WESTON, Mass. – With 13 student-athletes who were not on the 2017 roster, the Regis men's soccer team will look to be competitive within the Great Northeast Athletic Conference as the 2018 season starts over the Labor Day weekend.
Head coach Renato Capobianco enters his eighth season at the helm of the Pride program, guiding his team to a 10-8-1 overall record in 2017, including a 5-4-1 mark within the GNAC. After finishing in a tie for fourth place in the regular season standings, Regis advanced to the GNAC Tournament semifinals and was picked to finish fourth in this year's preseason coaches' poll.
Among the returning players is senior Derek Triana (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), the all-time leading scorer in Regis history who set a school single-season record with 16 goals and 36 total points last season, earning Second Team All-GNAC recognition. Triana scored two goals in a match four times last season, including a two-goal, one-assist performance in the GNAC quarterfinal victory over Mount Ida.
Fabyanno Furbino (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) also returns for the Pride after collecting seven goals and two assists for 16 total points last season. Ken Niyonzima (Dracut, Mass.) is another returning player to watch for Regis, as he contributed two goals and four assists from the midfield in 2017.
Goalkeeper Jesse Bonilla (Ramona, Calif.), one of this year's captains, started all 19 matches in net for the Pride, posting a 1.95 goals against average and a .785 save percentage. He made more than 10 saves in four matches during the year with a season-high 16 saves to help Regis defeat Suffolk on Sept. 23, 3-1.
Included within the newcomers are three transfers from Mount Ida College, led by junior Jared Barroso (Central Falls, R.I.), who earned Second Team All-GNAC honors as a defensive midfielder. Also returning to the Pride after missing the 2017 season is Brendan Plasczynski (Bristol, Conn.), who has contributed 12 goals and seven assists in 48 career games played at Regis.
Regis opens the 2018 season Sunday, Sept. 2, at Lesley University beginning at 12 p.m. The Lynx finished the 2017 season with a 9-8-2 overall record, including a 5-2 mark within the NECC. This will be the 14th meeting all-time between Regis and Lesley, with the Lynx owning a 10-2-1 series advantage. Last season, Lesley defeated Regis, 2-1, thanks to a goal late in the first overtime period.
The Pride opens the home schedule against Eastern Nazarene Wednesday, Sept. 5, before playing their next five matches, all conference contests, away from home. Regis will close the season with seven of the final nine games at home, followed by the GNAC Tournament to determine the league's representative to the NCAA Tournament.