Men’s soccer resets and reloads for upcoming season

Ethan York, Staff Writer

VCU men’s soccer program has undergone a big rebuild in its offseason, welcoming 11 new players to the roster.

The Rams locked in some new talent following the departure of 19 graduating players and transfers from the last fall season.

Head coach Dave Giffard said he is not phased. The team’s foundation remained solid, allowing for Giffard to build around it.

“Even though we lost a ton, we basically return eight starting level players from last fall so the core group is pretty experienced and strong,” Giffard said. “We will, however, need to rely on the combination of new players and players who have been here.” 

Second-year midfielder Mohammed Ibrahim is one returning player the Rams can rely on. Ibrahim recorded 667 playing minutes, acting as a consistent starter and creating multiple offensive opportunities for VCU last season, according to VCU Athletics.

Another player to look forward to is fifth-year forward Camilo Comi. While Comi was injured for the 2024 season, his resume is still very impressive, being one of the Rams’ top goal scorers from 2022. He led the team with five goals and played in all 17 games.

“Our spring roster was very small and so we were able to spend a ton of time focused on the players that were part of our group and those guys grew quite a bit during the spring season,” Giffard said.

Upcoming first-year defender Brendan Dobzyniak is another weapon added to the team. A Richmond native, Dobzyniak spent most of his career training with Richmond United and the Richmond Kickers. Dobzyniak won a national championship in 2023 with Richmond United. He is set to begin an impressive college career with VCU.

Former teammates from Lisbon, Portugal are also joining the Rams: First-year goalkeeper Manuel Monteiro and first-year midfielder Afonso Taborda. As former players from the Casa Pias U19 team, this dynamic duo will bring chemistry to the team.

Upcoming first-year Parker Simkins is another defender added to the roster. Simkins was a two-sport standout athlete at Montverde Academy in Florida, competing for its soccer institution and winning a class 2A state title in track. Simkins is also reuniting with his former Montverde Academy teammate Ibrahim, according to Soccer Wire.

Giffard said he is optimistic about the upcoming season, and is ready to help his players gel together and face all the challenges the Rams have in front of them.

“With this group, the focus is on improving each day, trying to be the best we can and hopefully avoid big injuries and see how good we can get before we run out of games when we reach the time of year where it’s survive and advance or lose and go home,” Giffard said.

VCU will play its season opener at the Sports Backers Stadium against the University of Akron on Thursday, Aug. 21.