buono (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North), Seth Marsteller (Coplay, PA/Whitehall) and Dylan Cuccia (Hopewell Junction, NY/Arlington) look to make an immediate impact in the midfield position. Brett Sanders (Goshen, NY/Goshen), Gavin Merritt (LeRaysville, PA/Northeast Bradford Jr.-Sr.), Josey Williamson (Oley Valley, PA/Oley Valley), and Chris Bird (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) bring youth and determination in the defensive side of the ball. Daniel Becker (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) rounds out the incoming first years as the new forward added to the team.
 
Piranian looks to the newcomers for energy and character within the team, an expectation he looks for in each class.
 
"They have good talent, so we hope they bring some new goals for this team," Piranian added.
 
The Colonels open their season with a trip to Reading, Pa. to face PSU-Berks on September 1st at 4:30 p.m.  They open play at Bruggeworth Field with Haverford College on September 3rd at 2:30 p.m., before opening conference play by hosting DeSales on October 1st at 3:30 p.m. for homecoming weekend.
 
"The final season in the MAC Freedom is big motivation for our team. In conference play we open up with DeSales first and foremost," Piranian explained. "The non-conference we open up, with Penn State Berks, who is a tough test for us. We have quite a few landmark schools we play in our non-conference as well."