Brockport, NY – The College at Brockport men's soccer team is ready to hit the pitch for the 2019 season with a pair of games on opening weekend. The season opener is on the road Friday night against RIT (7 pm), before the Golden Eagles host Westminster on Saturday (7 pm).
 
A Year to Remember: The Golden Eagles had a historical season last year with an overall record of 16-5-2, tying the program record for wins in a season. After going 5-2-2 in regular season conference play, the team went on to sweep through the SUNYAC Tournament. The Green and Gold defeated No. 6 nationally ranked SUNY Cortland, 2-0, to become conference champions for the 11^th time in school history. After earning a bid into the NCAA Tournament, the team defeated St. Lawrence in round one before falling to the University of Rochester, 2-0, in the second round.
 
SUNYAC Coach of the Year: Head Coach Gary LaPietra is entering his 24^th season as the leader of the Brockport men's soccer program, after being named SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2018. He is the all-time winningest coach in program history, amassing a record of 230-139-49 at the helm for the Golden Eagles.
 
All-Region Returners: The Green and Gold are bringing back several key pieces from last year's NCAA Tournament run, including some All-Region players. Jeff Hibbard returns for his senior campaign after being honored with a Second Team All-Region selection last season. Hibbard was tied for second on the team with 22 points, coming from eight goals and a team high six assists. As a freshman, Matthew Stefaniw received Third Team All-Region as one of the top goal scorers in the SUNYAC. Stefaniw led the team with 24 points off of a team-high 12 goals. Hibbard was a Second Team All-Conference selection, while Stefaniw was Third Team All-Conference.
 
Golden Goalkeeper: Senior goalkeeper Tautis Poniskaitis is back for his senior campaign after a great junior year. The Third Team All-Region and All-Conference goalie posted nine shutouts for the Golden Eagles in 2018 and earned a 10-3-2 record in net during the regular season. Poniskaitis came up huge for the team during the SUNYAC Tournament, not allowing a single goal on the way to a conference championship. He made 11 saves on the way to shutting out Plattsburgh, New Paltz, and Cortland consecutively. Having a reliable, veteran presence in net provides a solid foundation for the back line going into the new year.
 
Who Else is Back: AJ Sinclair is back in the midfielder position as a junior to build off his successful last season. Sinclair recorded five goals and one assist to help him secure Third Team All-Conference. Another Third Team All-Conference selection, Chris Kinsley, returns for his senior campaign wearing the Gold and Green. Kinsley was crucial on the defensive side of the ball, playing the third most minutes on the team in 2018 and even notched one assist.
 
Newcomers: Brockport will welcome a new batch of players to the roster in 2019, including a 7-man freshman class. The group of freshman includes Kolbi Maddy, Seamus Parker, Josh Fitzpatrick, Griffin Sweeney, Jacob Klimczak, Alex Sarick, and Ryan Gall. The team is also bringing in sophomore DJ Taylor, as well as juniors Michael Ciardullo and Tyler Godin.
 
Preseason Poll: The Golden Eagles had a very successful run in 2018, and a solid core of returning players has earned them some preseason recognition. In the NCAA Division III Top 25 preseason poll, Brockport was included with seven other schools in receiving multiple votes for the national rankings.
 
Scouting RIT: Rochester Institute of Technology finished last season with a record of 8-6-1 overall. RIT and Brockport met during opening weekend last year as well, with the Tigers besting the Golden Eagles 2-1 in overtime. RIT found most of its success at home, with a record of 5-2-1 on its own field. The team's leading scorer from last year, Nick Simone, is back for his junior campaign. Simone finished last season with 24 points on six goals and 12 assists. Will Sokol is also returning for the Tigers, as the number one option in net. He made a total of 63 stops and secured a saves percentage of .788 last year.
 
Scouting Westminster: Saturday's match will be the season opener for the Titans of Westminster. Last season the team finished with an overall mark of 14-6, and went 5-2 in President's Athletic Conference play. The Titans would end their season with a 4-1 loss to Capital in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, after winning a conference championship. Westminster's two leading scorers, Nick Irequi and Peter Mattocks, are back for another year after combining for 28 goals and 14 assists last year.
 
Looking Ahead: Following the opening weekend the Golden Eagles will prepare to host Clarkson University on September 6^th. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 4 pm that Friday.