Men's Soccer team vs St. Bonaventure 021921

Men's Soccer Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

No. 17 Gannon Hosts Tiffin in 2021, Home Opener

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon University men's soccer team will attempt to open the 2021 campaign for a second time on Sunday, September 5 when Tiffin visits McConnell Family Stadium. The match is set for a 1 p.m. start.  Gannon originally was scheduled to play at Notre Dame (Oh.) this past Thursday, but that match was postponed. That match would have featured two teams picked to finish second in their respective conferences' preseason polls.

Now comes a Tiffin team that is the co-favorite in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Dragons tied with Cedarville for the top spot in the poll after finishing with a 7-4-0 record this past spring, losing to Ohio Valley in the GMAC Championship.  Tiffin ended 2019 with an 11-5-5 record and won the GMAC title, earned a berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Expectations are high for the Golden Knights in 2021 after a runner-up finish in 2019 at the PSAC Championships. Colton, the 2019 PSAC West Coach of the Year, guided the Golden Knights to an 18-3-0 record in his first season at the helm, with a 1-0 loss to Millersville in the title game one of the few blemishes. They would go on to defeat Assumption, 5-0, in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament before falling to Charleston(WV), 3-0, in the third round.  The Golden Knights posted a 3-3-0 ledger while playing this past spring. They were recently picked to finish second in the PSAC West in the coaches' preseason poll and ranked 17th in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.

The two teams met a year ago at Tiffin in an exhibition game, with the Dragons posting a 1-0 victory. They have met only one time in a game that counted, with Gannon prevailing 3-2 in 2007.
Redshirt junior midfielder Sergio Del Castillo (Madrid, Spain) is Gannon's top returning scorer. The 2019 PSAC West Freshman of the Year and a second team All-PSAC West selection, Del Castillo finished second on the team in scoring in 2019 with 9 goals and 6 assists for 24 points. He added a team-leading 8 goals and an assist for 17 points this past spring.

The midfield will be bolstered by the addition of Lucas Oliveria (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Gama e Souza).  Joe Knox (Gold Coast, Australia/The Southport School), a redshirt senior, will see time in the midfield and at forward. He finished with 6 goals and 3 assists for 15 points in 15 matches in 2019.  Lennox Crews (Offenbach, Germany/Leibnizschule) is a second returning All-PSAC performer, earning second team honors in 2019.  The redshirt junior contributed 3 goals and 3 assists for 9 points in the spring after scoring 5 goals with 3 assists for 13 points in 2019.  Crews will be part of an improved back line.
 
Gannon has several options in goal. Maximiliano Rocco (Buenos Aires, Argentina) joins the Golden Knights from Francis Marion, where he set a school record with 11 shutouts in 2019. Returnees include David Weber (Sevelen, Switzerland / Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium Vaduz) and David Syntelien (Gjovik, Norway / Gjovik Vinderegaende), a pair of redshirt sophomores. They split time in the spring, with Weber playing 330 minutes and Syntelien 226.

Tiffin returns three All-GMAC performers from the spring. Juan Rosique, a junior midfielder, was a second team All-GMAC choice after leading the Dragons with 9 goals and 4 assists for 22 points. Sophomore midfielder Caleb Gibbons added 6 goals and 3 assists for 15 points while also earning second team All-GMAC accolades. Aaron McCready, a senior defender, was a third team selection.
Head coach Rudy Brownell will choose from Declan Lehman and Dylan Morris in goal. Lehman was in goal in the spring, posting a 7-3-0 record with a 1.55 GAA. Morris started all 21 matches in 2019, posting four shutouts with a 0.72 GAA.
 
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Players Mentioned

Lennox Crews

#22 Lennox Crews

D
5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
Sergio Del Castillo

#17 Sergio Del Castillo

M
5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Joe Knox

#9 Joe Knox

M/F
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
International Management
Lucas Oliveria

#23 Lucas Oliveria

M
5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
David Synstelien

#20 David Synstelien

GK
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Maximiliano Rocco

#73 Maximiliano Rocco

GK
6' 2"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Lennox Crews

#22 Lennox Crews

5' 10"
Redshirt Junior
D
Sergio Del Castillo

#17 Sergio Del Castillo

5' 11"
Redshirt Junior
M
Joe Knox

#9 Joe Knox

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
International Management
M/F
Lucas Oliveria

#23 Lucas Oliveria

5' 8"
Redshirt Senior
M
David Synstelien

#20 David Synstelien

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
GK
Maximiliano Rocco

#73 Maximiliano Rocco

6' 2"
Graduate Student
GK