The MATCH PREVIEW IS PRESENTED BY OUR PARTNER HEALTHFIRST
Road Woes Continued Saturday: Westchester Soccer Club has had scores of memorable moments at home in the early 2026 season, but scores on the road in USL League One play have been hard to come by, even as their vastly improved defense keeps them in matches. The latest setback came Saturday night, as Taig Healy scored the only goal of the night at the 35th minute off of the assist from Michael Rempel to give Fort Wayne FC a 1-0 lead and Bernd Schipmann recorded a four-save shutout to extend WSC’s winless streak on the road to 13 consecutive games. Their last road win was at Forward Madison, 2-1, last June 10. Since then they have gone 0-10-3 on the road. It was the third straight time WSC (2-5-1) has been shutout on the road this season (four if you include their 0-0 regulation time game in US Open Cup play at Vermont, which WSC won in penalties), following clean sheets at Boise (4-0) and Richmond (1-0). They have now been outscored on the road 10-2 in the young season.
Home Cooking: In contrast WSC has outscored their USL League One opponents 12-6 in Mt. Vernon this season. In USL League One home play thus far, WSC enters Friday with a three match unbeaten streak and a 2-1-1 mark with the only loss being a tight 3-2 loss to defending champion One Knoxville on opening night, March 7. That includes the club’s two year high mark for goals in a single game, 5 vs. Corpus Christi on April 4. WSC has three of its next four League One games at home, with the lone road contest being at Naples on May 23.
Rivalry Games: The addition of the Cosmos to USL League One, brings WSC its first in-league geographic rivalry to build on. In year one, their closest opponent was Portland (284 miles away). Outside of League play, WSC has hosted local clubs in US Open Cup play, this season defeating NY Renegades 2-0 on March 19 and losing to NYCFC 5-2 on April 14.
Against the Newbies: WSC enters the match with a 2-2 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 and 1-0 at Ft. Wayne.
Close Shaves Still Cut Deep: The one goal loss to Ft. Wayne was WSC’s second straight, and dropped WSC to 0-3 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. They were 2-11 in one goal w/l decisions, and were blanked five times, three times time 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.
WSC Becomes a MAAC home: The addition of the two new 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.
McGlynn, Guezen Still Rising: 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 tied for third in shots with 18. 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 seventh in the league, while the team is 4th amongst overall scoring with 12 goals.
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.
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 visits Naples on May 23 and has a Prinx Tires USL Cup match at Rhode Island on June 6.
