Philadelphia, Pa. - (8/31/2017) – Two years removed from a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship appearance and entering their first year under new Head Coach Zack Ssebatindira, the Chestnut Hill College men's soccer team is focused on the realization of their collective talent. "In a hyper-competitive CACC, our strengths will be the tight bonds within the group, coupled with our roster's versatility and experience." Ssebatindira continued, "My expectation this year is that we will be very competitive. Our program's goal is to always be a fixture in the CACC postseason picture. If we take it game-by-game, when November rolls around we'll be exactly where we need to be."

 

Chestnut Hill College (5-10, 4-8) entered the final game of the 2016 regular season battling for a spot in the CACC playoffs. With the game knotted at 1-1 against cross-town rival Jefferson University (6-10-2, 5-6-1), the season came to a sudden end as a goal in the 96^th minute (95:17) ensured the final playoff spot to the hosts. Chestnut Hill College finished the campaign with a 5-10 overall mark and a 4-8 standing in the CACC. In 2017, the Scarlet and Gold return several major players from the 2016 season, including their top three point scorers; senior midfielder Joseph Casaletto (Sewell, N.J.) (6 goals, 1 assist, 13 points), senior forward Zachary Gray (West Sussex, England) (3 goals, 3 assists, 9 points), and senior midfielder Vini Brito (Sao Paulo, Brazil) (2 goals, 1 assist, 5 points).
 
In 2017, Ssebatindira sees a lot of the Griffins' offensive production coming through those same avenues, "Up front is where we have our highest concentration of experienced players and match winners. Joe (Casaletto), Zach (Gray), Vini (Brito), Jason Doherty (Letterkenny Donegal, Ireland), and Mike Buscemi (Rockville, Md.), will be key parts of a very versatile front line that I believe can lead us to where we need to be competitively." Doherty recorded three points in 2016 with his lone goal coming on a penalty kick, late (79:59) in a 2-1 overtime loss at Nyack College on October 15. Buscemi is a senior transfer from Montgomery College – Rockville, where he helped the Raptors to a second-place finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XX DIII Soccer Tournament.

Also figuring into the attacking unit are juniors Jason Burns (Douglassville, Pa.) and Erskine College transfer Tales Domingues (Sao Paulo, Brazil), sophomores Mo Ehmer (Surrey, England), Samuel Mitcho (Pitman, N.J.), and Matthew Kemerer (Latrobe, Pa.), and freshmen Miguel Marra (Ossining, N.Y.), Andrew Thompson (Galloway, N.J.), and Tom McHale (Blue Bell, Pa.). Domingues is a fluid playmaker whose collegiate experience will help the midfield unit navigate the ball to the attacking third, while Marra and Burns will see quality minutes off the bench after a solid preseason.
 
The defensive unit is a "one-for-all, all-for-one" group that is determined to garner wins and not individual accolades. Their charge is to keep rivals from reaching the doorstep of sophomore Frank Maniscalco (Philadelphia, Pa.) and freshman Sergio Hernandez (Ossining, N.Y.). Maniscalco totaled 67:22 minutes as a back-up to the Scarlet and Gold's goalkeeping stalwart, James Jackson '17. Meanwhile, Hernandez is a welcomed addition that will provide plenty of competition in net.
 
Headlining that defense will be juniors Brendan Griffiths (Niskayuna, N.Y.), Tyler Johnson (Howell, N.J.), and Nate Nelson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), sophomores Stephen Finore (Broomall, Pa.), Connor Bethel (Hartsville, Pa.), Michael Roscioli (Turnersville, N.J.), and Paris Bruhn (Horst Holstein, Germany), and freshman Matt Kehr (Exton, Pa.), Brendan Rush (Exton, Pa.), and John Zaggi III (Ewing, N.J.).
 
Chestnut Hill College received 45 points in the 2017 CACC Men's Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll to place 11^th among the 13 member schools. The Griffins begin their journey to reach the CACC postseason and prove their rivals wrong begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 1, when they host Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in a 4:00 p.m. contest at Victory Field #1.