A new era of Bucknell men’s soccer begins this week, as first-year head coach Dave Brandt sends his squad out for a pair of games in the Windy City against Loyola Chicago and DePaul.
Brandt is no stranger to building championship teams. He won six Division III national championships at Messiah, and then during a seven-year stint at Navy he took a Midshipmen team that had been at the bottom of the Patriot League before his arrival and turned it into a winner, highlighted by a league title and the school’s first NCAA Tournament win in 41 years in 2013.
Bucknell has enjoyed plenty of postseason success of its own through the years, and now Brandt is looking to move the Bison back up in the standings after a couple of rare down seasons. He will manage a fairly young side in 2022, and with the opener just around the corner, he says that while the team is becoming more and more comfortable with the system, there is still a sense of newness.
Until you get through a full cycle, we’re going to be doing a lot of things together as a group for the first time,” said Brandt. “We had our first preseason, first road trip, and now the first real game. There is an obvious sense of settling in as the preseason has gone along. A large portion of the team is new, which is both exciting and a little scary at the same time. With youth comes energy and possibility, and I’m looking forward to watching this group grow together.”
With a challenging early season schedule that kicks off with three straight road matches, Brandt will be continually looking to mold the team’s style of play while at the same time pushing for results that can boost the team’s confidence heading into Patriot League play.
Our identity and style of play is a big part of the equation,” said Brandt. “In addition to results, we will have a definitive plan on the field and want to continue to develop that as we look to close the gap on the top teams in the Patriot League.”
Brandt feels that the path to success starts in the back, and Bison fans will see some familiar faces in the defensive ranks.
GOALKEEPERS
Starting with the goalkeepers, senior Bennett Schwartz is back after starting the majority of the games over the last two seasons. He made 14 starts last season and posted shutouts against Patriot League opponents Lafayette, Lehigh, and Colgate.
Bennett is a fantastic team and program guy who has played a lot in recent seasons, and since I’ve been here he’s seen the lion’s share of minutes,” said Brandt. “He’s a good, experienced goalkeeper with good size.”
Bucknell’s other two keepers are both newcomers. Sophomore Jake Nicoll is a transfer from Wake Forest who has battled an injury in the preseason. Freddie Lapworth came to Bucknell from England, where he has seen extensive time in the English academy system.
DEFENDERS
Bucknell also has plenty of experience in the back four, with several newcomers waiting to break through.
Junior co-captains MJ Kuczura and Collin Murphy will likely feature at the two outside back positions. Kuczura has been a starter on the right side since day one at Bucknell, and last year he became the first sophomore team captain in program history. Murphy started 10 games and played in 13 last season.
The back four has been pretty well set since I got here, and Murph and MJ have been fixtures at outside back,” said Brandt. “Collin is an athletic, tough defender who is good in the attack as well. MJ is a real competitor. His fight and effort and positive attitude are all great for the program.”
The lead center back pairing will likely include senior co-captain Eddie Perez-Pelaez and junior Matthew Owusu. Perez-Pelaez has been a forward and attacking midfielder throughout his career, and he has four goals and three assists on his ledger. Now he moves to the back, where his size and agility are major assets for a defender. Owusu is also a returning starter, where he played both center back and holding center midfielder last season.
It was a bit of a hunch to move Eddie to the back,” said Brandt. “We were a little thin at that position in the spring, but he has fit in naturally there. I like the pairing with a junior and a senior, two older guys who have developed a comfortable partnership.”
The Bison have three big freshmen also pushing for minutes. Ben Sheffield at 6’4” and Aidan Kieffer at 6’5” are promising center backs, and 6’3” Jackson Sullivan moves well up the flanks as a wingback.
MIDFIELDERS
Waldemar Kattrup and Marco Valentic provide new influence as holding midfielders. Kattrup, a native of Copenhagen, is a sophomore transfer from St. John’s, while Valentic is a freshman from the Cleveland area who played with the Columbus Crew and Cleveland Force academies and also earned four caps with the U15 Croatian National Team. Junior Brennan Gac and senior Jameson Railey are veterans in the program who have also had strong preseasons.
Senior co-captain Chris Masur and classmate Mo Tall lead the group of attacking midfielders. Masur, the son of legendary St. John’s coach Dave Masur, has a high motor in the center of the pitch. Tall was an impact player as a freshman in 2019, but after the pandemic significantly disrupted the 2020 campaign, he missed all of last season with an injury. Tall will be eager to make an impact as the 2022 season gets started.
Chris is the heartbeat of the team,” said Brandt. “He’s a good player, but he’s also a steadying influence on the field. Mo has been particularly good in the preseason. He’s athletic and technical, and we expect him to do well this season.”
FORWARDS
Junior Jordan Miller returns up top after a breakout 2021 season that saw him score a team-high six goals and earn Third Team All-Patriot League honors. Miller, who played center back as a freshman, has found a home at the other end of the pitch. Junior Sebastian Paz, who scored an 87th-minute equalizer at Binghamton last season, is also a veteran presence.
Jordan and Sebastian are both very important players,” said Brandt. “The better they do, the better we will do as a team.”
Flanking Miller and Paz on the wings are a host of young players looking to break into the ranks. Sophomore Michael Dempsey saw limited minutes as a rookie last season but has made an impact in the preseason. Freshmen Charlie Holmes and Cade McGrath are likely to have significant input, as will Nick Prime, who like Dempsey is a hard-working sophomore seeking a bigger role.
Freshman Zane Domsohn might be a familiar name to longtime Bison soccer fans. His father, Dave Domsohn ‘89, is the program’s all-time leading scorer and was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. Zane was the all-time leading scorer at Bishop Shanahan High School, and he is challenging for minutes in his first season at Bucknell.
After beginning the season with consecutive road games against Loyola Chicago, DePaul, and St. Bonaventure, the Bison get four in a row at Emmitt Field, starting with the home opener against Saint Peter’s on Sept. 4. The last fixture in that homestand is the Patriot League lidlifter against Navy, Brandt’s former team, on Sept. 17.
The regular-season ends on Nov. 2 at defending-champion Loyola Maryland, and the six-team Patriot League Tournament begins with quarterfinal games on Nov. 5.
In my opinion, the talent level has gone up all across Division I soccer since I left Navy in 2016,” said Brandt. “The impact of international players has been significant. There are no easy games, and anyone can beat anyone. The Patriot League is not dissimilar to most leagues. Things tighten up in conference play, and everyone has your full attention. From a talent perspective, some teams in the Patriot League might be a bit ahead of others, but the games are so tight that anyone can get a result on any given day.”