TEANECK, N.J. - FDU men's soccer returns a core group of players from last season's NEC tournament semifinal team, accompanied by some young and vibrant talent under head coach Seth Roland who enters his 26th season in Teaneck this fall.

"I'm excited to get the season started and to compete against some very good teams," commented the Knights' legendary gaffer. "We have a solid group of guys who've been working hard and seem to have a good mentality, but time will tell as we navigate our way through a challenging schedule. We have good upper class leadership and experience and I think we have the potential to be dynamic in attack and solid defensively, but we will certainly confirm if that's true in the coming weeks."

In 2021 - the fall season that is - the Burgundy and Blue posted a record of 8-7-3 (.528) and a 6-1-2 mark in the Northeast Conference, including a unbeaten streak of six matches in league play. FDU finished fourth in the 10-team NEC table but look to use the team's experience, coming by way of three fifth-year graduate student-athletes, to their advantage this fall. Welcoming 17 newcomers, Roland's Knights return 16 student-athletes from last year's side, including the reigning NEC Rookie of the Year, junior forward Tony Gomez.

The Knights began the year 2-3 in non-conference play, recording their first victory of the fall on Aug. 30 in a thrilling 1-0 victory against Army in West Point, N.Y. After the win over the Black Knights, the nine-time NEC champions struggled heading into league play, though once FDU hit the pitch in conference play, it was a whole different ballgame.

Below, we break down the 2022 Knights by position and take a look at what lies ahead for the future Hall of Famer Roland and the 2022 FDU men's soccer team.
 

Attack

Offensively, FDU returns 40 percent (13 of 33) of their goals scored with Gomez and fellow junior, attacking defender Hugo Bacharach, the top returning goal scorers leading the charge with each tallying three goals a piece last campaign. The NEC Rookie of the Year played in all but four matches his inaugural campaign and is the Knights' leading returner in shots on target, tied at 11 with midfielder senior Jordan Alonge who returns to FDU for his third season at University Stadium.

Also poised to make an impact again this season is 2021 NEC All-Rookie Team honoree Kevin Leonhard, the sophomore forward from Jefferson, N.J. One of three Knights to garner a slot on the team last season, Leonhard - the NEC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 19 - earned eight starts in 15 caps for the Knights in his freshman season, tallying two goals and four assists, with half of his shots coming on target (7).  Graduate student Joshua Ferreira also helps shore up the attack with the Georgetown, Guyana native placing two scores - one goal a piece - in each of his first two matches last season.
 

Midfield

In the midfield, FDU sits with a group of returners led by Fallou Tounkara, the Dakar, Sengeal native who returns to the (201) for his fifth season in the Burgundy and Blue. One of this year's two captains alongside Bacharach, Tounkara looks to help set the pace with his steady play and ability to help lead his teammates, qualities which caught the attention of the NEC coaches, resulting in a spot on the Second Team All-NEC last season. Tounkara is joined by Alonge in the middle - a London, England product who made his presence known on the pitch last season. A First Team All-NEC and United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Northeast Region honoree, Alonge looks to build on last year's success including one goal, one assist, 11 shots on target in 1,247 minutes played.
 

Defense

On defense, FDU returns both of their All-NEC honorees from last season in two players from Spain with Bacharach and Alberto Herranz making their return to the field at University Stadium. Bacharach returns to FDU after a trip to the USL League 2 semifinal with the Flint City Bucks. Bacharach scored the game-winning penalty kick after the quarterfinal was level after extra time. One of the Knights' three returners with game-winning goals, Bacharach cleaned up the honors last season, culminating in a spot on the First Team All-NEC. His fellow countryman Herranz was the only Knight last season to play in all 18 games, racking up 1,553 minutes - starting all but one of those fixtures.
 

Goalkeepers

Senior Spencer King is the lone returner in goal for the Burgundy and Blue and the Knights' starter is ready for action. Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, King finished with a record of 6-4-2 with four shutouts and a goals allowed average of just 1.38 in 13 starts for FDU. He'll by joined by three newcomers in David Bejarano, Juan Martín Barahona and Luca Misko - collectively making up the Knights' quartet of goalies.

FDU men's soccer opens the 2022 campaign at Lafayette on Thursday, August 25 at 7 p.m. live on ESPN+.

Connect with the Knights on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsMSOC.