Gwynedd Valley, Pa. – (8/30/2023) – "This is an interesting year for Gwynedd Mercy University men's soccer," stated Head Coach Dave Bontempo. "We have a unique challenge of blending the talents and personalities of 15 newcomers with 12 experienced student-athletes who have had a lot of adversity in the years past. Forming, Norming, and Storming; we are breaking it down into three phases. When October comes, we want to have an established lineup and a productive game plan so that we can attack our conference schedule and compete for the AEC (Atlantic East Conference) tournament title."
 
Gwynedd Mercy University recorded their only win of the 2022 season early as losses to Clarks Summit University (L, 0-3 on Sept. 1) and Rosemont College (L, 0-3 on Sept. 3) were avenged by an impressive 6-1 victory over the Nittany Lions from Penn State Mont Alto (Sept. 6). A 1-16-1 overall and a 0-6 conference standing left the Griffins out of the AEC postseason.
 
Coach Bontempo and his alumni-heavy staff are happy to welcome another Griffin to the sidelines as Kevin Hanuscin '23 joins the group for the 2023 season. He will join former captains Mike Leonard '12, Tim Daley '18, and Mike Wambold '14, as well as Bill Bono on staff. They will be working with several familiar faces as graduates Hugh Lynch (Philadelphia, Pa.), Evan Kirby (Bensalem, Pa.), and John Wagner (Phoenixville, Pa.) are joined by senior defenseman Mike Fienman (Philadelphia, Pa.) as team captains. Lynch totaled four points (1 goal, 2 assists) in four games before losing the 2022 season to injury. Kirby recorded three points (1 goal, 1 assist), while Wagner (0-11-1) played a majority of the minutes in goal (914:06) and made an AEC-high 86 saves on a .683 save percentage and a 3.94 goals-against average (GAA). "Hugh is tenacious. His toughness, grit, and fitness level will allow him to have another tremendous season," praised Coach Bontempo. "As a goalkeeper, John is battle tested and his experience will be counted on to mentor two freshmen. He is a 4.0 in the classroom and on the field. As one of our best conditioned athletes he will also get a chance to contribute in the midfield. Evan is a great compliment for Hugh. He will be counted on to put points on the scoreboard. And Mike, he'll carry the ball a lot. He has great ball control and can take on any defender one-on-one." Fienman enjoyed a standout sophomore season with five points (2 goals, 1 assist) as a defenseman. He will get the opportunity to showcase his talent in the midfield as well in 2023.

Also returning are graduate midfielder Antonio Catanzariti (Blackwood, N.J.), senior Mert Yildirim (Levittown, Pa.), juniors Victor Cruz (New Castle, Del.), Shaine Kirby (Newtown, Pa.), Michael McGlinn (Philadelphia, Pa.), and Kasey Wallace (Audubon, N.J.), and sophomores Joe Deitzel (Lansdale, Pa.) and Josh Rossell (Mount Ephraim, N.J.). Yildirim demonstrated a nose for the ball after transferring to Gwynedd Mercy University from Bucks County Community College last season. The same could be said for Cruz, who saw substantial time following his transfer from Delaware Technical Community College. Wallace finished his sophomore season as the Griffins' point leader with seven points (3 goals, 1 assist), while Shaine Kirby will get to focus on offense after committing most of his first two seasons to goalkeeping. "All these guys are talented soccer players," said Coach Bontempo. "Each will have their time to shine. Kasey is huge in transition. He keeps our team moving. Mert and Shaine add a physical presence to our attack, Josh is extremely versatile, and Victor is a premier defender with his size and outstanding speed."
 
A longer list of newcomers includes four transfers and 11 freshmen. "This is my largest recruiting class in 21 seasons. The nine months on the road recruiting certainly paid off," exclaimed Coach Bontempo. "We're really excited to see what they can do." The quartet of transfers includes junior defenseman/midfielder Matthew Edwards (Bensalem, Pa.) from Bucks County Community College and three sophomores; midfielder C.J. Clyde (Southampton, Pa.) from Holy Family University, forward Braedon Kehan (Warrington, Pa.) from Ursinus College, and defenseman/midfielder Hagan Meyer (Warrington, Pa.) from the University of Tampa. The freshmen newcomers include defenseman Cole Costello (Richboro, Pa.), midfielder Sam Hanley (East Longmeadow, Mass.), defenseman/midfielder Javier Hidalgo (Palisades Park, N.J.), midfielder/forward Maxwell Khazen (Phoenixville, Pa.), defenseman Axel Mayren (Atlantic City, N.J.), defenseman Andre Medl (Warrington, Pa.), midfielder Luke O'Donnell (Glenside, Pa.), midfielder Deven Salvatore (Bensalem, Pa.), forward/midfielder Thomas Watkins (Morrisville, Pa.), and goalkeepers Kevin Kretschman (Glenside, Pa.) and Eric McEvilly (Blue Bell, Pa.). "Javier is a dynamic outside defender who loves joining the offense with his blazing speed," complimented Coach Bontempo. "Andre will start and will be one of the top freshmen in the conference. Everyone else will compete for minutes every day in our training sessions. Andre and Kevin were both all-league in high school and competed together for PA Dominion FC in the Under-19 National Championship this summer in Orlando."
 
"We have six strong collegiate defenders being pushed by four freshmen, who are learning on the job. Competition for playing time will be fierce," Coach Bontempo said with a smile. "I think by the middle of September, when the offense starts clicking, we could be a tough opponent. We do not want to put too much pressure on the young guys, but once they learn to compete at this level, we are going to surprise a few teams. This year has the potential to be the start of something great and we are eager to get started!"
 
The 2023 AEC Men's Soccer Championship Tournament is scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 28, with possible semifinal and championship dates respectively marked for Tuesday, October 31, and Saturday, November 4.