MIDDLETOWN, CT. – It's been 12 years since the Wesleyan men's soccer team was seen in the NCAA Tournament, but they return for their sixth appearance in program history on Saturday, Nov. 16, when they travel to Babson Park, MA., to face neighbor University of Saint Joseph at 1 p.m. A win on Saturday would match Wesleyan with the winner of the Babson College and St. John Fisher University game held prior at 10:30 a.m.
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TOURNAMENT BRACKET
The last time the Cardinals earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament they were met with the Haverford Fords on Nov. 10
th, 2012. The matchup, held at Arcadia University, was tied 2-2 over two overtime periods before the Cardinals fell in penalty kicks, 4-2.
Going 7-4-5 overall and 4-3-3 in a stacked NESCAC, the Cardinals entered the NESCAC tournament as the No. 5 heading into the quarterfinal round. In a record year for the NESCAC, eight of the 11 men's soccer teams earned a bid to the national tournament.
In a must win game over Colby on Oct. 26, the Cardinals clinched a berth to the tournament thanks to a game-winning goal from
Chris Porte '25. Porte earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors for his efforts in that game. Downing Conn. in the regular season finale, the Cardinals jumped the Camels in the standings to face No. 4 Williams in the quarterfinal. Facing the Ephs on Nov. 2,
Yousuf Saeed scored to tie the game up at one to send the game to double overtime. The comeback fell short as the Ephs won on a free-kick attempt, 2-1.
The story of the season has been Cardinals defensive unit. A stronghold through seven victories and five draws, the Cardinals allowed 14 goals while holding off the likes of Babson, Middlebury, and Amherst.
Zach Feldman '27 and
Dylan Clack '27 earned Second Team All-NESCAC honors for their efforts on the back end. Feldman played the most minutes of any field player while starting all games played this season. Clack was crucial to breaking up plays at the midfield before they reached Feldman,
Will Geballe '26, and goalkeeper
Mathis Blanc '26.
Blanc, for his efforts, started every game as he went 7-4-4 with seven shutouts. Making 53 saves on 137 shots faced, Blanc finished the season with a .791 save percentage.
University of Saint Joseph
Earning the top seed in the Greater Northeastern Athletic Conference, the Bluejays went 14-4-3 overall and 10-1-3 in the GNAC. The four losses were handed down by Fisher, Bridgewater State, Wheaton, and Emmanuel.
The Bluejays cruised through the conference tournament with two shutouts in the first two rounds. Crushing Regis 5-0 in the quarterfinal, the Bluejays advanced to the semifinal where they beat Emmanuel, 1-0. Playing Johnson and Wales in the final, the Bluejays won the GNAC title with a 2-1 win. Head coach Paul Wright won Coach of the Year.
Henry McGarrah heads the Bluejays' offense with 13 goals and seven assists for 33 points. McGarrah's scoring backup, Dane Stephens has logged 10 goals and four assists for 24 points. The Bluejays boast a freshmen goalkeeper in Will Slayton. Slayton enters the tournament with a 11-1-3 overall record, making 65 saves for a .793 save percentage with 17 goals against.
Babson College
Playing host to this weekend's bracket, Babson won the NEWMAC with a 7-0-1 record while going 14-1-6 overall. Their only loss this season was to Middlebury on Oct. 13, 3-1. In their season matchup with Wesleyan, the two teams ended in a scoreless draw. The Beavers enter the tournament on a seven-game winning streak.
Entering the NEWMAC Championship as the top seed, the Beavers cleared Springfield in the semifinal with a 4-0 shutout. Advancing to the finals, the Beavers were crowned NEWMAC Champions with a 2-0 defeat of Salve Regina.
On the offensive side, Kento Abe has eight goals on record with six assists for 22 points and five game-winning goals. James Donaldson scored seven goals this season, adding five assists for 19 points. In goal, Walker White was named to the starting lineup for every game going 14-1-6. White tallied nine shutouts. Making 53 saves on 106 shots faced, White has recorded a .836 saver percentage while allowing 10 goals.
St. John Fisher
Going 11-4-5 on the season with a 8-1-2 Empire 8 record, the Cardinals entered the conference tournament as the top seed. Their losses this season were dealt by Clarkson, Rochester, Trinity, and Russell Sage.
In the Empire 8, the Cardinals advanced to the semifinals on a 1-0 shutout of Russell Sage. The Cardinals managed to come away with a victory over SUNY Brockport in kicks after double overtime ended scoreless. The final score came at 0-0 (4-1). The Cardinals were named Empire 8 Champions with a 1-0 win over Elmira in the final. Jack Burgasser was named Coach of the Year while Joey Avallone was named Offensive Player of the Year and Christian Burkhart earned Goalkeeper of the Year.
Avallone tallied seven goals this season, completing his 19 points with five assists. Burkhart allowed 11 goals this season while going 11-4-5, knocking 13 shutouts on the season. Making 73 saves on 131 shots, Burkhart holds a .869 sa
