The Marist men’s soccer program, led by head coach Matt Viggiano, has consistently explored every avenue available to recruit new talent.
The program’s wide-net approach of recruiting players from various backgrounds has helped Marist rebuild its core and endure high turnover, especially after many players left following the 2021 MAAC title win.
Before the 2021 season, Viggiano began a slew of key acquisitions impacting the current team by bringing aboard senior forward Richard Morel out of Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, NY. Morel also played for the Long Island Slammers before joining Marist and came in expecting to take on an attacking role.
Morel could not schedule in-person recruiting visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but still sensed a strong family dynamic within the program. This dynamic attracted Morel and helped him to settle in as a freshman, as he paired three goals with four assists while playing over 1,000 minutes on a championship team.
“Guys were expecting me to step up, to leave the lower levels and try and get higher and up my game to their level,” said Morel.
After scoring four goals in ten matches as a sophomore, Morel suffered a serious knee injury that ended his season, prompting a recovery process that would also affect him as a junior.
“Coming out from injury, I needed to come back and just focus on trying to get everybody together because at that point, we didn’t make playoffs [in 2022],” said Morel. “It was a low… I was trying to bring everybody together even though I wasn’t really playing.”
Over the past two seasons, Morel has scored 13 goals and led Marist to two MAAC tournament appearances, including a career-best eight goals in 2024. In short order, Morel has become one of the more impactful talent acquisitions of Viggiano’s 18-year tenure as head coach, reclaiming his place as Marist’s lead scorer and as a leader within the program.
After winning a MAAC title during Morel’s freshman season and then losing half of his roster, Viggiano got to work over the next few years to replenish the program’s talent.
In 2022, Viggiano used the transfer portal to poach Jared Juleau from St. John’s roster, where he was listed as a defender. After transferring to Marist, Juleau transitioned into a more offensive role, contributing significantly in his two seasons with 11 goals and eight assists.
Senior midfielder and team captain Andrea Nguionza also joined Marist via the transfer portal in 2022 after departing from Virginia Commonwealth University. So too did senior defender Albion Bacaj, who transferred to Marist after finishing second on Sacred Heart in minutes while playing center back.
Viggiano completed his 2022 class with two high school recruits in junior midfielders Jonathan Salgeuro and Skyler Cunha, each of whom carved out roles. Salguero joined Marist from Wyandanch Memorial High School, where he tallied 22 goals and 14 assists as a senior and scored the winning goal in the 2021 NY State Cup for the Long Island Slammers. This season, Salguero played over 850 minutes and started seven contests for Marist.
Cunha arrived at Marist after winning two state titles with St. Benedict’s Prep High School in Newark, NJ, and playing for the MLS Next club Cedar Stars Bergen. Cunha has filled multiple roles as a Red Fox, serving as a team captain on a youthful 2023 squad and often remaining a fixture in set pieces over the last two seasons.
In 2023, Viggiano and his staff took a new approach, targeting key players from the New York Red Bulls Academy. Among them were sophomore midfielder Kyle Evans, sophomore defenders Nicholas Sanchez and Ethan Ortiz and sophomore goalkeeper Dreni Idrizi.
All four Red Bull imports played key roles this year. Evans and Sanchez developed into All-MAAC Third Team selections at their respective positions, Ortiz emerged as a super sub on defense and Idrizi filled in to play pivotal minutes in goal to close out a playoff win.
Sanchez and Idrizi also suited up for the Player’s Development Academy in New Jersey before coming to Marist. So did sophomore midfielder Arion Ulaj, who emerged from the 2023 class as an integral piece in Marist’s attack with three goals and five assists this season.
Before coming to Marist, Ulaj recalls Marist’s coaching staff watching him play for a year before recruiting him. His familiarity with the program helped him adjust rather quickly.
“Knowing a lot of the guys that were already on the team, I knew what to expect,” said Ulaj. “I was able to mentally and physically prepare myself to come in and start strong.”
Yet like Morel, Ulaj also suffered a serious knee injury which cost him his entire freshman season and hampered him this season.
