A different team was crowned champion for Liberty League Men’s Soccer for the third straight year, with
St. Lawrence University claiming the 2018 title in dramatic fashion, thanks to a double-overtime win in the semifinals and another double-overtime match in the championship that went to penalty kicks to decide the champion. It was the first league championship title for the Saints since 2015 and with the league’s automatic bid, the program’s 22nd appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The Saints will be looking to become the first men’s soccer team to repeat as Liberty League champions since they won a string of championships in 2013, 2014 and 2015. It won’t be an easy task with a graduating class of nine from last year’s team however, a core group of players are back in Canton for 2019. A pair of All-Liberty League second team selections Aidan Callahan and Sam Sapanar return to mind a backline that was among the best in the league last season. St. Lawrence only allowed 16 goals, good for third among league leaders. The defensive duo played in all 18 games for the Saints. Callahan is also the team’s leading returning scorer. He chipped in two goals and three assists (7 points) last season. Sapanar had a hand in the offense as well with four points on a goal and two assists. Miguel Ridruejo, a starter in 16 games and Conor Higgins, a starter in 17 games are also back and will be key to the Saints lineup this season.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) enjoyed a strong campaign in 2018 finishing the year with a 9-9-1 overall record and a 6-3-0 mark in league play. The Engineers earned the second seed of the league tournament and advanced to the semifinals. It was the fifth time in seven years they earned a spot in the postseason. In 2019, the team will build off of last season’s success, which included ending the regular season on a five game winning streak. RPI has an arsenal of offense coming back with its top-four scorers from a year ago returning. All-Liberty League first-team selections Austin Betterly (4G, 2A) and Trevor Bisson (4G) highlight the returnees after ranking second and third on the on the team in scoring with 10 and eight points respectively. Billy Chissoe also returns after pacing the Engineers with 11 points last year on a team-best five goals and an assist as does Mike Harten, who dished out a team-high four assists and scored two goals for eight points.
Ithaca College is coming off one of its most successful seasons in recent memory finishing 2018 at 14-2-4 overall and 5-2-2 against league opponents. The Bombers matched their program record for wins in a season (14) and reached the title game of the Liberty League tournament in just their second year with the conference. In 2019, Ithaca will be a seasoned team with the graduation of only five. Goalkeeper Max Lichtenstein, an All-Liberty League first team selection is back in net for the Bombers after a 12-2-4 campaign in 2018. He posted a league-best 10 shutouts, compiled a .793 goals against average, good for second among league leaders and a .779 save percentage. Defender Tom Dillman joins Lichtenstein in the backfield after playing in all 20 games for the Bombers last season. Forward Jonathan Kyriakidis headlines the team’s returning firepower after tallying 13 points last season. He netted a team-high five goals and dished out three assist. Jack Monnes is another key piece to the offense after recording seven points in 2018 on two goals and three assists.
Hobart College will look to build upon an 8-8-2 overall record (5-3-1 Liberty League) and despite the departure of nine, the nucleus of the 2018 squad is back with the return of eight starters from a year ago. Binjo Emmanuel, an All-Liberty League second team pick, highlights the team’s defense after helping the Statesmen post seven shutouts last season. He also had a hand in scoring with two goals. Pete Critchlow is back for his junior campaign after compiling 10 points (3G, 4A) last season. August Martini (2G, 1A) and Jack Fell (1A) are back at midfield for Hobart.
Vassar College (9-7-0, 5-4-0 Liberty League) will be seeking its fourth consecutive trip to the Liberty League tournament after closing out 2018 as the fifth seed. Mattie Mrlik is back for his senior season after pacing the Brewers in scoring last season. He scored five goals and handed out five assists for 15 points on the year. Henrik Olsson (3G, 1A) will also contribute to the team’s offense after ranking second on the team in points with seven in 2018. Vassar welcomes back goalkeeper Will Marment after earning All-Liberty League second team honors last season. In 13 starts, Marment went 7-6-0 with a 1.19 goals against average and a .746 save percentage.
