Head Coach John Tardy and the College of Staten Island men’s soccer program is proud to announce the celebratory signing of St. Joseph by the Sea pair Joe Albanese and Joseph Bolella, and Wilson Quintero of Martin Luther King High School as part of a first wave of recruits that total seven altogether in time for the 2017 season. With more recruits expected to sign on soon, Tardy has added quality all over the field, expected to both compete early for starting roles and adding much depth in reserve roles.
Losing three-quarters of their defensive starters during the offseason, SJS’s Joe Albanese could be an immediate impact on the back end, lending himself to the attack when needed. His ability to control play and move with the ball on his feet will be pivotal for the Dolphins as he makes the transition to the college game. A fixture in the midfield, Bolella is a vocal leader with strong soccer IQ at the center of the pitch, something Tardy hopes to rely heavily on with his young core. The pair led the Seagulls to a CHSAA B-Division City Championship this past season.
“Bolella has a work rate that is second to none and losing a couple of our captains from last year we need his type of vocal engagement on the field. Albanese is a pure competitor. He’s relentless. A pure athlete with speed and the ability to manage the ball. I see both guys being able to transition well to what we are doing here.”
PSAL Champion Quintero is another expected future leader of the squad. His ability to play multiple positions fluidly will be a great asset for Tardy and his staff. His champion pedigree will also be leaned on, as he is used to playing high-quality soccer.
“Wilson has one of the highest soccer IQ’s I’ve seen,” said Tardy. “He plays very simply on both sides of the ball and is very composed which is very rare. It won’t be until the preseason until we figure out where he will be able to help the team, but he will be able to help the team extremely well.”
The three signees join four others who will make their mark with the squad as part of Tardy’s recruiting class.
Miguel Morales is a center back who played alongside Quintero at the high school and club level, and is a hard-tackling center back who is great in the air and in one on one matchups, something the Dolphins lost with graduating seniors Ruben Diaz and Jacob Szumanski.
Bryant Navarro from PSAL powerhouse Francis Lewis High School is a pure scorer, expected to fill a great void left by leading goal scoring senior Marcin Klim. The natural striker should get plenty of chances according to Tardy. “Bryant can score goals, plain and simple. He finds ways to finish and does it all kinds of ways: volleys, headers, from range, strong and weak foot. I’ve seen him do it all.”
Rounding out the class are two keepers, expected to challenge for time. Susan Wagner High School’s Oscar Torres is a good shot stopper while Racheal Carson High School standout Balint Barabas is a fearless keeper with great hands and an acrobatic style.
“It will be great to have excellent competition in goal in 2017,” said Tardy. “It will make every one better while providing us with the depth we need for a great run in 2017.”
With more first year players and incoming transfers expected to make their signings soon, Tardy expects big things in 2017.
“We lost some big pieces of our team last year, but we hope this new class of Dolphins will come in and impress in a number of roles and help us in our quest to bring home a CUNYAC championship and more,” he said.
The CSI Men’s Soccer season kicks off on Labor Day weekend. The Dolphins will host Wisconsin – Platteville in their first game on Sunday, September 2, at 12pm. Look for more signing announcements for men’s soccer coming soon.
