WASHINGTON, Pa. -- After claiming back-to-back Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament Championships, the Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team looks to make history this fall by going for a third straight conference title. The Presidents open the fall with a non-conference road match at Point Park on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

2020-21 Season Review: W&J compiled an 8-2-1 overall record during the 2020-21 season. The Presidents opened the season with consecutive victories over Westminster, Saint Vincent, Chatham and Waynesburg.

W&J and Franciscan played to a 1-1 double overtime draw on April 7. The Presidents responded later in the week for a 7-0 victory over Thiel on Senior Day.

That set up a showdown for first place with Geneva on April 13. In a rematch of the 2019 PAC Tournament title match, the Presidents prevailed by a 2-1 score in double overtime. A goal by freshman Jayden Da in the 101st minute pushed the Presidents past the Golden Tornadoes.

However, W&J would suffer a stunning 1-0 overtime loss at home to Bethany later in the week. The Presidents then fell by a 2-1 score at Grove City in the regular season finale on April 23. The Wolverines used a goal in the 81st minute to break the tie. That victory gave Grove City the No. 2 seed and homefield advantage in a rematch with W&J in the PAC semifinals.

After dropping back-to-back matches to close the regular season, the Presidents rebounded with a 2-1 victory at Grove City in the semifinals. After a scoreless first half, W&J took the lead on a Jake Fetterman goal in the 52nd minute. Jayden Da found the back of the net in the 74th minute to give W&J a multi-goal edge. The Wolverines goal came in the waning seconds as the Presidents ousted Grove City from the tournament for a second straight year.  

That win coupled with a Westminster upset victory over Geneva in the other semifinal gave W&J hosting rights for the championship game at Alexandre Stadium. The visiting Titans struck first with a goal in just the 15th minute of play. Despite the Titans dominating the first half, W&J was able to even the score and steal back the momentum when Thomas Einolf (Carlisle, Pa./Middletown) buried one into the back of the net in the 43rd minute. The score remained tied until the 81st minute when the Presidents took the lead for good. Zach Bowser (Beaver, Pa./Beaver), the PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, headed the ball home off of a perfect free kick into the box from Joey Feola (Carnegie, Pa./Central Catholic). W&J was able to hold off Westminster over the final eight plus minutes and claim a second straight title.
 
"It was extremely challenging this past spring," said head coach Ian McDonald. "The logistics of game and practice scheduling alone was extremely difficult task for our student-athletes, given the overlap of the spring sports being active in season, weather, etc. However, to their credit they were able to adjust very well to a very random and erratic situation."

Da was named PAC Player of the Year and PAC Newcomer of the Year while McDonald secured his PAC Coach of the Year honors for a sixth time.

After capturing their second-straight PAC championship, eight Presidents were named All-PAC, with Da the lone First Team representative. Fetterman, Samuel Miller (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg), Quinn Pickering (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill) and Bowser were named All-PAC Second Team. Thomas Davidson, Feola and Michael Komaniak (Oakmont, Pa./Riverview) received All-PAC Honorable Mention nods.

W&J finished the spring ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 20 poll.

Pickering, Komaniak and Bowser all received Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Team Captains: Joey Feola, Michael Komaniak, Samuel Miller

Position-by-Position Breakdown: Despite a few losses to graduation, the Presidents return a lot of experience and depth from a squad that enters 2021 as the two-time defending PAC champions. W&J has 10 seniors on the roster for this fall. Overall, the Presidents return five All-PAC players from the spring.

Forward – Komaniak returns to lead the way up top. The two-time All-PAC performer has been steady and reliable throughout his career for the Presidents. He has totaled 12 goals and 10 assists in 50 career games. His best season came in 2019 when he tallied eight goals and added seven assists.

"Mike leads by example. He is a passionate competitor both on and off the field," McDonald said. "He is someone that nurtures, supports, and above all challenges his teammates to compete on a daily basis."

A pair of sophomores, Parker Byas (Columbia, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) and Jake Klonowski (Allison Park, Pa./Shaler) return and should figure into the mix after earning some playing time as freshmen. Senior Joel Winters (Mocksville, N.C./Calvary Day School) appeared in eight games and scored at Saint Vincent on March 21.

Midfield: Bowser, Feola and Einolf all return to bring experience to the midfield unit.

"The midfield group of Feola, Bowser and Einolf have amassed a great deal of minutes together and therefore should have a solid understanding of their roles and how to operate with one another on the field," McDonald said.

