Bonnies Men's Soccer Brings Experience Into 2024 Season

The St. Bonaventure University men’s soccer team kicks off the 2024 season on home turf Thursday, Aug. 22 when they host Saint Francis (PA) at the Marra Athletics Complex. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 p.m.

Bonnies head coach Kwame Oduro enters his 10th season leading the program and returns 21 players from last year’s roster while welcoming 11 newcomers to the squad for the new campaign.

The roster is made up of three graduate students, nine seniors, seven juniors, four sophomores and nine freshmen.

Experience is the name of the game for the Bonnies in 2024 as the club returns over 50 points from last season. 

“Being able to return that many points is massive in college soccer,” Oduro stated. “It has been a while since we have returned this many players and what it does for us as coaches, it gives us an idea already of who can play what and who can do what. When the new guys come in, we are just plugging them in where we feel we have a need and takes the pressure off them from having to do anything special.”

Returners Kenzo Brito, Umechi Akuazaoku, Andres Javitt, Daniel Helle and Rashid Aroza registered multiple goals for Bona’s in 2023.

Brito paced all Bonnies with 14 points on four goals and a team-high six assists. Akuazaoku tallied 13 points, tying for the team lead with five goals to go along with three assists. Javitt matched Akuazaoku’s five goals and added two assists for 12 points. 

Helle netted three scores and tallied an assist while Aroza registered two goals and added an assist in their first season with the Bonnies. 

Also returning for the Bonnies is graduate student Mo Tall who secured three assists but was limited to just the first five games of the season due to injury.

Dean Mercer (one goal, one assist), Luc Finelli (one goal), Keegan Dawson (16 games, 14 starts), Bo Drath (16 games, 15 starts), Mattia Ferretti (14 games, 12 starts), Xaver Ehrlich (12 games, 11 starts), Callum Shillington (eight games, one start), Nicolas Pucci (four games, three starts), Sean Morfin, Avery Dreasky, Will O’Connor, Tristan Szczepanski, Zach McBennett, Liam Horgan and Alex Ohmart all return for the Bonnies in 2024. 

“With an older team, it becomes more of a conversation of what they want so they can be great,” Oduro continued. “I think that makes our jobs as coaches a little easier on the field, but we are hoping they can win games on their own without too much help from us."

Newcomers include graduate transfer Gabriel Addo (Accra, Ghana), Gabriel Kiekenbeck (Rottach-Egern, Germany), Ben Choudry (Pickering, Ontario), Xavier Davidson (Kingston, Jamaica), Leonardo Witt Fragoso (Espergærde, Denmark), Neshawn Sutherland (Toronto, Ontario), Sven Merkesdal (Vikesa, Norway), Harry Booth (Dubai, United Arab Emirates), Yaseen Khaled (Mequon, Wisc.), Christopher Mularadelis (Aberdeen, N.J.) and Drew Leardini (Youngstown, Ohio).

The Bonnies will be tested on the road early on in 2024.

Following Thursday’s home opener, the Bonnies head out on the road for five straight contests, traveling to take on Cleveland State (Aug. 25), Canisius (Aug. 29), Penn State (Sept. 2), Quinnipiac (Sept. 7) and Niagara (Sept. 14).

Bona’s then returns to campus for a three-game homestand, welcoming Le Moyne (Sept. 19), Fordham (Sept. 21) and Robert Morris (Sept. 24).

The Bonnies continue Atlantic 10 play on the road at Rhode Island Sept. 28 before hosting Davidson Oct. 5. 

The Brown and White will also host Bucknell (Oct. 15), Dayton (Oct. 19) and Massachusetts (Nov. 2).

On the road, the Bonnies take on George Washington (Oct. 9), La Salle (Oct. 12) and George Mason (Oct. 26). 

“Every game in college soccer is difficult,” Oduro stated. “Each game requires a different kind of tactics. Whether we are home or away, we have to take the same intensity and same energy. Is it difficult? Yes, but that’s the fun part about it.”

The Atlantic 10 Tournament begins Nov. 3-4 with quarterfinal matchups taking place on campus of the higher seed.