MATCH PREVIEW NOTES ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY OUR PARTNERS AT HEALTHFIRST
WSC Drops Close One at Spokane: It was a match where one streak would probably end, and as the whistle sounded it was Spokane Velocity breaking their three match losing streak as WSC’s road woes, along with their recent unbeaten streak, came to an end with a 2-1 Spokane win June 24 in Spokane, Washington.
Westchester actually held the early 1-0 lead on when Miguel Diaz beat keeper Sean Lewis just four minutes into the match, but Andre Lewis knotted the scored for Spokane in the 38th minute, and team captain Luis Gil broke the deadlock after halftime, beating Luca Marinelli off a scramble in front to provide the margin of victory. WSC had multiple chances as the half went on, but Lewis turned back five shots to preserve the win.
Solving The Road: The loss snapped a three match unbeaten streak for WSC (with all three matches being at home), but extended their road winless streak to 15 consecutive games, with their last road win at Forward Madison, 2-1, last June 10. Since then they have gone 0-13-3 on the road, with a scoreless streak on the road this season that ended at Spokane at five games (six if you include their 0-0 regulation time game in US Open Cup play at Vermont, which WSC won in penalties), They have been outscored on the road 16-3 on the season.
Last Seasons Matchups: The Red Wolves took both matchups last season, winning on August 1, 3-1 at Westchester and on October 25 2-1 at home.
Tight Margins: The loss to Spokane dropped WSC to 0-6 in one goal decisions this season, continuing 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.
Peaks and Valleys: This season has been a streaky one in many ways for WSC. On the positive side, they are riding a six match home unbeaten string, going 4-1-2 so far with the only loss being a tight 3-2 loss to defending champion One Knoxville on opening night, March 7. Since then WSC has outscored its league opponents at home 22-8. The four goal margin of victory matched vs. Portland on June was WSC’s widest gap to date, while the five goals tied their all-time high, Corpus Christi on April 4. Combined with their 4-0 win over Greenville on June 14th, WSC wrapped the homestand with a combined 9-1 margin, making WSC the fifth club in league history to score four or more goals in a pair of games.
On the flip side the barrage came after scoring a TOTAL of three goals in their previous six USL League One games, which included three straight 1-0 defeats, only the second time in league history that a drought of that length has occurred.
Jiménez Accolades: Westchester SC forward Jonathan Jiménez is coming off a series of strong performances, and was voted Player of the Week presented by Konami eFootball after scoring two goals in Westchester’s 5-1 win against Portland Hearts of Pine. Jiménez was at the center of it, tallying six shots – the most of any Westchester player in a single game this season – and found the back of the net twice. The Mexican national’s accolades followed his first USL League One Team of the Week selection the previous week. Jimenez helped Westchester earn four points from two outings as he completed 34 of 41 passes and notched five chances created while winning 10 of 16 duels and 3 of 4 tackles in a draw against Fort Wayne FC and victory against Greenville Triumph SC.
Marinelli The Stopper: Keeper Luca Marinelli continues to impress in his brief time with the club, subbing for injured starter Andrew Hamersley. WSC had been shoutout 1-0 in his first three league starts on the road, but went 2-0-1 in his three home starts, allowing two goals in the trio while WSC found the net 10 times in the three.
McGlynn, Guezen Leading The Surge: WSC’s 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. McGlynn landed on the Team of the Week after scoring in three consecutive games (streak ended at Spokane) to give him a team high (and career high) eight goals in league play, second overall in the league in scoring. His pair at home vs Corpus Christi was his first two goal game, which he followed up with on Friday.
Guezen is second on the team in scoring with four goals, and is tied for 10th in shots with 21. 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.
WSC Becomes a MAAC home: The addition of the two keepers (Luca Marinelli- Sacred Heart and Giuliano Santucci-Iona) 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.
Youngest, Fastest and First: The 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.
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 eight matches thus far, while Maximus Jennings (Montclair, NJ/Georgetown), Tim Timchenko (Kyiv, Ukraine/Iona), Daniel Burko (Løvenstad, Norway/Hofstra) , Charlie Dickerson (Norwich, England/Providence) and Aleksei Armas (Floral Park, NY/Hofstra and Adelphi) have had substantial playing time across the board.
Colin Veltri joined in mid June WSC after a standout collegiate career at Elon and St. John’s. He earned All-CAA Second Team honors as a junior at Elon and helped lead The Phoenix to the NCAA Tournament in ’25. Prior to Elon, he was a member of the St. John’s men’s soccer program (2022-23), appearing in 23 career games for St. John’s with two assists
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.
Partners for ’26: 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 returns home to face Boise on July 5.
