LEWISTON, Maine -- In late March, the Bates men's soccer program held their first annual Alumni Mentoring Night for current players in Commons. 

The program brought back Allen Kropp '87, Greg Mulready '91, Jonathan Lobozzo '10, and Owen Keleher '22 to speak with the Bobcats about their careers and times at Bates.

Kropp was a mathematics major and is an attorney at Drummond Woodsum. Mulready was a political science major and is the head of sales and marketing at Frontier Capital Management. Lobozzo majored in Spanish and is the co-owner and founder of Burnham & Lobozzo Builders, LLC and Joaquin Costa Development, LLC. Keleher was the youngest alum at the event. In fact, he was teammates with the current seniors when they were first-years in 2021. He graduated from Bates with a degree in biology and is an Associate, Tenant Construction, at WS Development. 

"I remember being in their seat and being stressed out about trying to figure out what's to come," Keleher said. "In college you have a clear path to what's next, and suddenly you don't. And so the older alums should have some good wisdom, but I'm hoping to just give the side of having gone through this recently, and it's not as bad, not as scary as it may seem."

The night began with food and casual conversation before the team sat down to listen to the panel of alums discuss their career paths. 

"The fact that you are all so well-connected to each other, you will always have that," Kropp told the Bobcats. "I guarantee you what you've already experienced with your soccer team will serve you so well every step of the way." 

Mulready shared his story of briefly transferring to Boston College in the late '80s before realizing he missed the academic rigor of Bates. He returned after a year away.

"I love this place," Mulready said. "And the reason why I love this place is everybody here is curious about school, curious about sports, and that's what I missed when I left. And I came back for that. I also love to see now how serious the school has become about athletics. You guys are incredible players, and would absolutely destroy Allen and I out there." 

Bates head coach Ben Brewster recently wrapped up his first season at the helm of the program. He reached out to all four alums to ask them to come back to campus, and Lobozzo's positive impression of Brewster was a motivating factor for him accepting the invitation.

"If you talk to any successful leader, having belief in something is very important," Lobozzo said. "I believe in Ben, and you should believe in Ben, and you'll be at the top of the NESCAC before you know it."

Senior three-time All-NESCAC selection Tife Agunloye (Monroe, Conn.) is graduating this spring with a double major in economics and philosophy. 

"Seeing Owen here today, it is just great to catch up," Agunloye said. "And being able to have some of my peers and the younger kids get to know some of the alums here at Bates, and just overall hearing about their experiences when we're all trying to see where our careers are going is great." 

For Keleher, the night was special because a connection he made during his time at Bates helped him land his job out of college.

"My now-colleague Sam Huebschmann '19 came and spoke at an event, and so we got in touch through that," Keleher said. "So it's fun to now be on the other side of it, coming back and being an alum myself and chatting with the current players." 

Brewster, whose first season as head coach included a thrilling 1-0 win over then-No. 15 nationally ranked Bowdoin, is excited for how the program can continue to grow both on and off the pitch. 

"We are so grateful to have Allen, Greg, Jonathan and Owen back on campus to meet with our student-athletes," Brewster said. "Preparing our current players for life after Bates is a key aspect of our program. We are fortunate to have such an impressive group of committed alumni. It was an incredibly impactful night for the men's soccer program, and we look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come."