BY: SEAN WALLACE; SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Photo Courtesy of gobonnies.com
After a scoreless draw against Davidson, the St. Bonaventure men’s soccer team enter the last half of the season, with six of eight games coming against Atlantic 10 opponents.
The Bonnies sit 12th in the A-10 and possess a conference record of 0-1-1. The standings remain unsettled, with all 13 teams set to play at least six conference matches.
Since 2017, the Bonnies have not finished higher than 11th place in the conference. Their most recent A-10 playoff appearance ended with a 4-1 loss to VCU.
The team continues its first season without Kwame Oduro, who resigned after ten seasons as the Bonnies’ head coach to become an assistant coach for Oregon State University’s women’s soccer team.
Mick Giordano, first year Bonnies’ head coach, spent the last five seasons as UNC Asheville’s men’s soccer head coach.
For the first time in the school’s Division I era, he coached the Bulldogs to back-to-back winning seasons and Big South Tournament berths.
The Bulldogs recorded the fifth biggest win differential in Division I from 2022 to 2023.
Senior forward Zach McBennett weighed in on the transition to Giordano and differences compared to previous years.
“In terms of the shift, it’s been smooth, and a lot of the returners have embraced the change,” said McBennett. “We feel a stronger belief than in previous years that we can be successful. It feels like we are in a professional environment when it comes to the preparation, which sets us up for success.”
Junior goalkeeper Alex Ohmart spoke on the positive culture Giordano brings.
“The transition to Giordano has been extremely easy, I think they couldn’t have chosen a better option for the job,” said Ohmart. “Mick has changed all of our lives in the short time he has been here and is really impacting the program in the best way possible.”
Senior midfielder Dean Mercer touched on how Giordano treats every athlete as more than just a player.
“It doesn’t matter where you fit on the team, he treats everyone the same and makes you feel like he cares about you as a human too,” said Mercer. “I’m upset I only get one year with him, he’s given me a lot of confidence as a player and really made the game fun again. The locker room and team culture is completely different than years prior, there’s a lot more belief and confidence within the group.”
Following Giordano to Bonaventure, Seth Hammond, a graduate transfer from UNC Asheville, leads the team in scoring this season with nine points on four goals and an assist.
Part of the Bulldogs’ most successful senior class in program history, Hammond made thirty starts and finished second on the team with 16 points on seven goals and two assists in 2024.
Junior midfielder transfer Kyle Macfarlane ranks second among the team in scoring with seven points on three goals and an assist.
Tallying 25 points on seven goals and 11 assists in 12 starts, Macfarlane made 2024 All-Mountain Valley First Team, All-Region First Team and NJCAA First Team last season at Herkimer College.
The Bonnies’ next game will be 6:00 p.m. Sept. 27 against George Washington at the Marra Athletics Field Complex.
