Road Woes Continue: Joshua Kirkland beat keeper Luca Marinelli just 14 minutes into the match, and Richmond Kickers held off a strong second half barrage to defeat WSC 1-0 last Friday night in Virginia, the second straight loss for WSC in league play and the second straight road shutout they suffered, dropping the to 0-3 away from home this season. Richmond outshot WSC 18-14 in the match, with keeper Yann-Alexandre Fillion posting the clean sheet and spoiling the debut in goal of Marinelli, who replaced an injured Andrew Hammersley and turned back five shots.
Saturday will be the fourth WSC road match of the season and in the middle of a stretch of 4 of 5 matches away from Mt. Vernon, with the lone exception being a home match May 15 vs NY Cosmos. WSC finished the ’25 season 2-8-5 on the road, with wins at Madison and Texoma and a 4-4 tie at Richmond, which is the club’s high mark for goals scored on the road. Their last road win was 3-1 at South Georgia on Oct. 3. Since then they are 0-4-1 in league road matches.
Against the Newbies: WSC enters the match with a 2-1 mark against first-year USL League One clubs thus far, with home wins over Corpus Christi (5-1) and Sarasota (2-0) and a 4-0 loss at Boise.
| WSC Becomes a MAAC home: The addition of the two new keepers gives WSC seven players who called the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference home during their collegiate days, a pretty unique stat for a mid-major conference. That includes three players from Sacred Heart and two from Iona, as well as one from Siena and Marist. Close Shaves Still Cut Deep: The one goal loss to Richmond dropped WSC to 0-2 in one goal decisions this season, and continued a pattern for WSC from their inaugural season, when they went 2-14-7 when they entered the second 45 either tied or behind and were 2-11 in one goal w/l decisions. WSC was 2-14-7 when they entered the second 45 either tied or behind. They were 2-11 in one goal w/l decisions, and were blanked five times, three times at home. WSC’s longest winless streak (excluding their 3-0 forfeit win over Spokane on July 16) was a 12 match streak which started after a 2-1 win at Forward Madison on June 18 and ended with a 2-1 win over Texoma on Sept. 21. That stretch included six one goal losses and three ties. McGlynn, Guezen Burst Through: WSC’s early season growth has been fueled by its young players, as both midfielders Conor McGlynn (Middle Village, NY) and Guezen (Amsterdam, Netherlands) continue to emerge as the leaders on the young WSC squad. Guezen was voted Player of the Week presented by Konami eFootball after recording a pair of goals in his side’s victory against Sarasota Paradise on April 8. The Dutch midfielder recorded his first two-goal game for the club against Sarasota, striking twice in the second half to lead his side to a 2-0 win. Guezen’s goal vs Charlotte earlier in the season just 45 seconds into the match was the fastest in club history. Both now have four goals in league games, which are tied for third on the scoring table in the early going, and Guezen is fifth in shots with 15. McGlynn’s pair at home vs Corpus Christi was his first two goal game. Youngest, Fastest and First: The early season has brought WSC some new milestones. Kyle Evans became the youngest goalscorer in club history with his stoppage-time finish against One Knoxville in the opener, notching his first professional goal aged 20 years, 146 days old, surpassing the mark of Ermin Mackic (20 years, 174 days). Andrew Hammersley also notched his first career clean sheet against NY Renegades in US Open Cup play and followed that up with his first in League play against Sarasota on April 8 and Matias Molina had his first career clean sheet at Vermont in Round Two. Rookie Alexi Armas also added to the youth movement, nailing the winning penalty over Portland in USL Cup play. Additional League Leaders; Hammersley’s 20 saves are fifth in the league, while the team is tied amongst overall scoring with 12 goals despite the back to back shutouts. New Faces Making Contributions: Westchester Soccer Club has a decidedly young and local look in 2026 as Head Coach and General Manager George Gjokaj has at least 16 athletes with local roots on the roster. Kyle Evans (Rock Hill, NY/Marist), has started all seven matches thus far, while Maximus Jennings (Montclair, NJ/Georgetown) and Tim Timchenko (Kyiv, Ukraine/Iona), have started all six they have played in, with Daniel Burko (Løvenstad, Norway/Hofstra) and Charlie Dickerson (Norwich, England/Providence) starting six of seven matches, and Aleksei Armas (Floral Park, NY/Hofstra and Adelphi) has played in six USL League One matches thus far.The others: Goalkeepers: Marinelli, Santucci, and Mattias Molina (Rosario, Argentina/Seton Hall), Mo Williams (West Orange, NJ/Notre Dame/Seton Hall), Midfielders: Aiden Borra (Syosset, NY/Sacred Heart and St. John’s), and Miguel Diaz (Brooklyn, NY/St. John’s).The 12 newcomers join 14 returnees on the WSC preseason roster. Amongst the returning players, Goalkeeper Hammersley (Garden City, NY/Sacred Heart), Defender Noah Powder (Edison, NJ), Midfielder McGlynn (Middle Village, NY/Siena College), and Forwards Mackic (Yonkers NY/SUNY Purchase), and Samory Powder (Edison, NJ) also have ties to the New York area. |
WSC’s list of partners for the season include: Northwell (Healthcare), Healthfirst (Health Insurance), Leros Transportation Group (Transportation), Meagher & Meagher, Attorneys at Law (Personal Injury Law), Breezemont Day Camp (Summer Camp), RXR (Real Estate Development), MSG Networks (Media & Broadcasting), The Taco Project (Restaurant & Food), Duck Donuts (Restaurant & Food), Score PT (Physical Therapy), Walter’s (Restaurant & Food), Keller Williams (Real Estate), ICE AIR (HVAC), Westchester Smoothie (Restaurant & Food), Saw Mill Stone & Masonry Supply (Masonry/Retail), Floor & Décor Flooring & Home Improvement (Home Improvement/Retail), The Gentleman’s Lab (Men’s Grooming / Barbershop), Agora (Social Group), CPR Foundation (Non-Profit/Foundation), Velvet Llama (Liquor), Rory Dolan’s Restaurant & Bar (Restaurant & Food), and Strategic Security Corp (Security Services).
UP NEXT: WSC hosts NY Cosmos May 15.
