Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Soccer team returns to action for the 2025 season with an immensely talented lineup, which is poised to make a statement within the region and a return to the postseason. The Spartans were selected to finish seventh in the annual East Coast Conference preseason coaches poll released in late August.
In 2024, STAC earned an overall record of 6-8-3 and a 1-4-3 mark in ECC play, going 6-1-2 over the first nine games before dropping seven of their last eight contests to narrowly miss the playoffs.
STAC returns 21 players from a season ago, as Franco Israel (13 GP), Joshua Ashie (13 GP), Christopher Adadevoh (1 GP), Dwyant Suazo (12 GP), Francisco Degiorgi (16 GP, 1 G & 4 A), Uhunoma Fredrick-Ilekhuoba (16 GP & 4 G), Kevon Evans (16 GP, 11 G & 7 A), Zaire Wharton (6 GP), Jerry Tagliavia (17 GP & 1 A), Christian Ferlisi (16 GP), James Ray (13 GP & 1 G), Maziko Jiya (15 GP, 3 G & 1 A), Elias Ait Bouali (16 GP. 1 G & 2 A), Mike Leue (16 GP, 1 G & 3 A), Sebastian Ortega (13 GP & 2 G), Nicolas Pavlou (15 GP & 1 A), Angel Catalan Hernandez (2 GP), Tabor McDaniels (DNP), Adrian Castillo (12 GP), Joel Jaime (7 GP) and Yahir Hernandez (12 GP, 1 G & 4 A) will all make their way back to Sparkill.
A mix of freshman and transfers were brought in to help bolster the Spartans roster and replenish depth at several positions. Dante Muntane (Fr.|GK|Rosario, Argentina), German Ruiz Diaz Pinto (Sr.|B|Asuncion, Paraguay|Faulkner University), Jorge De La Vibora (Jr.|F|Madrid, Spain|Wright State University), Peter Yaro (Jr.|F|Bolgatanga, Ghana|Arizona Western College), Niek de Jong (Sr.|B|Bilthoven, Netherlands|California State University East Bay), Nico Gallegos (Jr.|M|Guayquil, Ecuador|Limestone University), Eitan Zeitoune (Fr.|M|Entre Rios-Parana, Argentina), Santos Guerrero (Fr.|M|Buenos Aires, Argentina), Guilherme Alegria (So.|M|Lisbon, Portugal|Dallas College Richland), Jacques Deschryver (Fr.|B|Oostduinkerke, Belgium), Ryan-Robert Ndje (So.|GK|Paris, France|University of Paris Nanterre), Joaquim Cardoso (Fr.|B|Sao Paulo, Brazil), Samuel Rivas, Jr. (Fr.|M|Farmingdale, N.Y.), Devin Koljenovic (Fr.|B|Orangeburg, N.Y.), Juan Alejandro Monzon Diaz (Jr.|B|Quetzaltenango, Guatemala|William Penn University), Derik Nunn (Fr.|B| Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) and Valay Gandhi (So.|B|Dix Hills, N.Y.).
Head Coach Edison Sanchez Aviles returns to the sideline for his second season leading STAC, with Assistant Coaches Oscar Galvis, Andres Gomez and Patrick McAvoy also returning. Sanchez Aviles welcomes Johan Velez to the staff, as an assistant coach for the 2025 campaign.
St. Thomas Aquinas College will open their new season on the road, visiting No. 19 nationally ranked Southern New Hampshire University on Thursday, September 4, with a 1:00 p.m. scheduled kickoff.
2025 ECC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Queens - 80 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Mercy - 70 points
3. District of Columbia - 51 points
4. Molloy - 48 points
5. D'Youville - 47 points (1 first-place vote)
6. Roberts Wesleyan - 43 points
7. St. Thomas Aquinas - 36 points
8. Staten Island - 18 points
9. Daemen - 12 points