Although always competitive in one of the strongest conferences in all of Division III, the Clarkson University Men's and Women's Soccer programs have been on the outside looking in when it came to the postseason since the Liberty League was rebranded in 2004. In that time, the league expanded its stable to programs and in 2017 the conference also added an extra two teams to the playoff ranks.

And with that expansion came playoff berths for both the Golden Knights' Men's and Women's programs this past fall.

Though both squads fell in the first round (2-1 for the men against RIT, 1-0 for the women, also against RIT), there is no experience like postseason experience, and each team appears poised for a continued march up the conference standings.

Clarkson's men earned the fifth seed in the conference standings with a 4-3-2 record in league games, but saw a 1-0 lead evaporate and turn to a 2-1 loss in its first-round playoff against the Tigers. It more steady progress from a Chris Taylor-coached team as the Knights posted four wins in league games and eight wins overall, the most conference victories since 1998 and the highest overall win total since 2001. Though Taylor departed Clarkson in the spring to be closer to home and coach at his alma mater, former assistant coach Carter Lincoln took the reins for the program and is likely to lead the Knights to similar results come this fall.



The Knights' men received plenty of standout performances from upperclassmen last season, but the Golden Knights have been a youth-led program for several years. Six players with a year or less of collegiate experience received 10 or more starts for the Knights in 2017, including Liberty League All-Star Mack Walton. The first-year midfielder ranked second on the team in points. In fact, only one player (Kevin Calnan) with more than one goal scored last season graduated, leaving plenty of offense at the ready for 2018.

Clarkson's women squeaked into the league tournament with a 4-4-1 record in conference games, tying for fifth but gaining the sixth seed. Though the Green and Gold lost in the final minute against third-seeded RIT, a team it beat during the regular season, the Knights had a great deal of which to be proud in 2017. The four wins in league play matched the combined total by Clarkson in the previous seven seasons combined and also marked the program's first .500 record in conference since the team joined league play in 1989. Second-year coach Kelsey Yam was picked as the league's Coach of the Year for guiding the team to its first league playoff appearance.  



The Golden Knights' women did lose some talented players to graduation, but the program has a slew of rising juniors that ranks as some of the top players on the team. Camryn Careccia was a conference all-star and gained All-Region honors in just her second collegiate season, becoming the first Golden Knight to gain that status in more than two decades. Classmate Giulia Mahoney also was recognized as a conference all-star in the midfield, and second-year collegian Elyse Green starred in the Clarkson goal, ranking second in the league in total saves (92) with a goals against average of 1.22 and a save percentage of .800. Green was the first Clarkson keeper with a sub 1.25 goals against average and save percentage of .800 or better in five seasons and only the third to do so with at least 10 starts in the 21st century.

TOP 10 2017-18 Clarkson Athletic Department Highlights

The Top 10 Clarkson University Athletic Department Highlights of 2017-18 were carefully selected by the Clarkson Sports Information Staff. Top 10 Clarkson highlights will be posted on Mondays throughout the summer.