Men's Soccer | 11/12/2025 9:50:00 AM

Thursday, November 13 | LIU | Loretto, Pa. | Stokes Soccerplex | 1 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

OPENING PITCH VS LIU
Saint Francis men's soccer is set to host LIU Thursday at 1 p.m., at Stokes Soccerplex for the semifinal match of the NEC tournament. The last time the Red Flash met with the Sharks was on October 5.

THE WORD ON THE SHARKS
LIU enters Thursday's match as the third seed. Its record overall is 8-2-7 and 5-1-3 during the NEC regular season. Within LIU's last three matchups, the Sharks went 2-0-1. The Sharks defeats Stonehill 1-0, defeated Chicago State on 3-0, and ended in a 0-0 stalemate with New Haven. 

Following the regular season, Niklas Thanhofer leads LIU in goals with seven, Jack Stainrod follows with three, and five other Sharks each have two goals. Defensively, goalkeeper Andrew Marotta has 36 saves with four shutouts, and Alex Bobocea has 30 saves with four shutouts as well. Together the two goalkeepers have 66 saves and allowed 14 goals, four being from the last matchup with the Red Flash.

LAST TIME WE MET
Saint Francis men's soccer matched up with LIU October 5 with a 4-3 home win during the NEC regular season at Stokes Soccerplex.

The Red Flash exploded for three goals in the first half, with Alex De Nittis, Thero Mitchell III, and Jonah Wolf all finding the back of the net. Mika Wernicke added the game-winner late in the second half, his first Red Flash goal, to seal the victory. 

De Nittis finished with a goal and an assist, while Nathan Katari recorded his first collegiate point. Goalkeeper, Diego Garciarena, made two key saves to preserve the lead and secure Saint Francis' third straight win.

NEXT TIME OUT 
If Saint Francis men's soccer wins on Thursday, they will compete against the winner of FDU and Le Moyne. Regardless the match will be played on Sunday, location and time are to be determined. 

LAST TIME OUT 
The Red Flash held possession the majority of the first half out shooting the Blue Devils 5-1. Mitchell III gave Saint Francis two great opportunities to put one between the posts during the first half: One with a defender on missing just wide left of the goal, and the other as a high kick from a Connor O'Keefe header. Following the first 45 minutes, both teams were scoreless, but the Red Flash had the momentum on its side after holding control of the ball the first half.

To start the second half, Volkan Celikkol put the pressure on the defense dribbling the ball into the box, sending a cross towards the goal for Harry Elmore before missing just wide. Seven shots were taken on goal before one hit the back of the net for Saint Francis. Mitchell III started the two goal frenzy but chipping the ball over and past the CCSU's goalkeeper giving himself an advantage on goal and putting it between the posts. Thirty seconds later, Wolf put one in for a the 2-0 go-ahead off the Mitchell III assist from the far right back corner of the box. The Red Flash finished the half with a 2-0 shutout win over CCSU.

NEC HONORS
Freshman, Harry Elmore, and senior, Garciarena, were recognized the week Oct. 27th at Rookie of the Week and Player of the Week. Elmore earned his first collegiate honor after scoring the game-winning goal—and his first collegiate goal—in the second minute of the match. The decisive strike came on a brilliant team counterattack initiated by Julian Quiroga, with Thero Mitchell III finding Elmore on the run for a composed finish inside the box. The freshman nearly doubled the Red Flash lead midway through the first half with a deflected shot that narrowly missed the crossbar, continuing to make an impact in his debut campaign. Garciarena was sensational in goal, setting a new career high with 13 saves to record his third shutout of the season and help the Red Flash clinch a postseason berth for the fourth-straight year. He made multiple key stops in each half, including a diving save in the 52nd minute and two crucial late-game denials in the 76th and 86th minutes to preserve the 1–0 lead against FDU. Through 10 starts this season, Garciarena has logged 900 minutes in net with 40 saves, three shutouts, and a 1.50 goals-against average, continuing to anchor one of the NEC's top defensive units.

For the week of Oct. 22, three Red Flash standouts, Álvaro Planas, Diego Garciarena, and Alex De Nittis, were recognized as NEC Prime Performers. Planas struck twice in the victory over New Haven, finding the net twice in a two-minute span, and added a shot on goal in the loss at Howard. Through 13 games this season, he has 4 goals, 2 assists, 10 points, 11 shots, and 5 shots on goal. This marks his third career NEC Prime Performer honor and his second of the 2025 season. 

De Nittis recorded a career-best five points in the 5–1 win over New Haven, scoring twice and adding an assist. His performance capped a three-match scoring streak that ended at Howard, where he still produced four shots, including one on goal. De Nittis currently leads the NEC in points per game (1.43) and ranks second in game-winning goals with two. Over seven appearances this season, he has scored against LIU, Chicago State, and New Haven, making this his second career NEC Prime Performer selection. 

Saint Francis goalkeeper Diego Garciarena was recognized by the NEC for the week of Oct. 13 following his shutout performance in a 2–0 road win over Chicago State. The junior continues to be a steady presence for the Red Flash, anchoring a defense that has delivered multiple strong outings in recent weeks. 

Freshman forward Thero Mitchell III was named NEC Co-Player of the Week, Rookie of the Week, and a Prime Performer for the week of Oct. 6. Mitchell has been a key offensive presence for the Red Flash, scoring in back-to-back conference matches to help Saint Francis remain unbeaten in league play through three games. 

Álvaro Planas was recognized as an NEC Prime Performer of the Week on Sept. 29. Planas delivered a clutch performance in Saint Francis' 2–1 road win at Le Moyne, recording the game-winning goal and assisting Red Flash's first score to help secure the conference-opening victory. 

Jonah Wolf was recognized as an NEC Prime Performer of the Week on Sept. 15. Wolf turned in a standout performance in Saint Francis' 3–3 draw at Loyola Maryland, recording his first career goal and adding an assist.  

PRESEASON POLL
Saint Francis men's soccer was picked fifth in the NEC Preseason Poll. Mercyhurst, which won the NEC regular season, and LIU, which won the NEC Tournament, have been selected as co-preseason favorites after LIU earned three first-place votes and Mercyhurst garnered five. FDU picked up the remaining two top votes, while Le Moyne, Saint Francis, Stonehill, New Haven, Howard, Chicago State, and CCSU rounded out the poll. Mercyhurst and New Haven are both ineligible for the postseason. 
 

INTERNATIONAL FLARE
Head coach Mads Kaiser has nine players that have come from outside the United States: Volkan Celikkol (Turkey), Alex De Nittis(Germany), Harry Elmore (England), Alejandro Escobar (Columbia), Diego Garciarena (Paraguay), Álvaro Planas (Spain), Julian Quiroga(Bolivia), Harvey Skurek (England), Mika Wernicke (Germany) and Jonah Wolf (Germany). 

ABOUT THE COACH 
Mads Kaiser begins his third season as the Red Flash men's soccer head coach. In his first season, Saint Francis was the only NCAA Division I team to finish undefeated with a 7-0-8 record and won the NEC regular season. Saint Francis is 14-7-10 overall and 10-2-3 in NEC play. The Red Flash hosted an NEC Semifinals Game in his first two years. He was an assistant in Loretto for two seasons prior to his elevation as head coach.