Marist men’s soccer (7-4-4, 3-4-2 MAAC) got a strong showing from their upperclassmen on Senior Night, drawing 1-1 against Manhattan (4-7-4, 3-3-3 MAAC). An eighth-minute goal by junior midfielder Kyle Evans made the stands come alive on Saturday and helped the Red Foxes to hold the momentum until the final moments of the game.
The Senior Night festivities took place just 15 minutes before the match, with five seniors being honored. Graduate student center back Liam Evans, senior midfielder Aidan Arber, graduate student goalkeeper Jamie Lowell, senior midfielder Jonathan Salguero and senior midfielder Skylar Cunha together make up this year’s class. Head coach Matt Viggiano was joined by Marist University President Kevin Weinman and Senior Associate Athletic Director Liz Donahue on the field during the ceremony.
The athletes were celebrated by family, friends, fellow teammates and even a couple of youth soccer teams before lineups were announced. Four of the five seniors appeared in the starting lineup, with Salguero making his first start of the season following sophomore attacker Chris Verheul’s one-game suspension.
Cunha and Salguero are the only two of the five to have been here for four years. Cunha has appeared in 56 matches across his career, tallying 11 career points in over 3500 minutes.
“It feels amazing knowing that I spent four years here, played most of the minutes here, and just to have my whole family here,” said Cunha. “All my friends and family supporting me, it feels amazing. It’s a blessing.”
Salgeuro, who got an assist in the match and scored his first goal of the season a few games ago, has appeared in 55 games, logged 2100+ minutes, scored three times and gotten eight assists.
“I spent a lot of time with Skyler and Johnny. We’ll always appreciate them; they’ll always be family to me,” said Viggiano. “They’re great kids, they’ve given heart and soul to the program.”
In addition to being in his fourth year at Marist, Cunha is also one of the team’s two captains alongside Liam Evans. Together, the veterans have led a resilient team through a season filled with ups and downs.
“You got two guys in their fourth year here, and it’s almost an anomaly now in this day and age, in the culture,” said Viggiano
This year’s senior class is heavily defensive, which can be seen through their performance on Saturday. The Jaspers took only eight shots throughout the match, with just three being on goal. Lowell, who transferred to Marist after four years at Maryland, had two saves on the night, while Liam Evans led a strong defense in holding Manhattan scoreless until a free kick in the 89th minute tied the game.
Although the final score was 1-1, the Red Foxes showed up with an experienced defense to support an aggressive offense.
Kyle Evans, junior defender Ethan Ortiz and junior midfielder Arion Ulaj all had multiple shots on the night, with four, two and two, respectively. Evans and Ortiz each also had two shots on goal, and Ulaj had the other assist in Evans’ early goal.
The Red Foxes now have to extend their season to try and hold onto their seniors for a few more weeks. Their final regular-season game on Wednesday, November 5th, against Saint Peter’s will help determine whether Marist will move on to the MAAC tournament.
“Hopefully, if there’s any justice in this world, we’re not done, and we go get one on Wednesday and we find our way to the playoffs,” said Viggiano.
Edited by Ryan Eichem
Photos from Cassidy Connors
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
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