STANDISH, Maine – The 2017 Saint Joseph's College men's soccer season kicks off Friday with a non-conference game at Husson University (7:00 PM).
The tilt versus the Eagles opens an 18-game regular-season schedule and marks the beginning of the Monks' efforts towards claiming their second-consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship. Saint Joseph's returns nine players who started at least 15 games a year ago for a team that outscored opponents by an aggregate 40-10 margin over 23 contests.
STARTS AT THE TOP:
Fourth-year Head Coach Adrian Dubois, the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year, has enjoyed a career trajectory seldom seen at any level since assuming the helm for the Monks in 2014. That fall, the rookie skipper took an undersized team – further depleted by a slew of injuries – to a GNAC Tournament berth with a 3-6 conference record and a 5-15 mark overall. In his second season, Dubois led the Monks to an 11-7-1 record, including a 6-3-0 tally in GNAC play, which led to the #3 seed in the conference tourney.
His crowning achievement thus far took place in just his third year, as a tireless recruiting effort yielded a pair of stellar classes with the end result being a talented team that registered perhaps the finest season in program history. Featuring a deep roster and outstanding defense, Saint Joseph's went 15-2-6 overall with an 8-0-1 GNAC record en route to securing the top seed in the conference tourney, a GNAC Championship, and the first NCAA Tournament win in team history.
When the dust settled, the 2016 Monks set team records for most wins, fewest losses, most ties, highest winning percentage (.783), longest winning streak (8), longest undefeated streak (20), shutouts (16), consecutive shutouts (8), and goals against average (0.41).
WHERE WE LEFT OFF:
After advancing past Babson College in the first round – a penalty kicks triumph on the Beavers' home turf – Saint Joseph's suffered a 3-0 setback at the hands of Brandeis University the following afternoon. After sending the Monks packing, the Judges advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
DEARLY DEPARTED:
The Monks lost just three contributors from last year's squad, as departed senior Nicholas Borowski, Austin Bell, and Kartikeya Swarup all left the program. The trio combined to net 12 goals with four assists last fall.
KEY RETURNERS:
Among the Monks' returning players are six 2016 All-GNAC honorees: first teamers Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.), Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.), Dalton Gaumer (Corona, Calif.), and JoJo Strobino (Clifton, N.J.), Second Team honoree Rory Twomey (South Windsor, Conn.), and Third Team selection Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.).
Mullen leaped onto the national stage last season and capped his first season as a starter ranked third in NCAA DIII Men's Soccer in goals against average (0.35), save percentage (.877), and minutes (2,038). For his efforts, the 6'7 keeper was selected as the 2016 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year.
Mattos led the Monks in goals (6), points (18), and game-winning goals (5) as a sophomore forward while Strobino netted a pair of goals with a team-high seven assists as rookie midfielder last fall. Gaumer and Robinson, along with junior Mitchell Cyr (Rochester, N.H.) and fifth-year Sean Baker (Medfield, Mass.), anchor the stingiest backline in the conference. Twomey is perhaps the team's most important player and one of the elite midfielders in the conference, if not New England.
NEWCOMERS TO WATCH:
Coach Dubois brought in eight players to supplement an already stocked roster and several rookies are expected to contribute immediately. Jonata Mbongo (Portland, Maine/Deering), a strong, athletic, and heady defender who can also score, was a two-time All-State honoree while starring for Deering High School. Noah Elmore (Berlin, Vt.), a fleet afoot forward with impressive ball skills, hauled in a bounty of awards while playing for U32 High School and has turned some heads in preseason.
Defender Colin Grant (Harvard, Mass.) also garnered a slew of accolades as a high school phenom for The Bromfield School and figures to claim his share of minutes as a freshman. Quinn Hewitt (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), a 6'3, 195 pound forward, brings an enticing skillset to the SJC offensive attack and looks to work his way into the rotation.
GAMES TO SEE:
Sep. 3 at University of New England: Saint Joseph's seeks revenge for an early-season loss – a 2-0 setback at the hands of the Nor'easters on September 4th – last fall. The defeat was the Monks' only blemish until the Royal Blue fell to Brandeis over two months later.
Sep. 16 vs. Norwich University: A rematch of the 2016 GNAC Championship contest and tilt featuring two teams who have not scored a regulation goal against each other in the last 244 minutes between the conference rivals.
Sep. 19 vs. Bowdoin College: A game that may serve as a litmus test of sorts for the Monks, who have lost all four contests by an aggregate 22-0 score in the history of the series with the Polar Bears. Saint Joseph's has not faced Bowdoin – which defeated eventual 2016 National Champion Tufts University twice last year - since the 2012 campaign (4-0, Oct. 2).
CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2017 SCHEDULE/OPPONENTS:
| Total Games: | 18 |
| Home/Away/Neutral: | 9_9_0 |
| Opponents' Overall Record in 2016: | 120-167-36 (.418) |
| Monks' All-Time Record vs. 2017 Foes: | 47-38-10 (.553) |
| Monks' All-Time Composite Score vs. 2017 Foes: | 322-399 |
| Longest Current Undefeated Streak vs. 2017 Opponent: | Maine-Farmington (10) |
| Longest Current Losing Streak vs. 2017 Opponent: | Bowdoin (4) |
| All-Time SJC Shutouts vs. 2017 Foes: | 70 |
| Number of Shutouts Suffered vs. 2017 Foes: | 77 |
| 2016 NCAA Tournament Teams on 2017 Schedule: | None |
| First Time Opponent(s) on 2017 Schedule: | Regis |
| 2017 GNAC Tournament Dates: | Oct. 29 (Quarterfinals), Nov. 1 (Semifinals), Nov. 4 (Championship) |
| NCAA Tournament Dates: | November 11 - December 2 |
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.