Skidmore College is also riding a postseason streak heading into 2019. The Thoroughbreds, who finished 2018 with a 9-6-3 overall record (4-4-1 Liberty League), qualified for their fourth straight league tournament last season. Eight starters are back this year, including three of the team’s top-four scorers. Midfielder/Forward Kyle Barrett returns and was second on the team in scoring last season with four goals for eight points. Barrett was also tops on the team in game-winning goals and was among the league’s best with three. Midfielder David Braman (2G, 1A) returns and was fourth on the team with five points. Goalkeeper Sebastian Bosch will anchor the defense after playing all but 45 minutes in net for Skidmore last season. He compiled a .835 save percentage and .796 goals against average, good for second and third among league leaders respectively.
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT, 8-6-1) will aim for a return to the postseason after narrowly missing the league tournament with a 4-5 mark in league play last season. The Tigers wrapped up 2018 winning three of their final four games and they hope to build upon that momentum for this season. RIT’s offense was among the league’s best, ranking second with 1.9 goals per game, thanks in part to Nick Simone and Simon Garno. The duo combined for 36 points with Simone leading the team as well as the league with 24 points. He boasted team-highs in both goals (6) and assists (12) while Garno recorded five goals and two assists. Jared Short will shore up the defense for RIT after making 15 starts last season. He also chipped in offensively with four goals (8 points).
Clarkson University will open 2019 with a mix of veterans and newcomers as eight starters from a year ago are back and 11 incoming players join the team. Last year, Clarkson finished with an overall record of 10-6-1, including a nearly unblemished mark against non-league opponents (7-1). There will be big shoes to fill for the Golden Knights with the departure of 2018 Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year James Homan. Homan led a defensive effort that held opponents to a league-low 10 goals and a 0.57 goals against average. The duo of Henry Gomez and Mack Walton highlight the team’s returning offense. Gomez paced the team with 13 points on six goals and an assist. Walton scored three goals and had two assists for eight points. Other key returnees include John Furcick and Erick Naula.
A year of experience on the field and the graduation of only four, should be a good sign for
Union College as the Dutchmen look to improve upon an overall record of 7-9-0 in 2019. Salvador Lopez Jr. headlines the team’s returning scorers after being tops on the team and league with 24 points last season. He scored 10 goals and added four assists in 16 games. He will be joined by Yasin Dombayci, who recorded six points on two goals and two assists. Griffin Cowles and Conor Willsie also return and they both will be essential to the Dutchmen’s defense after starting all 16 games last season.
Bard College opens 2019 with a new head coach in TJ Kostecky. Kostecky will rely on the experience of 15 returning players, including All-Liberty League honorable mention goalkeeper Logan Leppo this season. Leppo was among the nation’s best in saves last season with 132 (4th) and 7.76 saves per game (7th). He was fifth among league leaders in save percentage (.781) and tenth in goals against average (2.2). Defender Sid Subramani returns to help Leppo in the backfield. Offensively, the Raptors will be led by Naka O’Connor who paced the team in points (11) and goals (5).
The 2019 season starts on Friday, August 30 with nine league teams playing in non-conference games. Eight teams kick things off at home (Clarkson, Ithaca, Hobart, RIT, Skidmore, St. Lawrence, Union and Vassar) while RPI begins its 2019 campaign on the road.
2018 Liberty League Men’s Soccer Standings
Team (Overall Record, Liberty League Record)
St. Lawrence (12-3-3, 7-1-1) – 2018 Liberty League Champions
RPI (9-9-1, 6-3-0)
Ithaca (14-2-4, 5-2-2)
Hobart (8-8-2, 5-3-1)
Vassar (9-7-0, 5-4-0)
Skidmore (9-6-3, 4-4-1)
RIT (8-6-1, 4-5-0)
Clarkson (10-6-1, 3-5-1)
Union (7-9-0, 3-6-0)
Bard (3-13-1, 0-9-0)
* please note team previews are listed in order of the 2018 standings