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Clarkson University Athletics

Clarkson Men's Soccer 2019 Season Review

By: August 24, 2020
BahrBrandon2019act09

Men's Soccer | 8/24/2020 10:25:00 AM


With the 2020 Fall Season taking a different shape compared to anything in the Clarkson University Athletic Department's history, now is the time to look back at the recent history of our programs and to celebrate recent excellence, specifically the memorable moments of the 2019 season. 

Ian Roeloffs stood 35 or 40 yards away from the goal and Mack Walton was in mid-sprint in the opposite direction, leaving their teammates on the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team in a quandary: which hero to embrace.

A few moments earlier, Roeloffs had completed his ninth shutout of the season after facing a season-high 22 shots and making a career-best nine saves in his third double-overtime whitewash of the year. A few seconds earlier, Walton converted on a penalty kick to advance the Golden Knights to the Liberty League Championship game, the farthest the Green and Gold moved in the post-season in more than two decades.

Video Clip: Clarkson 0, Rensselaer 0 - Double Overtime (Clarkson Advances on Penalty Kicks)

Without discussion on the sideline, the two all-stars' teammates let in-the-moment emotions dictate where they headed, with half running to embrace Roeloffs and the other half taking the longer route across the pitch to celebrate with Walton in front of the bleachers.

Walton's goal propelled the Green and Gold into a position to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1998, and though Clarkson ultimately came up a goal short in the conference title matchup against Hobart, the 2019 season was another step in the advancement of the Golden Knights' soccer program.

For several years now, the Golden Knights have leaned heavily upon their defense and goalkeepers, but this was a season in which Clarkson set a new standard for shutouts, holding opponents scoreless 12 times in 20 games, including five shutouts versus teams bound for the NCAA Tournament. Roeloffs came within a one shutout of the single-season program record of blankings in a year with nine, chipping in on another with 45 minutes of scoreless work before being relieved for the second half. Coaches in the Liberty League took notice, awarding Roeloffs with a Liberty League First-Team All-Star nod at goalkeeper as well as all-star notice for junior Brandon Bahr and freshman Kyle Jackson, who both stood out on defense along with fellow defender Greg Schebece. The consistency of the defensive corps, which ranked first, second, and third in minutes played, certainly gave the opposition fits as good offensive chances were repeatedly denied by the standouts in addition to the sprawling saves from Roeloffs.

The team ranked fifth in the country in shutout percentage (.600), 16th in save percentage (.845), and 41st in goals against average (0.77), the latter number skewed considerably by a single game in early September. Showing it was far more than a single-manned effort was the fact that the Knights were only 224th in save per game, meaning not too many attempts made it past the defense in the first place.



 
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Players Mentioned

Brandon Bahr

#18 Brandon Bahr

D
5' 7"
Sophomore
Ian Roeloffs

#13 Ian Roeloffs

GK
6' 4"
Junior
Greg Schebece

#5 Greg Schebece

D
6' 0"
Sophomore
Mack Walton

#2 Mack Walton

M
5' 9"
Sophomore
Kyle Jackson

#12 Kyle Jackson

D
6' 2"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Brandon Bahr

#18 Brandon Bahr

5' 7"
Sophomore
D
Ian Roeloffs

#13 Ian Roeloffs

6' 4"
Junior
GK
Greg Schebece

#5 Greg Schebece

6' 0"
Sophomore
D
Mack Walton

#2 Mack Walton

5' 9"
Sophomore
M
Kyle Jackson

#12 Kyle Jackson

6' 2"
Freshman
D