2024 Men’s Soccer Season Preview

 





2023 Record: 12-5-4 (6-2-3 Heart)
Starters returning/lost: 6/5
Letterwinners returning/lost: 13/15

Notable returners:
Sean Bohan, Sr., Dublin, Ireland
(Third-Team All-America, 60 saves, 9 shutouts)
Edan Sears, Sr., Telford, England
(Third-Team All-America, 6 goals, 3 assists)
Luigi Mongan, Sr., Manchester, England
(Letterwinner, 3 goals, 5 assists)
Miguel Menendez, So., Oveido, Spain
(Letterwinner, 4 goals, 3 assists)

Notable losses:
Emre Baris
(All-Heart)
Lukas Koch
(Letterwinner
Joseph Kitengie
(Letterwinner)

Notable newcomers:
Connor O'Reilly, Sr., Letterkenny, Ireland
Matias Meijede, Grad., Brunete, Spain
Fabian Huber, Grad., Gussing, Austria
Moses Magens, Grad., Elmshorn, Germany

With most of its starting lineup from a historic campaign back on the pitch, the William Penn men's soccer team is looking to again be a national contender in 2024.

The Statesmen, who were 12-5-4 last season (6-2-3 Heart), are again led by Head Coach Simon Brown who took the 2023 squad to its first-ever trip to the final site of the NAIA National Championship (Round of 16).

NAIA Third-Team All-Americans Sean Bohan (Sr., Dublin, Ireland, Business Management) and Edan Sears (Sr., Telford, England, Sports Management) will return to bolster the squad.

Forward

Sophomores Hugo Cornish (Sydney, Australia, Business Management) and Jaime Rozalen (Valencia, Spain, Business Management) are back up top after scoring three goal apiece in 2023.  Cornish tallied one of the biggest goals in school history as his score lifted the team past Cumberlands (Ky.) in the NAIA Nationals Opening Round.

Timothy King (Sr., London, England, Biology) also returns after assisting on one goal a year ago.

Newcomers Ricardo da Silva (Jr., Vitoria, Brazil., Business Management) and Albert Feixas (Fr., Santa Coloma de Farners, Spain, Exercise Science) will be vying for the starting nods as well.

Midfielder

Luigi Mongan (Sr., Manchester, England, Business Management), with three goals and five assists last year, and Miguel Menendez (So., Oveido, Spain, Wellness and Recreation), with four goals and three helpers, headline the middle of the pitch.

Fellow returner Conor Keylock (Jr., Johannesburg, South Africa, Sports Management) is slated to provide great experience there as well, while Connor O'Reilly (Sr., Letterkenny, Ireland, General Accounting) and Matias Meijede (Grad., Brunete, Spain, Master's of Organizational Leadership) are expected to be impactful new faces in 2024.

Defender

Sears not only held down the back line, but also guided the offense on set pieces as he finished 2023 with a team-high six goals in addition to three assists.

Alessandro Bedei (Sr., Cesena, Italy, Business Management) (1 goal, 1 assist), Daniel Wilson (Sr., Dublin, Ireland, Wellness and Recreation) (1 assist), and Nils Monchesgang (Fr., Erfurt, Germany) also once again don the navy and gold this fall.  The returners helped WPU to be extremely stingy on defense last year, permitting just 0.96 goals per outing with nine shutouts.

Fabian Huber (Grad., Gussing, Austria, Master's of Sports Management) will add depth to the defense as well in his first season at William Penn.

Goalkeeper

Bohan is the incumbent in front of the goal after posting a 0.92 Goals Against Average in 2023 with 60 saves and nine shutouts.

Kevin Onelius (So., Soderhamn, Sweden, Psychology) returns to give the Statesmen returning depth, while Viktor Masek (Fr., Knyk, Czech Republic) will also battle to see the field in his first collegiate campaign.

Schedule/Conference

William Penn's 2024 season begins Wednesday as it hosts Morningside on Drost Field.  The Statesmen will be at home nine times this fall, while their Heart slate starts on September 14 at home versus Baker.