CU Men's Soccer Preview - at Vassar College (10/31)

Kaelyn Buehler

Men's Soccer | 10/29/2026 11:30:00 AM

A win guarantees the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team a spot in the Liberty League Playoffs, but the Saturday's opposition Vassar College is also battling for a first-round bye when the two teams meet this weekend.

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Liberty League Playoff Scenarios: Amazingly, every team is still alive for a playoff spot entering the weekend. St. Lawrence has clinched the top spot while Vassar can gain a first-round bye with a win or possibly a tie. Clarkson currently sits in sixth, the final playoff position, and the combination of results could put them has high as fourth with a win, which would mean a home game for the Golden Knights in the opening round of the conference tournament. Even with a loss or tie, the Knights could still make the tournament if Union and RIT were to lose and Bard and Ithaca tied. The Green and Gold can avoid all of that scoreboard watching with a victory in Poughkeepsie.

The Series: The Knights are 8-11-6 all-time against Vassar and are unbeaten in the last four contests against the Brewers, including a 3-0 win in 2025. All three of those goals came in the first 25 minutes of the contest, including what proved to be the game-winner by Zach Ruthfield, which was scored only 29 seconds into the contest.

Key Stats for Clarkson (7-4-4, 2-3-3 Liberty League): Renowned for its defense over the last decade, Clarkson has produced 27 goals in the 2026 season, the most by the team since 2001 when the Knights tallied 36 times in 16 games. Freshman Bodie Smith leads the conference in scoring with 22 points (10-2-22) as the only player to reach double digits in goals, while Zach Ruthfield is tied for the conference lead in scoring at 12 points (4-4-12) when considering only league games.

Key Stats for Vassar (5-5-6, 3-1-4 Liberty League): Alejandro Martinez leads the Brewers in scoring with 15 points (6-3-15) and half of that output has come in league contests (3-2-8). Zapp Hotz (3-2-8) and Mauricio Mejia (3-1-7) are second and third on the team in scoring, with all of Mejia's points coming during league play. The Brewers are adept at getting scoring chances off corner kicks, ranking second in the conference in that category (92) and averaging 6.50 per game in league play.

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Players Mentioned

#33 Zach Ruthfield: For; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#19 Bodie Smith: For; 5' 11"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#33 Zach Ruthfield
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: For

#19 Bodie Smith
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: For

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#33 Zach Ruthfield

#19 Bodie Smith

Players Mentioned

#33 Zach Ruthfield

#19 Bodie Smith