On Sept. 23, Marist men’s soccer cracked the Top-25 in the country, being ranked 20th. The next week, after a win at Mount St. Mary’s, they moved up to 17th.
On Nov. 9, in the first round of the MAAC playoffs, they sat at home and watched.
The Red Foxes started out the year on an eight-match unbeaten run, having won six and drawn only two. They finished non-conference play undefeated for the first time this century, and looked poised to not only make the playoffs but earn a high seed and make a legitimate run at the championship.
Then, on the first of October, the Fairfield Stags came to Poughkeepsie and trounced Marist 5-1. Marist had two and a half more expected goals than their opponent, putting up 3.86xg to Fairfield’s 1.17.
“Everything they shot went in. We had four of five glorious opportunities to change the game,” said head coach Matt Viggiano.
A failure to take chances, combined with allowing their opponents into matches through moments, plagued the Red Foxes.
“There wasn’t a game where we were outplayed; it was more moments,” said Viggiano. “[There was] never a game where you walked off and said ‘that team’s better than us’”
Their second-to-last game of the season, at home against Manhattan, arrived with Marist needing a win to have a good chance at making the playoffs. A draw would be acceptable, but it would require a final-day win and a lot of luck.
Junior midfielder Kyle Evans, who led the team in points and made the All-MAAC first team for the first time in his career, scored in the eighth minute to give Marist a lead. The Red Foxes did not let up, pushing for that coveted second goal. It never came, and the Jaspers equalized off a set-piece with 20 seconds left to play. Marist was 20 seconds away from the playoffs, as they went on to beat Saint Peter’s on the final day.
In 2024, Marist made the MAAC semi-finals, an improvement on their quarter-final run in 2023. Viggiano had brought in a talented freshman class, with the likes of Dutch brothers Chris and Gijs Verheul, Caio Cavaletti, Evan Marques and Alex Murania. All but Murania, the third-string goalie in 2024, saw consistent game action.
Looking ahead to 2025, Viggiano just needed his side to be healthy, as injuries are one of the quickest and easiest ways for a good team to underperform.
“Coming into the season, if we did the right things, we had a chance to compete for a title,” he said.
The 2025 team featured, as mentioned, many returners as well as key additions. 11 freshmen entered the mix, as well as graduate student center back Liam Evans, brother of junior midfielder Kyle. Liam Evans instantly slotted into the starting XI in his last year of eligibility, while freshman defenders Will Salivonchik and Miles Douglas, as well as freshman attacker Adriano Iannello, saw a lot of the field.
Sports teams are often talked about as having a “window” to win a championship. In pro sports, it has to do with contracts and the age of the players, usually. In college sports, however, it is about eligibility and, now, the transfer portal. This squad featured five regular players, all in their last year of eligibility, playing in positions without an easy replacement.
Graduate student goalkeeper Jamie Lowell entered his second season at Marist after four years at Maryland. Liam Evans started 16 matches and played 1300 minutes at center back, senior midfielder Skylar Cunha held down the midfield, senior winger Aidan Arber played in ten matches, and senior striker Jonathan Salguero racked up seven points in 639 minutes.
Combined, the five graduating players played 4,755 minutes, which is roughly equivalent to 53 total matches of game time. To say this class had a major impact is an understatement. Not only were they some of the most experienced on the field, but they were also leaders; Cunha and Liam Evans were named captains for the 2025 season.
“We didn’t do enough to win,” said Viggiano, when asked about his side’s failure to even make the playoffs in such a crucial year.
Looking at the roster for next year, there are certainly gaps to fill, but Viggiano doesn’t seem worried.
In net, Murania has been training for two years to be ready for next year.
“I would, ideally, like to turn the keys over to Alex,” said Viggiano.
His staff is looking to bring in one more goalkeeper, ideally one with Division I experience, but that is more likely to be for mentoring and leadership purposes.
Murania, a six-foot-four keeper from Queens, NY, got 11 minutes of action in that loss to Fairfield, but did not face a shot.
At center back, Liam Evans leaves a sizable experience gap. A Division II all-American, Evans provided a calming presence in a young team. Junior defender Ethan Ortiz will still start at center back, with 17-year-old Douglas ready to join him. Douglas, out of Quebec, started five matches but played in 14 and even scored against Saint Peter’s in Marist’s final game.
Douglas played back-to-back full 90’s to end the year and enters his sophomore season with very solid experience at the age of a normal freshman.
There will likely be 10 or 11 spots to fill on the upcoming roster, says Viggiano, although he ruled out the possibility of a similar class to this year.
“We need some experience. [We’re] gonna have to go and find a mix, whether it’s juco transfers, grad students, guys on gap years,” he said. “Obviously, we’re gonna bring in some freshmen, too.”
This is because of a graduating class of five and, likely, a few losses in the transfer portal. The one name to have already entered is Arion Ulaj, a midfielder who spent three years at Marist. Ulaj missed his freshman year due to an ACL tear, but put up five goals and 10 assists over his next two years.
“We have talented players; now we need guys with grit, who are willing to do the little things to win games,” said Viggiano. “Stick your face on a ball and be ready to get kicked.”
The teams in the MAAC lose a lot of players to the portal every year, as squads like Rider can go from being finalists in 2024 to dead-last in 2025. Of their top five minutes-getters in 2024, only one made the top five in 2025. Of their top five point-getters in 2024, only Preseason Co-Player of the Year senior midfielder Theo Da Silva made it in 2025.
Marist, though, does not recruit as heavily internationally. Viggiano does bring in a fair share of Canadian players, but the majority of his squad is local within a few states and familiar with the area. As a result of their more local makeup, the Red Foxes can retain a lot of their squad year in and year out.
2026’s squad features a very solid set of returners all across the pitch. Marques, Douglas, Ortiz and Salivonchik will likely lineup ahead of Murania in goal. Gijs Verheul and Cavaletti sit behind Kyle Evans in midfield, with freshman Ben Mills and Ben Kaspin also having experience. Furthest up the field, Chris Verheul, Iannello, freshmen Eric Moroz and Noah Mellen all provide Viggiano with an attacking threat.
It is unlikely that Marist has a more strenuous non-conference schedule than in 2025, as they stayed local and played teams in similar or better conferences. This type of schedule allows Viggiano and his staff to gauge the squad’s ability against similar opponents and figure out what needs tweaking.
Despite a roller coaster season filled with national highs and extreme lows, the future is bright for the Red Foxes, whose window is not quite closed.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Photo by Stockton Photo
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