Story written (with help from Kyle Yelin, Fisher College Head Men's Soccer Coach) and posted by Anthony Perry '08, Fisher College Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information
BOSTON, MASS. – The Fisher College Men's Soccer program is excited to kick off another campaign this 2021 season, after missing out last fall due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Head Coach Kyle Yelin is entering his third year at the helm of the program. In his first, and only season of record, the Falcons finished the 2019 fall with a program best 10-5-2 mark and narrowly missed out on an invitation to the conference tournament. With a strong returning core and a talented incoming class, the Falcons will look to build off the success two years ago and put forth a solid effort with their sights set on the Continental Athletic Conference tournament down in Georgia over the second weekend in November.
Senior captain Peter Ruiz (Santa Barbara, Calif.) leads the core of returners this fall. A 2019 transfer from Santa Barbara Community College, Ruiz will anchor the team as the center attacking midfielder. "I am excited to get going with returning and new teammates, and looking forward to a normal year post-pandemic." said Ruiz. "I've been working hard for this opportunity since 2019 and I am excited to get back into the season with my team as we strive to achieve a lot together."
Solidifying the defense will be senior goalkeeper Rafael Fabra (Sao Paulo, Brazil). The 6-4 international keeper is a 2020 transfer from Illinois Community College and has worked extremely hard on improving his command and leadership, which be on full display this fall. Helping Fabra on the defensive unit are returners seniors Joel Bailey (Derrider, La.), Joaquin Tenes (Madrid, Spain), junior Zach Prestigiovanni (Medford, Mass.) and sophomore Carlos Egipciaco (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico). Senior Addison Hackett (Canaan, Trinidad & Tobago) will also be a solid contributor on the Falcon defensive unit as all five will work as one unit in front of Fabra as they keep attacking opponents outside the 18'.
Leading the attacking unit for the Falcons along with Ruiz will be senior midfielder Andres Caceres (Bogota, Colombia) and junior Christian Millian (El Paso, Texas). Caceres will be making his Falcon debut this fall while Millian has 16 career games with the blue-and-white. Senior Federico Banuelos (Mexico City, Mexico) and sophomore Javier Garcia (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) are two dynamic forwards who joined the flock last year and are primed to showcase their talents this fall. Also looking to make an impact on the pitch in 2021 are returning sophomores Juan Pablo Villalobos (El Paso, Texas) and Oliver Saindrin (Port au Prince, Haiti).
The Men's Soccer program welcomes several newcomers this season as two arrive on Beacon Street with prior collegiate experience. Junior Akil Frank (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) makes the short trip across the Charles River after finishing his two-year stint at Bunker Hill Community College. Lorenzo Brugiati (Ascoli, Italy) is a junior international forward from Northeastern Junior College. Freshman Mario Iglesias (San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a true-freshman from Puerto Rico and will provide depth at the forward position along with freshman transfer Elijah Elliot (Boston, Mass.), who makes the trip up 93 from UMass-Boston.
The 2021 Men's Soccer season is slated to start on Wednesday, September 1st. The Falcons will travel out to Westfield State University, where Head Coach Yelin played 67 games over his four-year career (2008-11) for the Owls. Game time is set for 7pm with both live stats and video available on FisherFalcons.com, courtesy of Westfield State Athletic Communications.