BOSTON – In preparation for its 74th campaign, the Boston University men’s soccer team opened preseason training with eight newcomers Tuesday morning at Nickerson Field.
Mirroring BU’s diverse student body, the group features two Terriers from outside the U.S. with the rest hailing from six different states. Six of them are freshmen, including 2021-22 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year Quin DeLaMater, while the other two, Neal Carlson (SMU) and Daniel Kim (La Salle), are both transfers.
In total, head coach Kevin Nylen has 29 men on the roster for his second August preseason and will look to build off last year’s strong finish in which the team ended 3-1-2 with the offense earning multiple goals in four of the contests, including identical 3-1 decisions over in-state rivals Northeastern and Holy Cross.
“As you experience years and years of coaching, it’s always a great time to come back,” said Nylen. “The guys reported in yesterday and then got on the field today. You see the excitement in the their eyes. You sometimes see the nervousness, but for us to be back and looking forward to the 2022 season, it’s been a great feeling for all of us, from every player to staff.
“For all of the new guys, this is a time for them to get acclimated and for our older guys to bring them in and make sure everything is as smooth as can be from move-in to housing to dining to getting around campus,” Nylen added. “I’m really happy for the new guys to be here and what they’re going to bring in their BU careers. I’m also excited in terms of how the older guys continue to lead and bring them along for us to continue to cultivate our team.”
Giuseppe Bagnato
5-10 | Freshman Defender | Brooklyn, N.Y. | Xaverian
Competed overseas at FC Pro Vercelli, a third division team in Italy, his senior year … Helped club Metropolitan Oval reach the MLS Next playoffs his junior year … Named team captain at Xaverian H.S. as a sophomore and finished season as the team’s leading scorer … Reached the DA playoffs as a freshman.
Neal Carlson
5-10 | Sophomore Defender | Birmingham, Ala. | McCallie (Tenn.) | SMU
Transferred to BU after spending his freshman season at SMU, where he earned AAC All-Academic Team honors (3.00+ GPA for academic year) … Previously served as a captain for the Chattanooga Red Wolves’ U19 team and was one of the two players selected to train with Chattanooga FC (USL) during his club years… A two-year letterwinner at McCallie H.S. in Chattanooga, where he scored 11 goals and tallied 16 assists in two seasons … Earned two All-District, All-Region and All-State recognition for his efforts … Helped his team to a No. 7 national ranking and State Championship in 2019 and State semifinal finish in 2021.
Quin DeLaMater
6-2 | Freshman Defender | Marietta, Ga. | Hillgrove
Named 2021-22 Gatorade Georgia Boys Soccer Player of the Year after tallying 12 goals and five assists while helping Hillgrove H.S. reach the Class 7A state semifinals … Also earned GeorgiaHighSchoolSoccer.com Class 7A Player of the Year accolades … The three-time Region 3-7A and two-time All-State honoree finished his prep soccer career with 19 combined goals as a defender … Competed with the club Concorde Fire.
Santi Hernandez
5-8 | Freshman Midfielder | Tampa, Fla. | Alonso
Joined the Terriers in the spring of 2022 after serving as team captain his senior year of high school with Tampa Bay United … Helped lead the club to the MLS Next Playoffs … First served as captain as a sophomore and finished in the top three in the east region in the development academy.
Daniel Kim
5-9 | Sophomore Midfielder | Toronto, Ont. | Earl Haig Secondary School | La Salle
Transferred to BU after spending a year at La Salle … Appeared in 11 games and started three contests … Scored a goal at both LIU Brooklyn and NJIT to finish with four points alongside 10 shot attempts … Attended Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto and played for Woodbridge SC … Served as varsity captain for Earl Haig as a junior and the JV captain both his sophomore and freshman years … Helped school win TDSSAA Regional title and reach the TDSSAA Indoor City Finals in 2019 … Tallied nine goals and 15 assists during the 2018-19 OPDL season … Won the TDSSAA City Championship as a sophomore.
Ryan Lau
6-1 | Freshman Defender | Ambler, Pa. | YSC Academy
Played for the FC Delco U19 team that competed in MLS Next Cup as a senior … Helped the Philadelphia U17 team earn a No. 1 ranking in the country and reach the round of 16 in the MLS Next Cup his junior year … Went undefeated in the 19-20 DA Cup and regular season as a sophomore … Played with the Union U15 team that made the GA Cup finals and Developmental Academy playoffs his freshman year.
Diego Rived
5-11 | Freshman Forward | Zaragoza, Spain | Doral Academy (Fla.)
Trained with Miami FC’s First Team and selected to participate in the MLS Next U19 All-Star game his senior year … Trialed for FC Cincinnati as a junior … Two-time team captain for Doral Soccer Club … Also played for Doral Academy his freshman and sophomore years, earning All-Miami Dade Second Team honors his sophomore season.
John Roman
6-4 | Freshman Defender | Brainbridge Island, Washington | Bainbridge
A four-year team captain for Seattle United and two-time team captain at Bainbridge H.S. … Named Olympic League MVP his senior year … Helped club finish second in the state tournament as a sophomore … Earned All-Metro League Second Team honors as a freshman.
