Cobleskill, N.Y.: After an aborted 2020 campaign due to the Covid pandemic, the SUNY Cobleskill men's soccer team is opening the 2021 season ranked fourth in the league's opening North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Western Division Poll. The Fighting Tigers will be competing in the NAC for the first time after moving from the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) after the 2019 season posting a 9-7-4 overall record including a 7-2-2 mark in league action and earning a bid to the conference's championship tournament.

As they head into their new league the Fighting Tigers will have a decidedly different roster composition featuring a squad that will have 24 newcomers including 21 first-year players.

On the eve of their season opening contest versus the Panthers of the Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Science at home on Wednesday afternoon; Cobleskill head coach Joe Machado is approaching the season with a positive outlook.

"We are excited to see how we are going to fare in the new league given all the youth we have with the goal of qualifying for the league tournament in our first year of NAC membership," said Machado. "This year's team is going to have to have a very different mentality than our teams of the past few seasons in that we are going to be very defensively oriented and bring a lunch bucket mentality to work every practice and game."

Among the returners the Orange & Black will be depending several key returners from their NEAC days to lead the way in 2021.

Senior center midfielder Garrett Maxwell, Enfield, Conn., Suffield High School, will return to his natural position in the field this year after playing in net the previous two seasons while junior defender Ben Kessler, East Northport, N.Y., St. Anthony's High School, will be counted on to anchor the backline. Junior midfielder Jeremy Rossi, Westport, N.Y., Westport High School, also returns for Cobleskill this year bringing experience and quickness to the midfield.

Among the new comers, coach Macho believes that sophomore forward Carter Ciavarponi, Latham, N.Y., Shaker High School, and first-year midfielder/forward Cody Petschko, New Hyde Park, N.Y., F.D. Roosevelt High School, can bring much needed offense to the team this year while first-year defender Tyler Cinamon, Oceanside, N.Y., Oceanside High School, will add additional speed to the line-up.

Between the pipes this year junior goalkeeper John Gregen, Greenville, N.Y., Greenville High School, has looked impressive in the net during the pre-season workouts.

The Fighting Tigers will open the season on Wednesday September 1 at home when they host the Panthers of Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at the Soccer/Lacrosse Complex beginning at 4:00 p.m.