Bowser was named the 2020-21 PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after he headed in the eventual championship-winning goal in the 81st minute of the PAC final. He also added a goal against Chatham.

Feola recorded three critical assists in a pair of critical wins in 2020-21. Feola assisted on both goals in W&J's 2-1 double overtime win over Geneva and the PAC championship-winning goal by Bowser in the PAC final. He also pivoted to the W&J back line after injuries in the PAC Tournament limited W&J's defensive personnel. Feola was also named to the PAC All-Tournament Team.

Einolf registered three goals during the spring, which included his critical score against Westminster in the PAC title match.

Sophomores McKinley Joseph (Stamford, Conn./King School) and Charles Ugwu (Abuja, Nigeria)

Defense: The back line might be the most experienced position on the team. Pickering and junior Colin Martincic (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) both return after multiple years of starting defensively and are expected to anchor the center of the defense. Pickering has 46 games (43 starts) while Martincic has 29 appearances (27 starts) to his credit.

Jonathan Youse (New Cumberland, Pa./Cedar Cliff), Will Keber (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) and Jacob Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii/Iolani School) have each seen starting time on PAC Championship teams. Youse brings back 22 starts to his credit while Keber started all 11 games in 2020-21. Lee burst onto the scene and made an immediate impact, as he started seven of the eight matches in which he appeared.
Jake Rajotte (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) and Claude Irankunda (Dayton, Ohio/Spring Valley Academy) remain in the mix for playing time defensively as well.

"As far as the defense goes, we again have a group that have had solid minutes playing together as a unit," McDonald said. "We have a number of different options and combinations that we will work to utilize through the rigors of the season."

Goalkeeper – Miller's return gives W&J one of the best goalkeepers in the conference. Miller snagged All-PAC Second Team honors after leading the PAC in save percentage (.830) and ranking third in total saves (44) fourth in goals against average (1.01).
 
Miller posted a shutout in the Presidents' 1-0 win at Waynesburg and helped the Presidents' to five one-goal wins on the abbreviated year. He made a season-high 12 saves to preserve a 1-1 tie at Franciscan and had six stops in the PAC championship game against Westminster. Miller finished with a 6-2-1 record in the cage this past spring.

Sophomore Thomas Amtower (Boiling Springs, Pa./Cumberland Valley) is joined by newcomers Charles Boldosser (Westminster, Md./South Carroll) and Tyler Haczela (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) at the position behind Miller.
 
Newcomers: The Presidents welcome 11 newcomers to the fold in 2021.
Nolan Agostoni        Fr.       M/F     5-10    160     Greensburg, Pa. / Latrobe 
Ian Gillispie               Fr.       M/F     6-0      190     Foster, W.Va. / Scott           
Devon Godde           Fr.       M/D     5-10    158     Marietta, Ga. / Walker         
Chase Grinnell         So.      M         5-9      155     Fombell, Pa. / Riverside
Christian Dwimoh    Fr.       M         5-11    160     Frederick, Md. / Tuscarora 
Connor Lanigan      Fr.       M         5-10    155     Merrimack, N.H. / Merrimack         
Gannon Ryan          Fr.       M         5-9      130     McAlisterville, Pa. / East Juniata  
Charles Boldosser   Fr.       GK      6-0      150     Westminster, Md. / South Carroll 
Tyler Haczela            Fr.       GK      6-4      190     Beaver, Pa. / Beaver           
Josiah Winters         Fr.       F/M     5-7      178     Mocksville, N.C. / Calvary Day School    
Michaeljon Moleiro  Fr.       D         6-3      175     Rocky Hill, Conn. / Rocky Hill
 
Looking At The Schedule: The Presidents will play a 16-game schedule this fall. W&J opens with seven consecutive non-conference matches before playing the single round robin PAC slate that features nine contests. A challenging non-conference schedule sees W&J host Hiram, Carnegie Mellon, Mount Union, La Roche and Hood. Non-conference road trips to Point Park and Capital are on the docket.

W&J hosts annual PAC contenders Grove City and Westminster in back-to-back games to open PAC play. The toughest road game on the PAC schedule comes on Oct. 23 when the Red and Black visit Geneva. 

The PAC Tournament shifts to a six-team format in 2021. The quarterfinals round is slated for Saturday, Oct. 30 with the semifinals and championship being held on Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 6, respectively.