The 2023 Division III Men’s Soccer season begins on Friday, September 1 with nine of the Liberty League’s ten teams playing in contests against non-conference opponents. League play begins on Saturday, September 23 with a full slate of games.
The top six teams in the standings will vie for the 2023 title and the champion will punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, thanks to the conference’s automatic bid. The 2023 Liberty League Men’s Soccer Tournament will take place from October 31st through November 5th. First round games are set for Tuesday, October 31 with No. 3 and No. 4 seeds hosting the No. 6 and No. 5 seeds respectively. The top two teams of the tournament receive byes and hosting rights to the semifinals. The top-seed will play the winner of the #4/#5 game and the second seed will face off against the winner of the #3/#6 game. Semifinal winners move on to the championship game at the site of the highest remaining seed on Sunday, November 5.
Team previews are sorted by 2022 standings.
2022 Liberty League Men’s Soccer Standings
Team (Overall Record, Liberty League Record)
- St. Lawrence (13-2-6, 6-0-3)
- Vassar (9-3-7, 5-0-4)
- Skidmore (9-4-6, 4-2-3)
- RPI (6-7-5, 4-3-2)
- RIT (8-5-5, 4-3-2)
- Hobart (8-5-5, 3-2-4)
- Clarkson (9-4-3, 2-4-3)
- Ithaca (3-9-5, 2-4-3)
- Union (5-8-3, 2-5-2)
- Bard (4-10-1, 0-9-0)
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence is seeking its third straight conference title as the Saints closed out 2022 as the Liberty League’s regular season and tournament champions with an overall record of 13-2-6 and a 6-0-3 mark in league play. There will be some big shoes to fill with the graduation of two-time Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year Marvin Sibanda, however, the Saints will look to Sam Pijpers (All-Liberty League first team) and Ryan Campbell (Liberty League Rookie of the Year) to take a step forward in offensive production after finishing among the team’s top-four scorers last year. Pijpers finished the year second on the team in points (23) with 10 goals and three assists. He led the team with four game-winning goals last season, good for second in the Liberty League. In 17 games, Campbell scored six goals for 12 points. Both were ranked among league leaders in goals per game, fourth (.446) and ninth (.353) respectively. Max Mogul also returns after netting four goals and handing out four assists for 12 points a year ago. On the backfield, the Saints are led by All-Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year Ben Woelfinger. Woelfinger was a stalwart in net for St. Lawrence last season, compiling a 12-2-4 overall record. He posted a league-best nine shutouts to go along with a 0.90 goals against average and a .864 save percentage. Among league goalkeepers, he finished the year with the best goals against average and was second in save percentage.
Vassar College
Vassar (9-3-7, 5-0-4 Liberty League) wrapped up the 2022 campaign with its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2016 with an at-large bid. The Brewers advanced to the second round for the first time since 2012 before falling in penalty kicks. They open 2023 with a bulk of their lineup back in Poughkeepsie including nine starters from a year ago. A pair of All-Liberty League first-team selections are back with the return of Owen Fauth and Duncan Keker, who bring a one-two punch to the offense. Fauth led the team in goals (9), assists (4), and points (22). Keker scored eight goals for 16 points. Four of his goals were game-winning goals, good for second among league leaders. The pair were ranked among the league’s top ten in goals per game and points per game last year. Danny Berry (All-Liberty League second team) headlines the defense after playing in all 19 games last season. He was part of a defensive unit that held opponents to 15 goals, good for second in the conference. Berry also had a hand in scoring, totaling six points on two goals and two assists.
Skidmore College
Skidmore is looking to make its third straight appearance in the league tournament in 2023 as the Thoroughbreds advanced to the championship game for the first time since 2016 last year, finishing the year at 9-4-6 and 4-2-3 against conference opponents. There will be some holes to fill with the graduation of seven but a core group of players return to Saratoga Springs, including All-Liberty League first-team honoree Kamal Ibrahim. Ibrahim was Skidmore’s offensive sparkplug with a team- and league-high 15 goals for 30 points. He matched the program’s single-season goal record and scored multiple goals on five occasions last season. In Division III, he finished the year ranked 27th in goals per game (.79). He also posted a league-best six game-winning goals, tying for fifth nationally. He will be joined by Brady Trenchard, Ethan Slager, and Max Heberlein. In 16 games, Trenchard scored a pair of goals and handed out an assist for five points. Slager and Heberlein recorded four points apiece; Slager (1G, 2A) and Heberlein (2G) both played in all 19 games. Heberlein (All-Liberty League second team) spearheads a defense that held opponents to 17 goals, the third-fewest among league teams.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
RPI welcomes back five starters from last season’s team that earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament and finished the year at 6-7-5 (4-3-2 Liberty League). 16 incoming freshmen complement the veteran core to kick off the 2023 season. Defenders Andy Zhao and Alex Garciá, who both earned All-Liberty League honorable mention recognition in 2022, return. They helped the Engineers hold opponents to 1.06 goals per game and 8.9 shots per game. RPI produced four shutouts while allowing only one goal in nine other contests. Zhao started all 18 games, and Garciá made 16 starts. Julio Rodriguez is also back; in 16 games he tallied six points on three goals. The much-anticipated return of Josh Gaudiano, the 2019 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, will be a boost to the Engineers after he missed the entire 2022 season. In 2021, Gaudiano played and started in all 18 games while pacing the team in scoring that year with seven goals and three assists for 17 points.
Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT finished last year with an 8-5-5 overall record and a 4-3-2 conference record. The Tigers returned to the league postseason for the third straight season, and they earned a trip to the semifinals for the second time since 2019. Goalkeeper Jason Trapp returns after starting all 18 games last season. In over 1,572 minutes between the posts, he produced a 1.03 goals against average to go along with a 0.710 save percentage. He also posted five shutouts, third among league goalkeepers. He will be joined by Randy Dickersbach, Josh Price, and Patrick Kenyon. Dickersbah was named an All-Liberty League first-team honoree last season. He recorded a career-high 18 points on six goals and six assists. Among league leaders, he was second in assists, assists per game (.375), and game-winning goals (4). He was also sixth in points per game (1.13) and eighth in goals per game (.375). Price and Kenyon played in all 18 games for RIT a year ago, and the duo combined for two goals and five assists.
Hobart College
A year of experience should bode well for Hobart this season; the Statemen welcomed nine first-year players last year and finished 2022 at 8-5-5 overall (3-2-4 Liberty League). With the graduation of only four, they are poised to make some noise in the standings this year. Goalkeeper Guillermo Castañeda Chang will step into a full-time starting role after splitting the job last season. In 13 games (900 minutes), he went 4-3-5 with a .700 save percentage and a 1.20 goals against average. Connor Koschenig (All-Liberty League honorable mention) is back after leading the team with 11 points last season. In 18 games, he scored three goals and dished out a team-high five assists. Nolan Fierro is also a key contributor; he tied for third on the team with eight points last year on two goals and four assists.
Clarkson University
Clarkson is eyeing a return to the Liberty League tournament for the first time since 2019 this season and the Golden Knights open the 2023 campaign with a new head coach at the helm in Augusto Lima. No stranger to Division III, Lima is a 2016 graduate of Susquehanna University, where he was a four-year member of the men’s soccer team. Following graduation, he was an assistant coach at Susquehanna (2017, 2018) as well as the University of Rochester (2021). He inherits a seasoned squad that is highlighted by the return of defenders Christian Silvano and Logan Drake. Last season, the Golden Knights held opponents to only 12 goals, and they posted nine shutouts, ranking them among Division III’s top 30 teams in shutout percentage (.562, 18th) and goals against average (.750, 27th). Silvano garnered All-Liberty League second-team accolades, he played 1400 minutes and scored a goal. Drake handed out one assist and played for 774 minutes. The duo helped Clarkson post a program-best seven consecutive shutouts. Nolan Grady is also a key returnee; in 14 games, he recorded three points (1G, 1A).
Ithaca College
Ithaca looks to make strides this season, and with the return of two graduate students along with four seniors, the Bombers bring a veteran presence to the field. Brendan Lebitsch, Connor Tierney, and Conor Baird highlight the team’s returning players. Lebitsch started all 17 games and Tierney made 15 starts last season. The duo anchored a defense that posted five shutouts and allowed only one goal on five occasions. They were both among the team’s 12 players who recorded a point or more last year. Lebitsch tallied one point on an assist, and Tierney posted a pair of goals for four points. In 16 games, Baird netted a goal and handed out an assist for three points.
Union College
Union ended last season on a three-game unbeaten streak and will build upon that momentum heading into 2023. With the return of seven starters from last year’s squad, a year of experience should translate well for the Garnet Chargers. A trio of All-Liberty League honorees—Evan Farr, Christian Rufo, and Robbie Michaleski headline this year’s team. Farr and Michaelski, All-Liberty League second-team selections, were ranked first and second in scoring a year ago with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Farr dished out a team-high four assists to go along with five goals while Michaelski potted a team-high six goals and an assist. Rufo controls the Union backfield after making 14 starts last season. He also chipped in three assists for three points.
Bard College
With nine returning upperclassmen, Bard welcomes back an experienced squad to open 2023. The Raptors will be led by goalkeeper Gavin Hersey, who played in 11 games, sported a .795 save percentage and a 1.36 goals against average. He ended the year second in the Liberty League in saves per game, 5.27, totaling 58 on the year, and fifth in save percentage. Nick Aguguliaro joins him, the defender played and started in all 15 games last season. Ben Stekete and Logan Tondini are also key returnees for the Raptors. In 15 games, Stekete scored a goal and handed out two assists and Tondini saw playing time in 13 games.