Steve Finkernagel

2026 Wilkes Men’s Soccer Season Preview

9/1/2026 2:00:00 PM

2026 Wilkes Men's Soccer Season Preview

WILKES-BARRE – The 2026 Wilkes University men's soccer season has arrived, with the season opener just one day away.

The Colonels will look to improve from their 2025 season, where they finished 1-13-4 overall, and 0-7-2 in Landmark Conference play. Head coach Michael Piranian begins his tenth season at the helm, and is joined by assistant Xavier Gurreiro '25.

Despite the struggles in 2025, the Colonels bring back ten seniors, a highlight for Coach Piranian's squad.

"These guys have been through quite a bit for us," says Piranian. "I think that they've shown a lot of resilience, a lot of perseverance and for me, really big qualities for our program, especially stepping into a year we want to heighten our competitiveness in the Landmark."

Three of those 10 seniors lead the Colonels' attack. Kendall Heck (West Wyoming, PA/Wyoming Area High School) started 41 games across three seasons in Wilkes-Barre, and Landon Kelly (Marcellus, NY/Marcellus Senior High School) scored a pair of goals in 2025. Joseph Jackson (West Chester, PA/Bayard Rustin) moves up to the front line, and will look to rebound after missing most of the 2025 season. Junior Charles Floyd (Woodbury, NJ/Woodbury) will join the trio of senior forwards.

The Colonels' midfielders bring a mix of veteran leadership and underclassmen with playing experience. Senior Giovanni Mazzola (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall High School) and sophomore Lorenzo Lici (Pavullo Nel Frignano, Italy/Camp Hill) appeared in all 18 games in 2025, while senior Ian Farbman (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro High School) saw a significant increase in playing time a season ago. Junior Lucas Saliani (Oakland, NJ/St. Joseph Regional) and sophomore Julian Lee (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional) round out the returners, while Randy Lopez (West Harrison, NY/Harrison), Athanasios Valasis (Erie, PA/Harbor Creek), Dylan Weaver (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster County Christian), Ayden Hannigan (Kingston, PA/Holy Redeemer), and Josh Tigue (Clifford, PA/Mountain View) are the five newcomers to join the group.

On the back line, the Colonels return senior Grant Gerstner (Carlisle, PA/Cumberland Valley High School), who started seventeen games and was a captain in 2025. Gerstner is joined by juniors Daniel Bend (Sheffield, UK/Wath Academy), Charles Floyd (Woodbury, NJ/Woodbury), and Garran Roth (Macungie, PA/Emmaus) all saw playing time a year ago, while Jack Considine (Forked River, NJ/Lacey Township), Pat Kopacz, Bryce Hannings (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy), Nicholas Bisconti (Malboro, NJ/Malboro), and Timmy Roberts (Lake Ariel, PA/Western Wayne) are the sophomores. Rounding out the defense are first-years Charlie Gronau (Rumson, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) and Cooper Willoughby (Pittsgrove, NJ/Arthur P. Schalick).

Senior Matthew Conti (Florence, NJ/Florence Township Memorial High School) will be in goal for the third straight season, and Conti's 202 career saves rank ninth in program history. Conti also delivered the highlight of the 2025 season, scoring a goal in the final seconds against Susquehanna to salvage a 2-2 draw. Senior Landon Keller (Provo, UT/Timpview) returns after seeing action in 2025, and is joined by sophomore Tyler Tarnalicki (Plains, PA/Holy Redeemer) and first-year Nickolas Bradshaw (Cambridge, ON/MM Robinson).

The Colonels open their 2026 campaign hosting Ramapo College on Wednesday, September 2 at 6:00 p.m. at Bruggeworth Field, in what is anticipated to be a competitive matchup.

"I hope our guys show up healthy and ready to fight," says Piranian. "We're excited to start out with Ramapo, especially at home."

The Colonels commence Landmark play at Elizabethtown College on Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m.

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