The University of Massachusetts Men’s Soccer program announced that five student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Minutemen starting in the fall of 2015. The players that have committed to UMass are Kevin Boino, Suri Chavali, Brandon Merklin, Tucker Marvin, and Stefano Russillo.

The group includes two players from Massachusetts, two from New York, and one from New Jersey. All five had standout high school soccer careers, earning individual awards and helping their teams to state tournament success. While all five players have starred in multiple positions, the primary spots for each cover the field: central defender (Merklin), left sided defender/midfielder (Russillo), right-sided defender/midfielder (Chavali), wide midfielder/forward (Boino), and attacking midfielder/forward (Marvin).

Kevin Boino (Dalton, Mass. / Wahconah Regional HS / Western United), is a speedy, 6-foot-0 attacking player who led Wahconah with 27 goals and 11 assists in 20 games during his senior year. After the season, he was named the Berkshire County MVP and to the All-Berkshire First Team, and he had a total of 80 goals in his high school career. Boino was also a standout for Wahconah in both basketball and track, and played club soccer for Western United under head coach Federico Molinari.

Suri Chavali (Brookline, Mass. / Brookline HS / New England Revolution Academy) is a quick wide player capable of playing in both defense and midfield, using size, speed and skill to add to his team’s attack and close down opponents on the right side. A two-year member of the Massachusetts ODP team, Suri was also a two-year captain of his Hammer FC club team and played three years of varsity soccer at Brookline High School before joining the New England Revolution Academy in 2014.

Brandon Merklin (Massapequa, N.Y. / Massapequa HS / Massapequa Celtics) is a strong central defender who is among the top players to come out of Long Island in several years, having earned a number of honors and awards in his high school career. As a senior, he captained Massapequa to a 14-1-2 record and a second straight Conference AA-1 Championship, being named Conference Player of the Year, an All-County and NSCAA All-Region player, the Ralph Whitney Class AA Player of the Year, and earning the Stritzl Award from the New York Cosmos. In his junior year, his high school won Nassau County, Long Island and New York State championships, as he was named All-Conference. With 11 goals and nine assists in his final two seasons, Merklin is also a threat offensively and on set pieces.

Tucker Marvin (Clifton Park, N.Y. / Shenendehowa HS / NY Elite FC) is a tenacious and strong goal scorer whose versatility was a great asset to his high school’s strong performances over the last several seasons. As a senior, Marvin moved from his usual forward position to a defensive midfield spot and still managed to lead his team with seven goals as well as five assists, and led the team to the Section II Class AA Championship and the state Final Four. In addition to First Team Suburban Council and First Team All-State honors, he was also named the Saratogian’s 2014 Player of the Year and is a standout ice hockey player.

Stefano Russillo (Caldwell, N.J. / James Caldwell HS / TSF Academy), a New Jersey ODP player, uses speed and effective defending to lock down the left side of the field, and is also capable of playing further up and joining the attack. A four-year varsity starter and senior captain at James Caldwell, Russillo helped his team to the New Jersey state semifinals in his sophomore and junior years, and the quarterfinals as a senior, when he was named First Team All-Group 2 and First Team All-Super Essex Conference. He contributed a total of 15 goals in his career despite his primarily defensive position, and is also a threat with his service on set pieces and corner kicks.

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