WASHINGTON, Pa. -- After falling a win short of the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament in 2021, the Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team looks to bounce back and pursue a third conference title in four years.
2020-21 Season Review: W&J compiled an 5-8 overall record during the 2021 season. Sparked by a two-goal game by
Michael Komaniak, the Presidents opened the season with a dramatic 3-2 road win over NAIA member Point Park.
W&J then hit a dry spell, as they suffered five consecutive losses and had three other matches canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. Offense was an issue for the Presidents, as they scored just two goals in the five match losing streak.
However, W&J broke out of their slump with a 1-0 win against PAC opponent Saint Vincent on Oct. 6.
McKinley Joseph found
Nolan Agostoni for the lone goal of the match as W&J took an early lead en route to victory. The shutout defensively was the first of the season for the Presidents.
The Presidents finished the month of October with an 4-4 record. This would include a hard fought win against PAC opponent Thiel where the Presidents took an early lead thanks to senior
Joey Feola. This lead was held until Thiel managed to find there way into the Presidents backfield to hit the back of the net and tie up the game. Thomas Einoff sealed the victory with an overtime goal in the 98th minute.
W&J had four players earn All-PAC Honorable Mention. These four players included
Sam Miller (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg),
Michael Komaniak (Oakmont, Pa./Riverview),
Quinn Pickering (Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill) and
Joey Feola (Carnegie, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic).
Zach Bowser and Pickering would also go on to be voted to the COSIDA Men's Soccer Academic All-District Team.
"We want to continue to mature and stay healthy", said McDonald. "There was no doubt that the volume of injuries during last season took its toll on us and left us thin in depth and experience in certain areas."
Position-by-Position Breakdown: Despite a couple losses to graduation, the Presidents return a lot of experience and depth from a squad that enters 2022. W&J has four seniors, 10 juniors, and 10 sophomores returning to the team this fall.
Forward – After losing some key pieces at the position, junior
Jake Klonowski looks for more starting time up front. He started 10 games last season for the Presidents.
Junior
Parker Byas (Columbia, Md. / Mount Saint Joseph) is set to be a top contributor to this forward unit as well. Byas comes off a season where he scored five goals in 12 games (6 starts). Sophomore
Josiah Winters (Mocksville, N.C. / Calvary Day School) also returns and should add to a deeper rotation this fall.
"All three (Parker Byas, McKinley Joesph, and Jake Klonowski) must continue to blend as a unit not only in creating more scoring opportunities for themselves and their teammates, but also increase their scoring output in shot percentage to goals scored," said McDonald.
Midfield: This unit looks to have the most depth on the team with lots of versatility. Senior
Zach Bowser (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver Area) will be returning for his final season in Red and Black as he looks to be at the forefront of this unit. He was shutout last year goal wise, but was productive in other facets to the games this past fall. Bowser would also go on to be voted to the CoSIDA Men's Soccer Academic All-District Team which was his second time being honored on this team.
Junior
McKinley Joseph (Stamford, Ct. / King School) looks to also be atop this packed midfield unit this coming fall. Joseph appeared in 13 games this past fall and started in 12 of those, contributing one goal and three assists Junior
Jacob Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii / Iolani School) also look to reprise their roles and continue to be great rotational pieces.
"Jacob has been working very hard on his rehab over these past many months", says McDonald. "He is excited to get back on the field and is pumped to get back out there and participate and help his teammates succeed."
Looking to build off of his freshman season, sophomore
Nolan Agostoni (Greensburg, Pa. / Latrobe) will likely see some more impactful minutes for the Presidents. In his freshman season he appeared in 13 games, starting eight. He also compiled two goals and one assist, one of these goals being the game-winning tally against Saint Vincent.
W&J also has five sophomores returning including
Connor Lanigan (Merrimack, N.H. / Merrimack),
Christian Dwimoh (Frederick, Md. / Tuscarora),
Gannon Ryan (McAlisterville, Pa. / East Junitata),
Devon Godde (Marietta, Ga. / Walker), and Ian Gillispe (Foster, W.Va. / Scott) who all look to add to the depth of this midfield room.
Defense: The back line will look to remain stout this coming fall as they retain a good portion of this unit. Senior
Will Keber (Irwin, Pa. / Norwin) and junior
Claude Irankunda (Dayton, Ohio / Spring Valley Academy) look to use their experience to guide this unit into a great defensive year for the Presidents.
"Zach (Bowser) and Will (Keber) are very good role models for the younger guys, both on and off the field", Said McDonald. "They are 100% committed to the program and have a great deal of experience to offer and share with the younger guys."