“I’ve been coming back from injury, obviously [it’s] one of the hardest things that’s ever happened,” said Ulaj. “I had to go to therapy every single day, just continue working in the gym… I’m still not 100% yet, so it will still take some time.”
Despite physical limitations, Ulaj contributed significantly this season with playmaking and scoring. Just as important, he witnessed firsthand how the program’s family-like environment helped a team full of players from different backgrounds coalesce into a strong unit.
“Obviously, we lost the first couple of games [this season] and we were torn apart by that,” said Ulaj. “Then that other family aspect came into play. We found togetherness… we were able to come together and then obviously lock in for the last stretch of games halfway through the season.”
Ulaj stressed that no matter where his teammates call home, they know they have a home within the program.
“It doesn’t really matter where like anyone’s from,” said Ulaj. “Right when people come to this team, we establish that family aspect and everyone becomes close within a week of preseason.”
2023 also saw Marist increase its recruitment of international players. Italian goalkeeper Luca Bulfon transferred from the University of South Carolina Upstate and took over in goal, while Norwegian senior midfielder Jørgen Kristiansen transferred in from the University of South Florida.
Sophomore midfielders Adam Rustami and Joseph Daher, who hail from Canada’s Ontario province, also joined the program in 2023. Daher played for Toronto FC Academy before landing in Poughkeepsie. This experience helped him make an outsized impact this season, as he most recently garnered a selection to the All-MAAC Championships Team.
Viggiano’s approach to adding to his 2024 roster borrowed from each of the program’s past recruiting strategies.
Once again, Viggiano acquired a graduate student to take over in goal via the transfer portal, as Jamie Lowell came from Maryland to replace Bulfon. Viggiano again identified talent from the Red Bulls Academy, as freshman defender Evan Marques came in and made the All-MAAC Third Team this season.
Viggiano found another leader in the transfer portal, as graduate student defender/midfielder Stephen Betz arrived from Syracuse and was voted a team captain by his teammates. Viggiano continued his recruitment of international players, but this time, he relied on existing relationships to help make it happen.
Brazilian freshman midfielder Caio Cavaletti came to Marist after playing for top-notch Brazilian and Portuguese youth academies. He was initially introduced to Marist’s campus by former First Team All-MAAC defender Henrique Cruz, who is from the same city as him. Cavaletti’s skill set immediately translated as he became a spark plug for Marist’s attack.
Another relationship that benefitted Marist’s international recruitment stemmed from former men’s soccer captain and MAAC Defensive Player of the Year Huib Achterkamp. Achterkamp, who is from the Netherlands, is cousins with freshman forward/midfielder Chris Verheul and freshman defender Gjis Verheul; he introduced them to collegiate soccer.
The presence of the Verheul brothers greatly aided Marist’s 2024 squad, as Chris Verheul snagged an All-MAAC First Team selection for midfield this season, while Gijs Verheul helped anchor the back line.
Having former and current players become involved in the recruiting process has been something the program has actively embraced.
“[The coaches] ask us about certain players that we know from either our home state or our old academy and we’ll give them information,” said Ulaj. “Maybe let them know, ‘Oh, this guy is in the portal or this guy is a really good player.’”
“I would definitely say coaches also do a good job [recruiting], but they also want us to bring in really good guys that we know can play and up our game, so we also have to help out,” added Morel.
While Morel is set to leave the program and Ulaj prepares to ascend to a larger attacking role, both players will take on equally important roles moving forward.
“I’m gone, it’s my last season, so I would say I’ve got to transition it into somebody else,” said Morel. “Build them up to take on the leadership role and do the whole team as well so everybody can be together.”
“I think I’ll probably be playing a big role next year,” predicted Ulaj. “Just get 100% healthy again and hopefully, lead this team in the attack.”
As players like Morel and Ulaj transition into new roles, the program’s emphasis on a family-like environment and player-driven recruitment helps ensure things remain consistent.
With a growing network of players and alumni, plus a commitment to recruiting players from various backgrounds, the Red Foxes are poised to stay competitive.
Edited by Dan Aulbach and Ben Leeds
Graphic from Cara Lacey, photos via Jaylen Rizzo
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