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April 19, 2017 | Soccer (M)

Marco Lapenna, Bruno Xavier and head coach Greg Sutton.Marco Lapenna, Bruno Xavier and head coach Greg Sutton.

Stingers men's soccer building up roster for 2017 season

Head coach Greg Sutton is pleased to announce striker Bruno Xavier and winger Marco Lapenna as the first of several new player commitments to the Concordia Stingers men’s soccer program.

Xavier and Lapenna competed with the Stingers in the RSEQ’s 2017 indoor season and Sutton was impressed with what he saw.

“These two players are going to add a lot to our quality level and depth,” he said.

Xavier is a familiar name for Montreal soccer fans. His father, also Bruno Xavier, played two seasons with the Montreal Impact in the late ‘90s. He now runs a popular Sports Café in Albufeira, Portugal.

Xavier joins the Stingers from Portugal where he studied at Lusíada University in Lisbon and played soccer for Atlético Clube de Portugal.

“He’s an athletic, strong, physical player,” said Sutton. “He has a lot of raw talent that we hope to see develop over the course of his career. Having him with the team this winter was great. Now he understands the nuances of our league.”

Lapenna has a solid soccer résumé. A former member of the Impact Academy, he was 16 years old when he made his debut in the Canadian youth program in 2010. He won a silver medal with Canada at the 2011 CONCACAF Under-17 Championship in Jamaica. He also represented Canada at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Mexico in 2013.

More recently the Montreal native suited up for Cape Breton University where he played 12 games in 2015. He had three goals and two assists that season.

“He is a dynamic player,” Sutton said. “His U SPORTS experience and his time with us this winter will help him and our team on the attacking side of the ball. Also, he has a good attitude.”

In the 2017 indoor season, he scored two goals in six games.