Men's Soccer to Open 2024 Season on the Road Against Yeshiva on Sunday

8/27/2024 12:07:00 PM | By: OW Athletic Communications

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The SUNY Old Westbury men's soccer team will open their season on Sunday against Skyline Conference rival, Yeshiva on the road. The Panthers enter this season looking to turn a page after going an overall 4-9-2 last year. The Panthers went 2-7-2 against the Skyline Conference in the 2023 campaign.

Panther Park will be the home of the Panthers for all games this season. Located on SUNY Old Westbury's campus, the natural grass field will allow the Panthers to face off in front of local fans yet again.

John DiRico returns to the helm to lead the program. Entering his 6^th season, DiRico is excited about this year's team.

"This year's group may be the most talented since I've been at Old Westbury. Combine that with the number of first years that came in this year, I'm optimistic about this year's prospects".

In addition to the several fresh faces that are set to debut for the Panthers, the team will rely on their veteran leadership from players such as Ashel Santos, Tyler Tesoriere, Andy Chacho, Ruben Texeira and Tiago Tirado.

Last season, Chacho started 15 games in goal for the Panthers. Chacho finished the season with 75 saves and allowed 32 goals.

This season, the Panthers will play a competitive schedule featuring a mix of non-conference and conference battles. After kicking things off on the road against Yeshiva, the Panthers will play their first home game on Tuesday, September 3 against John Jay.

The Panthers will then take a quick road trip to face off against Brooklyn on Saturday, September 7.

OW will then play in three straight non-conference games at home against Lehman, Medgar Evers, and Five Towns. Coach DiRico said, "We've scheduled several non-conference matches that can allow us to fine tune our team lineups before conference play begins in earnest".

The Panthers will also play against Manhattanville and Mount Saint Vincent on the homestand with games taking place on Wednesday September 18 at 3:30 PM and Saturday September 21 at 11:00 AM, respectively.

Old Westbury will then play five more conference games against Sarah Lawrence, Purchase, USMMA, St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, and Maritime.

Following their road game against Maritime, the Panthers will return home to host SUNY Delhi for another non-conference game of the season on Wednesday, October 16 at 3:30 PM.

The Panthers will then play Farmingdale and St. Joseph's-Long Island before closing out non-conference play against York on October 26 at 12:00 PM.

OW will round out the regular season on Wednesday, October 30 against the Knights of Mount Saint Mary on the road.

The Skyline Conference men's soccer post-season will begin on Saturday, November 2 and will conclude with the championship on Saturday, November 9.

"'I'm hoping and expect to make the Skyline Conference tournament, win and move on to the NCAA Tournament. This group understands that they have to combine their will with their skill to achieve our team and individual goals", said DiRico.

For more information and up-to-date schedules, statistics and video throughout the season, visit https://www.oldwestburypanthers.com/sports/mens-soccer.

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