9/9/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Lackawanna College men's soccer will be the first athletics squad to make the short jaunt to the Poconos for a real, live game, as the Falcons travel to take on PSAC opponent East Stroudsburg University in an NCAA men's soccer contest on Wednesday, September 9^th. Kick is set for 7:00pm ET at ESU's Eiler-Martin Stadium in East Stroudsburg.
 
The Falcons
Lackawanna (0-2-1) was last in action this past Saturday, in a tight 2-1 loss to Berkeley (NJ) at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore. The Falcons drew even with the Knights in the second half on a headed goal from Aydin Boyunegmez (Millville, PA) in the 56^th minute, but went down to ten men eight minutes later, and then gave up the go-ahead goal in the 76^th minute. You can read the full recap HERE.
 
Cristian Lopez-Contreras (Guatemala) had three shots, two on target, and had the assist on the Boyunegmez goal. Brayden D'Aiello (Boyertown, PA) and Byron McNeil (Springfield, IL) added shots for the Falcons.
 
Lackawanna College is coached by Will Flannery, in his first season at the helm and who took over the program in February earlier this calendar year.
 
In seven months, Flannery has re-energized the squad with a strong professional work ethic that emphasizes accountability and team culture, and the Falcons will field a team with young, talented players at nearly all positions.
 
There isn't much returning from last year's team, in terms of production, but multiple transfers have experience on the collegiate level elsewhere, including Lopez-Contreras, who was a second-team NJCAA All-American last year at Harford CC, where he scored 15 goals and had seven assists for the Fighting Owls. The Falcons hope to pair his talent with speedy wingers on the edge and center forwards up front.
 
So far this season, Boyunegmez and forward Miguel Pereira (Revere, MA) are the players with goals this year, while Lopez-Contreras has a pair of assists. Lopez-Contreras leads the Falcons with nine shots, five on target, while Pereira is second on the team with four shots, tied with Wisdom Afrani (Accra, Ghana) and D'Aiello.
 
Kevin Nievas (West Palm Beach, FL) is the starting keeper, allowing four goals in three games, with a 1.6 goals against average and posting three saves.
 
The Warriors
ESU (2-3-0) enters the contest having just played on Tuesday afternoon, away at Wilmington University. The game saw 34 shots between the two sides, and just ten on target, but Wilmington's goal in the 47^th minute was the one that stuck, as the Wildcats hung on for the win. East Stroudsburg ramped up the pressure, posting all eight of their corners in the second half, but the Warriors couldn't find the equalizer. Owen Rennie and Jeter Cardona each had three shots, with Cardona posting a pair of shots on target. Keeper Phil Sykes had four saves.
 
Steven Arias leads East Stroudsburg this season with three goals in five games. Arias had both goals in the win against Jefferson. Cardona is second on the team with a goal and two assists. Sykes has appeared in all five games, starting in four of them, posting 22 saves. He has a pair of clean sheets, coming against Mercy and Jefferson. He posted his season-high of six saves in the loss to Queens (NY).
 
This year is a year the Warriors are hoping gets them into the playoff-chase for the PSAC. Last year, ESU won nine games, its most since 2019, but the Warriors were still on the outside-looking-in for the PSAC playoffs. An expanded playoff means that ESU, which finished fourth the last two seasons in the PSAC East and was picked to finish fourth in the division again in 2026, would qualify for a playoff spot if the Warriors finished there.
 
Tom Mustac is the head coach for ESU, entering his fourth season in 2026. He is 27-17-13 in his time with the Warriors, and he's picked up at least eight wins in each of his first three seasons, while coaching 18 All-PSAC student-athletes in his time. Mustac is an ESU alum, graduating as a three-time All-PSAC forward with the Warriors and registering 41 goals in his three years of playing time, tied for sixth all-time in ESU history. He was also a member of the 2000 squad that went to the NCAA DII Final Four. Mustac served as an assistant with ESU from 2009 to 2014, and was most recently Keystone Athletics Director of Coaching before coming back to lead the program.
 
Game Details
Lackawanna College (0-2-1) at East Stroudsburg (2-3-0)
Wednesday 9/9, 7:00pm ET; Eiler-Martin Stadium (1260 Centre Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301)
 
Live Video: https://esuwarriors.com/sports/2022/12/19/watch-the-warriors.aspx
Live Stats: https://esuwarriors.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
 
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Next up, Lackawanna College returns home for a clash against PSAC opponent Millersville University in an NCAA men's soccer contest at Schautz Stadium in Dunmore on Saturday, September 12^th. Kickoff is set for 1:00pm ET.