Keber and Irankunda both started all of the games they appeared in, providing W&J with a consistent defensive back line that has accumulated solid minutes with each other.
Jake Rajotte (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) remains in the mix for playing time defensively as well as he appeared in six game last season. Rajotte has appeared in 15 career games, three starts, and one assist between two seasons.
Michaeljon Moleiro (Rocky Hill, Ct. / Rocky Hill) and
Charles Ugwu (Abuja, Nigeria) return as well.
Goalkeeper – The starter at goalkeeper looks to be up for grabs
this coming fall for the Presidents after losing
Sam Miller to graduation.
"That picture will continue to develop", stated McDonald. "The nature of the position demands effective and confident communication and organization", says McDonald. "Due to the fact that all three of our goalkeepers have different strengths and weakness, it will come down to the day-to-day effective execution of the fundamentals of the role."
W&J currently has three options at goalkeeper including junior
Thomas Amtower (Boiling Springs, Pa./Cumberland Valley) as well as sophomores
Charles Boldosser (Westminster, Md./South Carroll) and
Tyler Haczela (Beaver, Pa./Beaver). Boldosser is the lone keeper with starting experience, as he made a pair of starts last fall.
Newcomers: The Presidents welcomed 11 newcomers to the fold in 2022.
"We expect them to bring added depth in competition", stated McDonald. "As with any first-year player, we hope they can adapt quickly to the environment and adjust on the fly to their fellow team member's strengths and weaknesses."
Name CL. POS. HT. WT. Hometown / High School
Ethan Bowser Fr. F/M 5-10 165 McKeesport, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward
Tyler Chernisky Fr. F/M 5-9 140 North Huntingdon, Pa. / Norwin
Cooper Hayes Fr. D/M 6-4 158 Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway
Elijah Jones Fr. D/M 5-11 175 Washington, Pa. / Penn Charter
Nathan Lomago Fr. F/M 5-8 160 Mars, Pa. / Eden Christian Academy
Jason Moliero Fr. F/M 5-6 130 Rocky Hill, Conn. / Rocky Hill
Michael Ngugi Fr. F/M 6-1 165 Pittsburgh, Pa. / Thomas Jefferson
Sean-Samuel Pessinaba Fr. D/M 5-6 135 Bayonne, N.J. / Bayonne
Antonio Romero Fr. M 6-0 177 Bowie, Md. / Bowie
Tiger Three Fr. D/M 5-7 147 Saint Paul, Minn. / YES Prep West (Tx.)
Evan Wray Fr. M 5-10 165 Cambridge, Ohio / Cambridge
Coaching Staff:
Ian McDonald (Davis & Elkins '86) enters his 32nd season as the head men's soccer coach at Washington & Jefferson College in 2022. McDonald is the longest tenured coach here at W&J as he looks to continue building his impressive resume in red and black.McDonald's career record stands at 277-240-44 (.533) after the completion of the 2021 season.
McDonald's 30th season (2020-21) guiding the Presidents was certainly a successful one, as W&J captured its second straight PAC Tournament title. At the conclusion of the season, McDonald was named PAC Coach of the Year for a sixth time. The conference title was the fifth for McDonald at W&J. Freshman Jayden Da led the league in points (17) and assists (5) and was named both the PAC Player of the Year and the PAC Newcomer of the Year. W&J finished the spring season ranked No. 10 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 National Poll. McDonald was honored as W&J's Jack Rea Athletic Staff Member of the Year Award following 2020-21.
Noah Rhodes returns this season to assist McDonald on the coaching staff.
Looking At The Schedule: The Presidents will play a 16-game schedule this fall. W&J opens with six consecutive non-conference matches before playing the single round robin PAC slate that features 10 contests. Five of W&J's six non-conference games are on the road as W&J heads to Mount Union, Hiram, Marietta, Carnegie Mellon, and Penn State Altoona. The lone home non-league game comes on Sept. 10 against Capital.
W&J host Thiel and travels to Saint Vincent on the opening week of PAC play. Back-to-back road tilts with Westminster and Bethany late in the season could go a long way in determining positioning for the PAC Tournament.
The PAC Tournament quarterfinal round is slated for Saturday, Oct. 29 with the semifinals and championship being held on Wednesday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 5, respectively.
Final Words From McDonald:
"To say that were disappointed that we did not make the tournament, for the first time in quite a while, is an understatement, especially given our Back to Back PAC Championship results of 2019 and 2021. Getting back must be the GOAL!!!"
