Sometimes, in order to see the true colors of a team you have to look underneath the surface. Like a diamond in the rough, the Allegheny men’s soccer team has a load of potential for the 2023 season. Although they sit with a 1-4 record, the wins and losses have not represented just how good this team can be the rest of the way.
“We have been playing a lot of borderline top-25 teams in the country,” said team captain Gunnar Brettell, ’24. “I think with conference games coming we have a lot more coming.”
Allegheny has been tasked with an arduous schedule. They opened the season losing to Nazareth, Carnegie Mellon and Stevenson. After earning their first win against Baldwin Wallace in a 2-0 shutout, they were then greeted by No. 25 Case Western Reserve in a game the Gators dropped 4-1.
Still, Allegheny’s goal was just the second surrendered all year by the Spartans, and the attack is something the Gators will continue to build on.
“If we can start to put things together in the attack and score more goals, we can really start to put a stamp on these games and start winning a lot,” Brettell said.
While the club has played a tough non-conference slate, the teams in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference have also gotten better, according to several members of the team. The margin for error is slim, and Allegheny has their work cut out for them after being taken down by the Bethany Bison 1-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
It was Allegheny’s second home match of the season, and the game was a barnburner. A season ago, Bethany got the best of the Gators in the PAC conference tournament quarterfinal. They kept
the momentum going on Wednesday, after lining up on the penalty spot following a foul inside the box. During the 73rd minute, the ball found the back of the Gators net, making the difference.
The Gators are led at the helm by John Lichina, ’14, who is all too familiar with Allegheny. Lichina played four seasons as an All-North Coast Athletic Conference goalkeeper for the Blue and Gold. After his athletic tenure concluded, he left as the college’s all-time leader in career shutouts with 21.
Lichina returned to his alma mater in 2019 to work with the club as an assistant coach. He originally took over operations last season as the interim head coach, but earned the official promotion after the season concluded.
“I always felt like I was full time in the role,” Lichina said. “With being here so long, now everybody that is here has been a recruit of mine.”
Lichina has snagged some impressive talent in the first-year class, including Nick Magee, ’27, who scored his first collegiate goal during the Stevenson contest. The skipper stated the importance of getting the young bucks playing time on the pitch. He went on to say getting them a taste in minutes and getting a feel for the pace of the game is also a good chaser for the upperclassmen to stay motivated and keep working throughout the offseason.
Brettell has taken this to heart. After battling some injuries throughout his career, he has dedicated the most time this offseason to the weight room in order to get stronger and stay healthy.
“I could just straight up say I’m an old man,” Brettell said with a laugh. “We’ve had some recovery sessions. Laura (Mannino), the athletic trainer, she’s done a great job and she helps me out a lot. But, I’ve definitely been a lot more proactive in taking care of myself.”
The senior midfielder scored his first goal of the year during the season opener at home against Nazareth. It was a goal that brought the Gators to within one — and although they didn’t win it was a huge boost of momentum at the time. It came on a penalty kick, which has become a specialty of his arsenal.
In his final year, Brettell hopes to continue finding the back of the net. His goal is to lead the younger guys by example, both on and off the field — showing them what it means to be a good teammate and striving to be better.
Erie, Pennsylvania is a hot destination for the club to get work in during the winter months. Lichina and other coaches from schools including Mercyhurst, Gannon and Penn State Berhrend have created a collegiate league for players to get work in on an infield turf surface for nine versus nine showdowns.
What Lichina emphasized was how the league’s production is on the players’ accord. It is up to them to decide whether they want to play or not, but the Gators are always able to field one or two teams because of the willingness of the players.
“I’ve got that motivation within the group to where they want to keep playing full size soccer,” Lichina said. “A lot of the freshmen, the underclassmen, they come out of 10 months of soccer their senior year and take the summer break and join us, so they’re used to that kind of schedule as well.”
Lichina also has connections for clubs during the summer. His goal is to find Gators opportunities to put them in the most competitive setting possible while not in season, which also includes a couple of semi-professional leagues.
Some members of the club would play in the Washington D.C. area with DC United U-23, and the Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League. This allows a chance for these Allegheny athletes to travel across the region and travel with some of the best teams.
All of this is in hopes of winning a conference title. The last time the Gators made a championship appearance was in 2007, and the last time they won was when they took down Denison in penalty kicks during the 2004 season to take home the NCAC title.
Despite the drought, the team’s expectations have not dropped. Everyone is on the same page with the same goal.
“Absolutely, 100% our goal is to either top the conference or get a home playoff game, and then to win the PAC,” Brettell said. “That’s our goal, it’s been our goal, it was our goal last season and we didn’t quite get there. This year we’re very confident that we’ll be able to get a home playoff game and win the PAC and get into the NCAA tournament.”
There is a lot of season left to go. Allegheny will have their second conference game of the season at Westminster on Saturday, Sept. 23. The opening kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the UPMC Sports Complex.
