2019 SCHEDULE | 2019 ROSTER | ATLANTIC EAST NETWORK
IMMACULATA, Pa.- Reigning Atlantic East Conference Coach of the Year,
Jamie Scott, and the Immaculata University men's soccer program are primed for another run at the Atlantic East Conference title in 2019 after reaching the semifinals a season ago. The Macs kick off their championship quest with a pair of home contests inside Draper Walsh Stadium over Labor Day Weekend with a lid-lifter versus McDaniel set for Friday, August 30 at home beginning at 4 p.m. followed by a Sunday afternoon battle with Misericordia, which is also slated to begin at 4 p.m.
The Macs were picked third in the Atlantic East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll released Tuesday afternoon - garnering 26 points and one first-place vote - trailing only Cabrini who claimed the top spot with 32 points and two first-place votes and Neumann in second with 30 points and three first-place votes. Wesley secured the fourth spot in the poll earning 23 points and one first-place vote while Marywood and Marymount tied for fifth with each receiving 14 points in the poll. Gwynedd Mercy rounded out the field in the seventh spot with eight points of its own.
"We are excited for the upcoming season," second-year head coach
Jamie Scott remarked. "We appreciate the recognition from our peers in the preseason poll, but we understand we have a lot of hard work to do with the amount of competition in the Atlantic East Conference."
In his first season at the helm a year ago, Scott produced an overall record of 9-10-1 and a trip to the Atlantic East Conference Tournament Semifinals, marking the second time in the last three seasons that the Macs advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Unfortunately, Neumann proved to be a difficult team to overcome, as the Knights prevailed over the Mighty Macs by a final of 3-0.
The Mighty Macs will be led by the leadership group of captains
Connor Lindsay,
Mikey Kalpokas,
Kevin Hegarty and
Carl Vicere, a group in which Scott gives credit to for getting the incoming class of 13 freshmen acclimated to the program. Hegarty and Kalpokas were each named to the All-Atlantic East Second-team last fall, while Lindsay and Vicere combined for three goals in the program's first season competing in the Atlantic East.
Joining Lindsay and Vicere in the midfield are
Chad Catalana and
Alex Potter to make up a formidable rotation heading into the 2019 campaign. Catalana, a 2018 All-Atlantic East First-team selection, rounded out the top-five on the Mighty Mac scoring ledger with six points of his own courtesy of a pair of goals and two assists a season ago. while Fitzgerald - who played the most minutes of any field player in his rookie season - will anchor the Mighty Mac back line yet again in his sophomore campaign.
Defensively, Kalpokas returns between the pipes after posting a record of 9-9-1 with five shutouts and a 1.31 goals against average while making 88 saves a season ago. The junior goalie also enters the season with eight shutouts, which is three shy of tying the program's career record of 11. Joining Kalpokas in the defensive third to anchor the backline is sophomore
Jacob Fitzgerald, who played in all 20 games and finished his rookie season with the most minutes of any Mighty Mac field player last fall.
The Mighy Macs will also look to a plethora of newcomers on the roster to make immediate impacts during the 2019 season, as freshmen
John Bohrer,
Oldy Dielce,
Michael Smith and
Josh Fonder will battle early on for minutes.
Be sure to catch Immaculata men's soccer's 2019 season-opener live on the
Atlantic East Network Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.
