2018 Men's Soccer Preview
Video Preview
2018 Roster
2018 Schedule
2017 Statistics
Patchogue, NY| A year after reaching the Skyline Conference championship game, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's soccer team looks to get over the hump in 2018. Now under the guidance of first-year head coach Jason Orban, the Golden Eagles return their top four scorers from last season and have their sights set on the program's first conference title since 2012.
Orban, who served as assistant coach at SJC under Alex Mendolia the past two seasons, looks to preserve the positive winning culture that's been cultivated over the past 24 months.
A year ago, the team posted a 7-1-1 Skyline record and entered the playoffs as the second seed. After shrugging off Mt. St. Vincent in the semis, the Golden Eagles suffered a 1-0 loss to top-seeded Mt. St. Mary in the final.
The Returners: Highlighting the group of 11 returners from last season is junior forward Rayneri Ruiz, who led the team in goals (13) and points (31) and ranked first in the conference in total shots (86). Having finished the year with four game-winning goals, Ruiz went on to collect All-ECAC Honorable Mention and Skyline All-Conference First-Team honors.
Joining Ruiz on the attack will be junior Damian Duda, who contributed a team-high seven assists a year ago, sophomore Alex Tarach (3 goals, 11 points) and fifth-year senior Justin Busto, who's scored 14 times in 55 appearances at St. Joseph's.
In defense, senior Marc Ceruti and junior Jayvid Parra return to a back line that recorded five clean sheets, and in the midfield, senior Kyle Conway is set to reprise his role as general.
The Newcomers: A total of eight recruits join the SJC ranks for the 2018 campaign including freshmen Aydin Olgun (GK), Joel Ulloa (D) and Adam Murasso (D).
Sophomore keeper Kyle Makely joins from LIU Post where he made one appearance last season. He'll battle Tyler Flaherty, a transfer from SUNY Cortland, for the role of starting keeper.
Expectations: SJC struggled early last season during a non-conference stretch but eventually righted the ship and finished the year with an 8-8-1 record thanks to a strong conference campaign. A stronger start in 2018 may set a championship tone early.
Returning most key players from a year ago, Orban believes the team can vie for the championship again, but the return of perennial contenders USMMA this season makes that a more difficult prospect.
Ruiz, Duda, Busto and Tarach will give teams fits going forward, but the key for the Golden Eagles this season will be whether or not the new recruits can fill the gaps on the back end.
The results of the Skyline Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll, released on August 30, saw the Golden Eagles selected second, nine points behind defending champion Mt. St. Mary.
2018 Skyline Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank, Team (first-place votes), Points
1. Mount Saint Mary (9) – 97
2. St. Joseph's-L.I. (2) – 78
3. USMMA – 71
4. Maritime – 64
5t. Farmingdale State and Mount Saint Vincent – 62
7. Old Westbury – 61
8. Purchase – 45
9. Sarah Lawrence – 31
10. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn – 20
11. Yeshiva - 14
When they begin: The Golden Eagles open their 2018 season on Saturday, September 1 when they host non-conference opponent Staten Island at Danzi Stadium at 12:00 pm. From there, SJC hits the road to face Western Conn. on September 4 before returning home for the two-day SJC Invitational Tournament on September 8 and 9.
