U of Windsor soccer coach recruits local players
Nine of 10 new soccer players are Windsor, Essex County boys; have played together
Steve Vagnini’s plans for success will rest heavily on a foundation of local players.
After scrambling to put the pieces together when he was hired last April, the University of Windsor Lancers men’s head soccer coach announced his first true recruitment class on Monday and nine of the 10 incoming freshmen are from Windsor and Essex County.
“Honestly, to have a championship team, you’ve got to recruit locals,” Vagnini said. “You’ve got to build with your locals.”
The Lancers landed a trio of high school recruits each from Riverside and Vista Academy with another two from St. Anne and one from Holy Names. All have played club soccer locally for Vardar Windsor or Windsor TFC.
“I’m really excited to get the season started with the Lancers,” said striker Paul DiMeo, who is from Holy Names. “I think the best thing about the new chapter that I’m going to be starting is that I’m able to do it with nine or so people that I’m really close with.”
DiMeo is joined in the recruiting class by Riverside midfielder Jonathan Agapito, St. Anne defender Jackson Moy, Vista Academy defender/midfielder Adam Filipovski, Riverside midfielder Luka Tojcic, Vista Academy midfielder Sehaj Singh Khaira, Riverside defender/ midfielder Max Cooney, Vista Academy midfielder Heron Elashaal, St. Anne midfielder/striker Francesco Barile and West Lorne striker/winger Ard Dieker, who is the lone recruit from outside Essex County.
“I’m really happy to be a part of this awesome group of guys that I have grown up playing with,” Moy said. “Each of them brings a unique skill set and chemistry promising for great things to come.”
After leaving the women’s program at St. Clair College a year ago to take the men’s post with the Lancers, Vagnini quickly put his stamp on the program by releasing half the veteran players on the roster by the end of camp.
“I think our future’s really bright because these new kids will change that culture of old where it’s just to compete,” said Vagnini, who still guided the team to the playoffs in 2017. “It’s not just about competing, it’s about winning. Every kid here has something special to them.”
Vagnini calls the five-foot-five DiMeo is a player that can break down a defence. He sees the five-foot-10, 160-pound Agapito as a strong defender while the five-foot-nine, 155-pound Moy is player that can shut things down in the middle and also create offence. He called the five-foot-11, 165-pound Filipovski a tireless worker and the five-foot-11, 165-pound Tojcic a player with vision and the ability to score the highlight reel goal. Vagnini believes the six-foot-two, 175-pound Elashaal can be someone who can quarterback things on the field and the six-foot-one, 165-pound Khaira as a dynamic player. He raves about the fivefoot-seven, 140-pound Cooney’s lung capacity and ability to go from one 18-yard box to another and back. The five-foot-eight, 148-pound Barile, whose brother Giulia had played for the program, is another dynamic player and Vagnini says the five-foot-11, 165-pound Dieker will bring strength to the midfield.
“Honestly, for me, signing with a group of friends that I’ve had
I think our future’s really bright because these new kids will change that culture of old where it’s just to compete ... it’s about winning.
for years is an amazing feeling,” Agapito said. “Working hard for so long, with your friends, and it finally paying off is something that I’m sure we’ve been waiting for, but it’s just the start.
“There’s so much work to do, but it’s exciting. I just want to get out on the field and start playing already.”