8/21/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The dawning of a new era in Lackawanna College athletics will begin on the soccer pitch this evening, as Lackawanna College men's soccer starts Falcons athletics off for the 2026 season, taking on Marywood University in a scrimmage in Dunmore at 6:00pm ET on the newly renovated and upgraded Pacers Field.
 
The scrimmage marks the first varsity athletics competition for Lackawanna College as a four-year institution. It also marks the debut of head men's soccer coach Will Flannery, hired in February to take the reins for the men's soccer program.
 
Flannery came to the Falcons after spending a season as an assistant at Lehigh University, where he helped guide the NCAA Division I Mountain Hawks to the Patriot League championship game and mentored six all-conference selections. Before that, Flannery spent seven years at Dickinson College in Division III, where he a three-year team captain as a player before being immediately elevated to top assistant. He helped bring about unprecedented success to the Devils' program, making an NCAA Elite 8 for the first time in program history and finishing 2024 with a #6 national ranking.
 
In the six months he's been in charge in Scranton, Flannery has re-energized the Lackawanna program with a strong professional work ethic that emphasizes accountability and culture, and the Falcons will field a team with young, talented players at nearly all positions.
 
Up top, Lackawanna has what coach Flannery believes to be the deepest and most competitive positional group. The Falcons have several center forwards that all provide something different for the Falcons in attack, while also boasting several wide forwards with the speed and dynamic abilities to break down defenders.
 
In the midfield, the Falcons have a mix of youth and experience, hoping to lean on some of their older players to provide that stability, while watching the younger players grow and blossom into capable contributors. Coach Flannery sees the big key to this group's success being their ability to build connections with each other and play with cohesion. The Falcons have plenty of options, but finding the right combination will be an important piece to unlocking their success.
 
At the back, it's a similar situation, with some upperclassmen providing much-needed strength and coolness under pressure, while a group of younger first-year players who will compete for the other roles. The Falcons will back up that defense with four different goalkeepers competing for the #1 spot. Two keepers are transfers with collegiate experience, while the other two are facing the rigors and demands of collegiate athletics for the first time.
 
Coach Flannery pointed at his three captains for this year's squad as players to pay attention to this year:
 

• Midfielder Cristian Lopez-Contreras (Chambersburg, PA) comes to Lackawanna after spending two seasons with Harford CC at the NJCAA Division I level. Lopez-Contreras was named as a second team NJCAA All-American last year, scoring 15 goals and totaling seven assists to lead the Fighting Owls. In two years in Bel Air, he had 23 goals and ten assists. Coach Flannery says Cristian is the epitome of a leader by example through his fitness, work ethic, and output on the field.

 

• Center Back Byron McNeil (Springfield, IL) comes to Lackawanna after spending two seasons at NCAA Division III Blackburn College. McNeil is a 6-foot-5 defender who spent two seasons competing at the back for the Beavers, but he also was a two-sport athlete, competing in track & field in the spring. He set a school-record in the triple jump (13.51 meters) and was on the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Coach Flannery says that Byron has the physical components to compete at the Division II level, and he blends vocal leadership with leading by example through positivity, intensity, and compassion for his teammates.

 

• Defender Austin Haywood (Catonsville, MD) is a transfer from NCAA Division III Westminster College, where he had one goal in two years as a defender for the Titans. According to coach Flannery, Haywood is a versatile player who possesses outstanding vocal leadership skills, a great soccer IQ, and he commands the respect of the group through actions and accountability.

 
The keys to success for coach Flannery and company will come down to establishing standards and expectations, while also ensuring the program adheres to its core values to lay the foundation for the future.
 
"Players and staff alike are beyond excited for this incredibly unique opportunity," said coach Flannery, "We will look to embrace every single practice & match as a chance to move the program forward and build a culture of winning."
 
As Lackawanna College begins its transformational journey from a two-year competition model to a four-year one, the institution has begun its application for membership with the NCAA Division II, and its association with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), ending nearly 70 years of competition as a two-year institution in the NJCAA.
 
Lackawanna College has been placed in the conference schedules for the 2026-2027 season and will compete against PSAC schools this year, helping fill out a significant portion of the schedule and giving Lackawanna College student-athletes a chance to compete against Division II competition, right away.
 
The men's soccer schedule has a pair of scrimmages, starting with a "road" scrum at Division III Marywood on Friday, August 21^st. The Falcons have a home scrimmage set for Monday, August 24^th, with Division II Caldwell at 3:30pm ET at Schautz Stadium, before kicking off the season for real on Thursday, August 27^th, with a home opener against Chestnut Hill College.
 
After a few "non-con" games against non-PSAC opponents, the Falcons hop into their first-ever PSAC contest on Wednesday, September 9^th, with a 7:00pm ET clash at East Stroudsburg University. Their first home PSAC contest comes three days later when Millersville comes to town on Saturday, September 12^th, at 1:00pm ET.
 
The final home game is set for Wednesday, November 4^th, when Lackawanna will host Bryant & Stratton (NY) at 6:00pm ET. Every regular season home contest will be played at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore and will have a livestream available for free at lackawannafalcons.com/LIVE.
 
Lackawanna College will also be competing for this season only in the United Small College Athletic Association (USCAA) in both men's and women's soccer, which can provide the Falcons with an opportunity this year to compete for postseason glory, should they qualify.