Stony Brook, N.Y. - It was admittedly a frustrating season for the Stony Brook men's soccer team in 2014. The Seawolves lost six games by a goal and were bounced from the America East Quarterfinal in penalty kicks. With his team a year older, head coach Ryan Anatol believes the close losses a year ago will turn into wins this fall.

"The guys showed up on day one of preseason and were committed, on the same page and ready to work," said Anatol.

"We had a good fitness level coming into preseason, which allowed us to get to work right away. We have a group of returners who know how we do things and how we train so they are having an impact on the new guys," continued Anatol. "And the new guys have come in and done a nice job of fitting in and holding the standard of play very high."

Goalkeepers

The goalkeeper position is stable heading into the season with redshirt sophomore Tom McMahon (Nassau Bay, Texas) returning after making 15 starts a season ago, three of which ended in clean sheets. Redshirt senior Jason Orban (Hartford, Conn.) has 10 career games under his belt and provides good leadership at the back end of the defense. Redshirt freshman David Hay (Baltimore, Md.) and freshman Jeremy Keckler (Branford, Conn.) will also compete for playing time.

Defense

The Seawolves return 59 of 63 starts from its back four last season. Leading the group in that category is sophomore Danny Espinoza (East Meadow, N.Y.), who started all 19 matches at right back as a freshman. Sophomore Barnabas Mako (Budapest, Hungary) made 16 starts at center back in 2014, while junior Kofi Ramirez Osei-Tutu (Trondheim, Norway) joined his side for 15 contests. Anatol is excited to get junior center back Tavares Thompson (Kingston, Jamaica) back to full health after battling injuries through most of 2014. He was an America East All-Rookie selection as a freshman. Another intriguing option to mann the back four is freshman Rickel Dixon (Sangre Grande, Trinidad). At 6'3", he gives the Seawolves a physical presence and the ability to control all aerial challenges. Junior Eduardo Valle (Miami, Fla.) recorded an assist in 10 matches last season and will battle freshman Devin Flanagan (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) for the left back position. Redshirt sophomore Michael Nastu (Monroe, N.Y.) missed last season with an injury but is a valuable asset as he can play every position across the back four.

Midfield

The midfield group will be led by America East second team all-conference selection, Alejandro Fritz (Budapest, Hungary). Fritz is the career leading scorer on the team with 11 goals and nine assists. He scored three goals and added two assists in 2014 despite spending a large chunk of the season at left back. He will be moved higher up the pitch this season in an effort to solve some of last year's scoring woes. Another integral piece of the midfield is sophomore Thibault Duval (Grace Hollogne, Belgium). He led Stony Brook with five assists as a freshman, showing us a glimpse of his dynamic ability with a two goal, two assist game in a win over Sacred Heart.Freshman Breno Lustosa (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) is another technically gifted player who will contribute in the midfield. Freshmen Serge Gamwanya (Kinshasa, Congo) and Martieon Watson (Vessigny, Trinidad) have enjoyed standout preseasons and will see time in the center of the park. Gamwanya showcased his play-making abilities with three assists in the Seawolves 4-1 exhibition win over LIU, while Watson supplied constant pressure and a ball-winning attitude. Sophomores Leonardo Rubio (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Stefan Gualano (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) and freshmen Steven Ghitis (Weston, Fla.) and Steven Dovi (Smithtown, N.Y.) are also reliable options as defensive midfielders.

Forwards

Senior Martin Giordano (Weston, Fla.), a second team all-conference selection in 2014, headlines the group of forwards. Giordano led the Seawolves a season ago with four goals and has scored nine goals and added seven assists through his first three seasons. Sophomore Vince Erdei (Budapest, Hungary) proved his move from midfield to the no. 9 was a good one with a hat trick vs. LIU in the preseason. The coaching staff is confident that his work rate and composure in front of goal will lead to more goals for the Seawolves in 2015. Sophomore Haris Kolenovic (New York, N.Y.) is another intriguing option as a central forward. He transfers to the Seawolves after appearing in four games for St. John's last season. Sophomore Andreas Aderiye (Germantown, Md.) can also play as a target forward. Sophomore Akeem Morris (Elmont, N.Y.) is a physical, athletic player whose pace and ability to dribble at defenders will make the Seawolves dangerous on the flanks. 

Schedule

The team will play nine home games in 2015, the most on its schedule since 2010. Highlighting the home slate is a match vs. Harvard, who went 11-4-2 in 2014, on Sep. 13. The Seawolves open the season with back-to-back home games against Central Connecticut on Aug. 28 and Sacred Heart on Aug. 31.

On Sep. 4, the Seawolves will travel to Louisville, Ky. to play the Louisville Cardinals at 7 p.m. They will head into a hostile environment as the Cardinals had the second-highest attendance in NCAA Division I, averaging 3,572 fans per game in 2014. Louisville finished last season ranked 17th in the nation, advancing to the third round of last season's NCAA Tournament. They have appeared in eight straight NCAA Tournaments.

Stony Brook will renew its rivalry with Hofstra when it travels to Hempstead on Oct. 27. The Long Island schools last met in 2010, a 1-0 overtime victory for Stony Brook.

The Seawolves will wrap-up the regular-season on Nov. 4 vs. in-conference opponent UMBC. The Retrievers are fresh off of a memorable run to the NCAA College Cup (Final Four) last season and have won the America East three years in a row.