BhOCA RATON, Fla. – The Lynn University men's soccer team enters the 2025 season riding the momentum of a historic 20-0-2 campaign that culminated in both a Sunshine State Conference title and the NCAA Division II National Championship.

Led by head coach John Rootes, the program's all-time winningest coach and a three-time national champion at Lynn, the Fighting Knights are focused on maintaining their championship standard while blending experienced returners with a promising incoming class.

"It's always difficult after a championship," Rootes said. "No team in our history has gone back-to-back, so that's the challenge. The key is keeping our guys motivated and focused on one game at a time."

Several standouts from last year's title run are back to anchor the squad. Dominik N'Gatie, Lucas Vila, Jan Rohrling, Fabian Vyhnalek, and Luan Barroso Rennstich return as attacking options, bringing experience and creativity in the midfield and final third. Graduate student Anton Mand emerged as a leader last season and provides valuable versatility, with the ability to play both in defense and attack.

"Anton was a first-year player last year and really stepped up," Rootes said. "He started as a forward but moved into central defense when we needed him there. Now that we're stronger in the back, we can push him higher up the field. He's tall, excellent in the air, and even scored when we played him up front last year."

Between the posts, the Fighting Knights return one of the top goalkeepers in the nation in Luca Clavero. The reigning SSC Goalkeeper of the Year started all 22 matches in 2024, recording 12 clean sheets and posting a 78.7% save percentage to help Lynn finish among the nation's best defensively.

Lynn also welcomes a talented recruiting class headlined by Paul Brauckmann (University of Illinois Chicago), a senior transfer who has quickly stepped into a leadership role on the back line. Graduate transfer Marc Ehmann, a 2024 D2CCA Second Team All-South Region selection at Lee University, adds veteran presence to the defense.

Freshmen Thiago De Carvalho (IMG Academy) and TJ Brandt (South Florida Football Academy) have impressed throughout preseason, while Portuguese newcomers Joao Pinto, Rui Ferreira, and Felipe Canastra provide technical quality and depth across the pitch.

Rootes expects the Fighting Knights' defensive stability to remain a foundation but emphasized the need to replace last year's clutch scorers.

"We lost some players who delivered in big moments last year," Rootes said. "We'll need someone to step up as a finisher. We have a lot of options, and I think it will come together."

The Sunshine State Conference is once again expected to be one of the toughest in Division II, with Florida Tech, Rollins, Barry, Tampa, and Nova Southeastern all likely contenders.

"There won't be any easy matches," Rootes said. "This conference is tight every year, and we know every game matters."

The Fighting Knights open the 2025 season on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m., hosting Tusculum at Bobby Campbell Stadium.