FLUSHING, N.Y. – There is unfinished business as the 2025 Queens College men's soccer season kicks off Thursday evening in Flushing.
 
Coming off a remarkable 2024 campaign, head coach Frank Vertullo and the Knights compiled an 11-5-2 overall record, including an undefeated 7-0-1 mark in East Coast Conference (ECC) play. Their efforts earned the program its first-ever ECC regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the postseason tournament. It also marked the third consecutive season the Knights reached double-digit wins under Vertullo's leadership.

ECC Coaches Preseason Poll

In the 2025 ECC Preseason Coaches Poll, Queens is tabbed as the favorite to repeat, receiving eight of nine first-place votes and finishing with 80 total points. Full ECC Story
 
Alongside being named the preseason favorites, the Knights also swept the ECC Preseason Player of the Year honors. Senior forward and All-American Harry Cooke (Market Drayton, England) was voted unanimously as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while redshirt-sophomore Thanasis Shehadeh (Nicosia, Cyprus), the reigning ECC Goalkeeper of the Year and All-Region honoree was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year

2025 Roster Outlook

Aiming to reclaim the ECC Championship and secure their third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, Coach Vertullo and his staff have retooled the 2025 roster in preparation for another successful season. The squad features 31 student-athletes, including 18 returning players and 13 newcomers. The roster is evenly distributed with eight freshmen, seven sophomores, eight juniors, and eight seniors.
 
The 2025 season promises to be a record-chasing year for Cooke. After an outstanding All-American campaign in 2024, Cooke aims to finish his collegiate career in style. The English striker started all 18 matches last season, recording 23 goals and seven assists for a total of 53 points, including eight game-winning goals. He set single-season program records for points, goals, and game-winning goals. Entering 2025, Cooke ranks second all-time in career points with 79—just 14 shy of the program record—and second in career goals with 33, eight goals behind the leader. He is also fourth in career assists, eight assists away from the top mark. His 12 career game-winning goals are already the most in program history, and he looks to extend that record this season.
 
Shehadeh seized the starting role midway through last season and never looked back. He earned ECC Goalkeeper of the Year honors, was named to the All-ECC First Team, and earned D2CCA All-East Second Team recognition. His nine wins rank fifth all-time in program history, while his eight shutouts place him third on the all-time list. In single-season records, his nine wins are tied for third, 36 saves rank 11th, and his eight shutouts remain the program's single-season record.
 
Alongside Cooke and Shehadeh, who both earned postseason accolades, the Knights are strengthened by returning All-ECC honorees in senior midfielder Kevin Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), senior defender Eyob Gaffigan (Walkersville, MD), junior forward Miguel Soto Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain), and sophomore midfielder Bastian Engeli (Bergen, Norway).
 
Johnson, coming off a career year that earned him All-ECC First Team and D2CCA Second Team honors, will once again serve as the midfield general. He started 17 matches last season, contributing three goals, one assist, seven points overall, and one game-winning goal.

Soto Gonzalez made an immediate impact in his first season in Flushing, tallying eight goals and five assists for 21 points, earning All-ECC Second Team honors.

Engeli enjoyed a strong rookie season, starting all 18 matches and recording one goal and four assists for six points, playing a key role alongside Johnson in controlling the midfield.

Senior defender Gaffigan was a cornerstone of the defense, helping the Knights achieve eight shutouts. He also contributed offensively with one goal, three assists, five points, and one game-winning goal, logging 1,207 minutes on the field.
 
Other returners for the Knights include senior defender Andreas Charalambous (Limassol, Cyprus), senior forward David Oprea (Oslo, Norway), senior forward David Akpan (Brentwood, N.Y.), senior forward Arvin Pereira (Westbury, N.Y.), redshirt-junior forward Tommy Gunn (Buenos Aires, Argentina), junior defender Zach Fawaz (Dix Hills, N.Y.), junior forward Jason Udo (Bronx, N.Y.), redshirt-junior defender Tommy Wagner (East Northport, N.Y.), junior midfielder Andrew Johnson (Oakdale, N.Y.), sophomore midfielder Kleverson Bolanos (Kew Gardens, N.Y.), redshirt-sophomore Ryan Harding (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), and redshirt-sophomore Aiden Friel (Bohemia, N.Y.), all of whom add valuable depth and experience to the roster.
 
The Knights have bolstered their roster with experienced transfer additions expected to make an immediate impact in graduate forward Cillian Heaney (Westport, Ireland) from Union University, junior defender Loic Stephane (Bafoussam, Cameroon), redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Zach Bittner (Middletown, DE) from Hofstra University, sophomore defender Noah Gronvold Roe (Asker, Norway) from West Virginia Wesleyan University.
 
A total of eight freshmen in forward Bradyn Brown (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), midfielder Andy Kasza (Queens Village, N.Y.), midfielder David Adaus (Constanta, Romania), midfielder Thomas Silva (Manhattan, N.Y.), and midfielder Ziyad Fawaz (Dix Hills, N.Y.), defender Carlos Villa (Medellin, Colombia), defender Kasper Schie (Kristiansand, Norway), and goalkeeper Jack Sanchez Suraez (Brooklyn, N.Y.), will be vying for playing time this season, seeking to gain valuable experience under the guidance of seasoned upperclassmen.

Week One Match Day Preview

Match One: vs. Holy Family University Tigers
W-L-T History: 6-2-1

• The Tigers posted a record of 6-9-3 in 2024.
• The Knights match up against the Tigers for the fifth straight season and second straight season in Flushing. Last season, Queens earned a 4-0 victory led by Gaffigan's game-winning goal before the trio of Johnson, Soto Gonzalez, and Cooke added insurance goals for the shutout victory.

Match Two: vs. Saint Anselm College Hawks
W-L-T History: 4-4-1

• The Hawks compiled a record of 3-9-4 in 2024.
• It will be the first meeting against the Hawks since the 2018 season, which saw Vertullo's squad earn a 2-0 victory at home.

Week Two Outlook

Continuing the homestand, the Knights welcome the Dominican University of New York Chargers to town on Wednesday, September 10. Kick off is set for 7 p.m.

For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), and Instagram (qcknightsny), men's soccer (qcmsoccer).