2023 Men’s Soccer Season Preview
2022 Record: 11-7-3 (6-4-2 Heart)
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 8/21
Notable Returners:
Luigi Mongan, Jr., Manchester, England
(Letterwinner, 7 goals)
Edan Sears, Jr., Telford, England
(Letterwinner, 4 goals)
Lukas Koch, Sr., Moers, Germany
(Letterwinner, 3 assists)
Joseph Kitengie, Sr., Benoni, South Africa
(Letterwinner, 3 goals, 2 assists)
Notable Losses:
Aaron Keita
(All-American)
Luke Andrews
(All-Heart)
Chanin Olandin
(All-Heart)
Milton Magana
(Letterwinner)
Notable Newcomers:
Sean Bohan, Jr., Dublin, Ireland
Darragh Curtin, Jr., Dublin, Ireland
Miguel Menendez, Fr., Oveido, Spain
Rhys McAllister, Jr., Belfast, Northern Ireland
The William Penn men's soccer team figures to again be a major player in the league and nation as it enters the 2023 season.
The Statesmen were 11-7-3 overall (6-4-2 Heart) during the 2022 campaign, and used an impressive run in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament to qualify for its fourth-straight NAIA National Championship. WPU unfortunately bowed out in the first round to the eventual national champion Bethel (Ind.), but lessons were learned from last fall and the navy and gold are ready to again compete for hardware.
Head Coach Simon Brown has a key letterwinners back on pitch, while he and his staff have recruited to fill any possible holes as the squad appears poised for a run at the league crown.
Forward
After scoring three goals along with two assists a season ago, Joseph Kitengie (Sr., Benoni, South Africa, Business Management) will need the push from the top.
A quartet of newcomers will add depth at the striker position. The crew includes Hugo Cornish (Fr., Sydney, Australia, Undecided), Timothy King (Jr., London, England, Biology), Emre Baris (Fr., Dortmund, Germany, Business Management), and Strahinjia Camagic (Fr., Kraljevo, Serbia, Undecided).
Midfielder
The navy and gold enjoyed a little more offensive success from the midfield a year ago, headlined by a team-best seven goals (one assist as well) from Luigi Mongan (Jr., Manchester, England, Business Management.
Conor Keylock (Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa) assisted once as well in 2022 and will play a bigger role this fall.
Newcomers Daniel Wilson (Jr., Dublin, Ireland, Exercise Science) and Miguel Menendez (Fr., Oveido, Spain, Exercise Science and Kinesiology) are slated to be in the lineup as well.
Defender
Center back returners Edan Sears (Jr., Telford, England, Sports Management) and Alessandro Bedei (Jr., Cesena, Italy, Business Management) and newcomer Rhys McAllister (Jr., Belfast, Northern Ireland) are prepared to keep scorers at bay in front of the goal, while Lukas Koch (Sr., Moers, Germany, Sports Management) and Timo Fankhauser (So., Bern, Switzerland, New Media) enter the campaign with the left and right back slots locked down.
Sears (four goals, one assist) and Koch (three assists) were effective in set pieces a year ago, while Bedei also assisted once.
Goalkeeper
Coach Brown will lean on a new face in the goal as transfers Sean Bohan (Jr., Dublin, Ireland, Business Management) and Haakon Utesch (Jr., Algoma, Wis.) are battling for the starting nod.
The Statesmen permitted just 1.24 goals per game last year and notched eight shutouts.
Schedule/Conference
The 2023 Statesmen slate begins Saturday at home against Governors State, one of seven contests at Drost Field this fall. A total of seven non-conference matchups will prep the navy and gold for an intense Heart schedule that begins September 16 at Baker.
The Heart feature three teams in the NAIA's preseason top 25. WPU enters 2023 ranked fourth in the league's preseason poll and 35th in the country.
