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Henri Heyes ’26 recalls his first meeting with Brandon Bianco in 2022, and the vision the ���ӽ紫ý men’s soccer coach laid out for the program’s future.

The Big Red had won the conference tournament in 2021, Bianco’s first full season at ���ӽ紫ý, automatically qualifying them for the NCAA tournament. But the ambitious coach was looking to build a sustainable winner, one capable of challenging perennial NCAC powers like Kenyon College and Ohio Wesleyan University while also competing on the national stage.

“We gradually built the program into what Coach Bianco envisioned,” said Heyes, an All-American defender in 2024. “I believed in that vision and ultimately that’s why I came to this program — to be part of one of the best Division III soccer teams in the country.”

Heyes, along with fellow senior team captains Kameron Kist ’26 and Zarius Eusebe ’26, has helped establish new standards for the Big Red program. The seniors will leave behind an unrivaled legacy, qualifying for three consecutive NCAA tournaments (2023-25) and advancing to the 2024 Elite Eight.

Heading into this year’s national tourney, the group had won 51 games — tying the Class of 2004 for the most victories compiled by a senior class. In 2025, the Big Red spent about a month as the nation’s top-ranked team — a first in program history.

Bianco lauded the leadership of Heyes, Kist, and Eusebe in a season when the Big Red had to integrate 14 first-years into a squad that had graduated 10 seniors from the 2024 roster.

“What I loved about these three seniors, and what I continue to love about them, is each of them were clearly leaders within the group and each of them had a different type of leadership profile,” Bianco said. “And if you watch our team, I think you’ll see that their leadership profile shows up in everything that they do.”

Kist, the team’s leading goal scorer, was not originally part of the 2022 recruiting class. The midfielder spent his first year at Division I Loyola University-Chicago. Kist and Heyes were high school teammates from nearby New Albany, Ohio. As the midfielder weighed his transfer options, he kept coming back to a reunion with Heyes and a chance to play with his younger brother, Kayden Kist ’28.

“It felt like this was where I was meant to be,” said Kameron Kist, the NCAC Midfield Player of the Year in 2024. “It was a great decision to transfer to ���ӽ紫ý.”

Eusebe feels as home on The Hill as his fellow co-captains who grew up right down the road from campus.

An all-NCAC defender in 2024, Eusebe is proud of the team culture the Big Red have built over the four years — and that extends to players’ families. Growing up in Connecticut, his parents weren’t able to make all the games, but the families of Heyes and Kist made him feel like one of their own.

“Having their families close by, cheering me on, made a difference,” he said. “It’s almost like I grew up with them. Deciding to come to ���ӽ紫ý set me up for four years of success.”

The team’s 2024 run to the NCAA quarterfinals saw them win three tournament games — two more than ���ӽ紫ý had previously won in program history. The Big Red also have made good on Bianco’s desire to defeat conference rivals Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan. Over the past three years, ���ӽ紫ý has gone 4-1-1 against those NCAC opponents, beating them both this season for the first time since 2003.

Given how many seniors the Big Red lost from the 2024 team, this could have become a transition season. Instead, the senior captains relished the challenge of onboarding the large first-year class. They met individually with several players who made Spring 2025 visits and set up Zoom meetings with the others during the summer.

Two first-years, goalkeeper Alex Provost ’29 and winger Julian Bozzolo ’29, became starters, while several others gained significant experience.

“I look forward to coming back and watching the team play at the same high standard we helped set,” Eusebe said. “Records can be broken, and we want to see that continue time and again. That’s how you know you started something special.”

Four years after his initial meeting with the coach, Heyes knows the senior class has left an indelible mark on the program.

“No matter what team you’re playing for, you make a commitment and you set goals for what you want to achieve,” Heyes said. “I’ll look back on our time at ���ӽ紫ý and feel very fulfilled.”