Marist men’s soccer had a tough end to the 2024 season, losing on the road to the eventual MAAC champion Iona Gaels, 3-1. Missing their starting goalie and main center-back, the Red Foxes are frustrated, believing there would have been a different result had they been at full strength.
“It was tough losing, knowing it wasn’t our full team,” said senior midfielder Skylar Cunha. “This year we’re definitely looking to go win it all.”
Marist aims to return to its glory of 2021 by crossing the finish line – winning the MAAC and making it into the NCAA tournament. The Red Foxes have the squad to do so in their depth, talent and experience. Marist was ranked fourth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, finishing with one first-place vote and 120 points. Defending champions and finalists Iona and Rider earned 161 and 155, respectively, with Iona getting eight first-place votes to Rider’s one.
Forward Richard Morel, among others, graduated this past spring, leaving holes to be filled in this year’s roster. Morel, the top goalscorer for back-to-back years, leaves a squad that didn’t score a lot, ranking 6th in the MAAC in goals scored.
It seems as though it’s going to be goals-by-committee this year, but you can expect to see a lot of sophomore forward/midfielder Chris Verhuel and senior midfielder Jonathan Salguero in that role. Verhuel scored four times last year, second best on the squad.
“When I first saw Chris, I envisioned him being a nine, so he can definitely fill that role,” said head coach Matt Viggiano. “I expect [junior midfielder] Kyle Evans and [sophomore midfielder] Caio Cavaletti to have an uptake in goals based on another year and experience and familiarity.”
There are major positives for Viggiano and his staff; they retained 14 players – most of them playing a key role in last year’s run – and brought in 11 freshmen. Marist also added Division-II All-American graduate student centerback Liam Evans. Evans, brother of junior midfielder Kyle, adds much-needed depth and experience to a back line that lost more than anywhere on the field. He, along with Cunha, captain the Red Foxes this fall.
Junior defenders Joseph Daher and Nick Sanchez transferred out of the program. Daher, who started 17 games and racked up 1400 minutes last season, went to St. John’s. Sanchez, who scored and assisted twice in 17 games, ended up at Brown.
“It’s disappointing . . . [but] we’re not replacing a 15-goal striker. We’re replacing a right back and a guy who had no points last year.”
Matt Viggiano
Marist brings in a very solid and eclectic freshman class, featuring players from Ireland, Canada and the tri-state area. Attacker Adriano Iannello started at right wing and assisted sophomore defender Evan Marques (Marist’s lone selection to the preseason All-MAAC team) for the Red Foxes’ winner against Stony Brook. Defender Will Salivonchik was the only other freshman starter, playing right back. Attacker Eric Moroz logged nine minutes as a sub, rounding out the freshman involvement in Marist’s opener.
Between the group of newcomers, there are multiple state championships, MLS Next Flex League titles, MLS Next Playoff Appearances, professional league titles and plenty of goals.
“We’re not relying on any of them as the focal point, so the hope is that you can catch lightning in a bottle and they go out and play before they realize what’s going on,” said Viggiano.
“One of the best things about freshmen is that they don’t know any better.”
Matt viggiano
In 2024, Marist’s underclassmen amassed over 11,000 minutes of game time. In the top 10 of minutes played, only graduate student goalkeeper Jamie Lowell was older than a sophomore. The Red Foxes heavily relied on their youth, getting 15 goals and 18 assists from their underclassmen.
In the age of the transfer portal and constant player movement, it is really important to try and build a team that will stay together. Viggiano thinks that having a team return a group of starters is crucial, and he’s been able to do that. Marist lost two guys who started every game (Daher and Sanchez) and only one other player who started more than three games.
“There’s something to be said about having played and having experience… teams that start young kids don’t win,” said Viggiano. “We took our lumps the last couple of years, starting eight or nine freshmen. We’re hoping to have those fruits pay off in year three or four, which we think we are at right now.”
When you look at teams with chemistry and experience playing together, it is very hard to comb through the MAAC without noticing the Red Foxes. In fact, multiple current players shared the pitch this summer, representing the Hudson Valley Hammers in the USL League Two Eastern Conference.
Evans ended up making the All-Conference team, earning a spot at left back after a very good summer in which he scored twice over a dozen games and 1080 minutes. His brother, Kyle, scored three times and added an assist in nine games. Sophomore defender Gijs Verhuel made 10 starts, appeared in 11 games, and racked up 828 minutes. Lowell made a single appearance in net, logging just 16 minutes. The Hammers made it to the second round of playoffs, losing 4-1 to eventual League Two champions Vermont Green.
Having a group of starters play together all summer, especially with one of them being an incoming transfer, is key to developing relationships on and off the field. It especially helps that Verhuel and Evans are the likely center-backs that will sit in front of Lowell as he plays between the sticks.
Marist takes on a different-looking non-conference schedule than last year, staying local and not travelling too much. This is due to a few different reasons, but one of the main ones cited by Viggiano is the fact that three of the team’s 10 MAAC games are overnights. The Red Foxes travel to Niagara, Mount St.Mary’s, and Merrimack; teams scattered throughout the farthest points in the MAAC.
In the non-conference section of the year, the Red Foxes have already traveled to Stony Brook of the CAA, play at Fordham (A10), Albany (AE), LIU (NEC), while hosting Army (Patriot) and Lehigh (Patriot).
Although the Red Foxes don’t play the 2024 MAAC champion Iona Gaels, their conference schedule is not easy, especially considering that teams now play two more games than years past, with the conference schedule rising to 10 games.
In addition to the schedule changes, the MAAC has also changed the playoff structure. Six teams make the playoffs now, down from eight, and the top two seeds earn a bye. The three seed hosts the six, and the four hosts the fifth. The winner of the four and five contests takes on the one seed, who hosts both semifinal games and the championship. The second-place team awaits the three or six, but doesn’t have a single home playoff match.
“As a coach, I don’t love it. We’re the second or third biggest conference in the country, and it’s limiting the amount of teams in the playoffs,” said Viggiano. “There’s probably eight or nine teams that can win it this year.”
Marist continues their season with their home opener against Army (1-1-0, 0-0-0 Patriot) on Thursday, August 28. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. as the Red Foxes look to stay undefeated early on.
Edited by August Lieberman and Ben Leeds
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photos by Marist Athletics
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