Leading scorers Labovitz and Evans join co-captain and defensive vets for Triumph’s fifth season
Greenville, SC (January 6, 2023) – The Greenville Triumph Soccer Club named ten players as the initial group of returnees to the team for the 2023 season, the club announced today. Six players entering their second seasons with the club will join League One veterans Aaron Walker, Brandon Fricke, Evan Lee and Lucas Coutinho in the green and blue as the Triumph begins its offseason roster moves.
The initial group of players is highlighted by the attacking duo of Jacob Labovitz and Venton Evans, both of whom spent their first seasons in Greenville in 2022. Labovitz (12) and Evans (6) combined to score more than half of the club’s goals last season as the club advanced to the playoffs for a fourth consecutive year. Joining the attack is former Anderson University standout Alex Cox-Ashwood, who sparked the Triumph’s offense with a pair of late-season goals to help the Triumph secure the second spot in the league standings.
Midfielder Aaron Walker will return for a fifth season with the Triumph after signing a new deal. One of the club’s first signings, Walker became the first Triumph player to make 100 appearances for the team. The Woodstock, Georgia native has served as team co-captain in each of his four seasons and earned all-league second team honors in 2021.
On the defensive side of the ball, Nate Shultz and Jamie Smith each return to a Triumph back line known as one of the league’s best across the last four seasons. Shultz appeared in 25 matches last season as one of the league’s most consistent right backs, while Smith made 16 appearances despite missing multiple months with an ankle injury. Rounding out the group of returnees is goalkeeper Jared Mazzola, who signed midseason following an injury to backup keeper Ben Hale. Mazzola will be in the mix for a starting spot after the retirement of 2022 starter Paul Christensen.
The seven players join a trio of returnees already under contract for the 2023 season: midfielder Lucas Coutinho and defenders Brandon Fricke & Evan Lee. Coutinho appeared in 23 matches for Greenville in 2022. Fricke and Lee continued to anchor the center back positions in 2022, starting a combined 59 league matches and earning Greenville the most shutouts in League One. Fricke, who earned second team all-league honors, enters his fourth season in the Upstate. Lee, who will mark his fifth season in Greenville, was named first team all-league in a 2022 season that also saw the Ohio native become the second Triumph player to make 100 appearances for the club.
The Triumph also declined options on the contracts of five players, making them free agents: Jimmy Filerman, Peter Pearson, Nico Brown, Miles Fenton and Jake Keegan. The club is continuing discussions with multiple players from the 2022 roster and expects to have additional player announcements in the coming weeks.
