Men’s and Women’s Soccer selected to NCAA Division III Tournament

The men’s team will host first and second round action at Conn

Connecticut College’s men’s and women’s soccer teams are headed to the big dance. The No. 6 nationally ranked men’s team will host opening weekend games for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second time in program history, while the women’s team will travel to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to face Geneseo State.

The men’s team is making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and its fifth overall. The 14-4 Camels won their first NESCAC regular season title this year and, last weekend, beat Colby in a thrilling 1-0 victory in a NESCAC Tournament semifinal game to advance to the league’s championship match for the first time. 

Conn has relied on one of the NESCAC’s top offenses, along with a stellar defense, to find success so far this season. Rye Jaran ’24 paces the offense with five goals and four assists to date. Augie Djerdjaj ’23 and Steve Yeonas ’23 are among the veterans who continue to be offensive threats.
 
Defensively, goalkeeper Sam Maidenberg ’23 has stepped up between the posts following the graduation of AJ Marcucci ’21—a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team selection—and has registered an .845 save percentage to go along with an 0.71 goals against average. Both marks rank among the best in the NESCAC. Rookies Jorge Mendo ’25 and Jack Kelesoglu ’25 have been among the leaders of a young and talented back line.

Conn is one of 16 sites chosen to host the first and second rounds taking place this weekend. The Camels will host Salem State on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 11 a.m., and will be joined by New York University and St. Joseph’s (Maine) who will face off at 1:30 p.m. The winners will advance to play a second round match on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. 

All of the matches will take place on Freeman Field. Tickets for each match will be $10 for adults and $3 for students, and visitors are asked to please review and follow Conn’s COVID-19 spectator policies. On game day, a livestream link will be available here.

Sixteen second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional championship sites on Nov. 20-21, and the winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals on Dec. 3 at the UNC Greensboro Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. The final will take place a day later, on Dec. 4.

Women’s team selected for at-large bid after strong fall campaign

The women’s soccer team will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2017 when they take on Geneseo State in first round action at the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pennsylvania, this Saturday, Nov. 13. 

The 9-4-3 Camels earned one of the 20 Pool C berths following a strong fall campaign in which the squad finished fifth in the NESCAC standings and secured a regular season victory over eventual NESCAC Tournament champion Middlebury. The offense is paced by the one-two punch of Mya Johnson ’23 and Kat Norton ’22, who have combined to score 13 of the team’s 29 goals to date. Johnson has 10 goals and three assists, while Norton has found the back of the net three times and has set up three other markers. 

Defensively, Sarah Hall ’24  leads all NESCAC goalies with 79 saves. She also has six shutouts and boasts an .868 save percentage to go along with an 0.88 goals against average. Captains Emily Lorry ’22 and Marielle McEnaney ’22, along with Emma Quilty ’24, anchor a back line which has blanked nine opponents and allowed one goal or less 12 times in 16 matches. 

The women will play Saturday, Nov. 13, at 3:30 p.m. on Scranton's Weiss Field, one of 16 sites for the first and second rounds that are taking place this coming weekend. Scranton will play Nazareth at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and the winners of both matches will face off Sunday, Nov. 14, at 3 p.m. On game day, a livestream link will be available here.

Sixteen second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional championship sites on Nov. 20-21, and the winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals on Dec. 3 at the UNC Greensboro Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. The final will take place a day later on Dec. 4.