Sparacio And Braun Join Lehigh Men's Soccer Program
1/15/2026 3:49:00 PM | Men's Soccer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh men's soccer has announced the addition of two transfer student athletes ahead of the spring 2026 semester. Zachary Sparacio and Vito Braun are set to join the Mountain Hawks this spring.
Sparacio joins Lehigh by way of Roslyn Heights, N.Y. and Bard College. The 5'11 defender started all 35 of his appearances across two years at Bard, logging over 3,000 minutes for the Raptors. In high school at The Wheatley School, Sparacio was an all-conference selection, two-time all-county selection, and was a Newsday Top 100 Long Island Boys Soccer Player. In the classroom, Sparacio was a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and was an AP Scholar.
"Zac has played a lot of college minutes in two years, which will be valuable for him as he arrives to Lehigh," said associate head coach Ryan Hess. "As a left footed defender, he will bring a maturity, toughness, and consistency to the program and the backline, and we're excited to welcome him into the group this spring."
Braun comes to Lehigh as a first-year from Prague, Czech Republic and FK Dukla Prague, beginning his college experience a semester early. Braun brings a wealth of experience at the junior club level for Dukla, including caps for the U19 and U17 Czech first league teams with nine goals and 16 assists across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In the classroom, Braun took higher level history IB classes in high school and was apart of the economics club.
"Vito will be an exciting addition to the program, with experience playing at top academies throughout the world," said Hess. "He will fit in well with our style; as he brings a strong work rate, quality on both sides of the ball, and the ability to create and score goals from midfield."
Sparacio and Braun will join a Lehigh team that finished second in the Patriot League standings and advanced all the way to the league championship game this past season.
Like Lehigh men's soccer on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
Sparacio joins Lehigh by way of Roslyn Heights, N.Y. and Bard College. The 5'11 defender started all 35 of his appearances across two years at Bard, logging over 3,000 minutes for the Raptors. In high school at The Wheatley School, Sparacio was an all-conference selection, two-time all-county selection, and was a Newsday Top 100 Long Island Boys Soccer Player. In the classroom, Sparacio was a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and was an AP Scholar.
"Zac has played a lot of college minutes in two years, which will be valuable for him as he arrives to Lehigh," said associate head coach Ryan Hess. "As a left footed defender, he will bring a maturity, toughness, and consistency to the program and the backline, and we're excited to welcome him into the group this spring."
Braun comes to Lehigh as a first-year from Prague, Czech Republic and FK Dukla Prague, beginning his college experience a semester early. Braun brings a wealth of experience at the junior club level for Dukla, including caps for the U19 and U17 Czech first league teams with nine goals and 16 assists across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. In the classroom, Braun took higher level history IB classes in high school and was apart of the economics club.
"Vito will be an exciting addition to the program, with experience playing at top academies throughout the world," said Hess. "He will fit in well with our style; as he brings a strong work rate, quality on both sides of the ball, and the ability to create and score goals from midfield."
Sparacio and Braun will join a Lehigh team that finished second in the Patriot League standings and advanced all the way to the league championship game this past season.
Like Lehigh men's soccer on Facebook, follow on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram for continued updates on the Mountain Hawks.
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