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Clarkson University Athletics

2026 Clarkson University Men's Soccer Preview

JezioroJay2025ski
Laura Wong

Men's Soccer | 8/28/2026 10:00:00 AM

Showcasing one of the top defenses in the region and one that has ranked among the national leaders nearly every year for the past decade, the Clarkson University Men's Soccer team returned to the Liberty League playoffs last year for the first time since reaching the title game in 2019. The Golden Knights look to ride that momentum from a season ago to a longer playoff run in 2026.

Led by head coach Carter Lincoln and assistants Jonah Stekly, Demba Ba, and Daniel Medina, the Golden Knights return a significant group from last season while also boasting a talented group of freshmen that should make the Green and Gold a formidable foe once again.

Although the Knights had not been to the playoffs since 2019, it was not as if the team was languishing. Clarkson has a .623 winning percentage over the last four seasons, and the 2025 record of 7-5-5 actually had its lowest winning percentage in that stretch compared to 7-2-8 in 2024, 9-5-1 in 2023, and 9-4-3 in 2022. Additionally, the Knights have allowed only 53 goals in their last 65 games, having not allowed more than goal per game since the 2021 campaign.

Clarkson did lose some standouts from its vaunted defense. Departing via graduation, goalkeeper Carter Kladstrup etched his name in the Clarkson record books for goals against average and shutouts, among other numbers, while players in front of him like Kyle Otis and Tayte Wong also earned Liberty League All-Star honors over the years.

The key for Clarkson's success in recent years has been its lack of reliance on just a handful of players. Only one field player (sophomore Juan Pestarino) averaged more than 75 minutes per game over the course of the Knights' 17 contests. That depth be on display again in 2026 as the Green and Gold have 32 field players and three goalkeepers. Additionally, it is a young group with only three seniors on the roster in Parker Gamble, Dylan Jasey, and Jay Jezioro.

The junior class has seen plenty of time on the pitch over the last two years with all of them seeing significant time while missing time due to the occasional injury. Both Morgan Burke and Cole Mueller, key components to the team's defense, missed the latter portion of the 2025 season, but both should be back to contribute this year. Felix Freed and Lars Stephensson also earned plenty of minutes defensively and should be relied upon again, while Paul Rolland Josh Baraka are the two team's top returning scorers, as Rolland earned Liberty League All-Star notice as a sophomore. Classmate Brody Frankowski has also shown skill in the midfield over the past two years for the Knights.

Much like the junior class, the sophomores played plenty of minutes in their first collegiate seasons. Pestarino was the team's top man for minutes played in the midfield, while Alper Celik, Jack Grace, Zach Ruthfield, and Joel Alvarez each played in at least 13 contests last year.

That leads to one of the larger freshman classes in program history, as 17 new players have arrived in Potsdam to compete for the Green and Gold. Numerous players have flashed high levels of skill and many will compete for starting roles as well as key reserve minutes.

Clarkson graduated its top two goalkeepers from a year ago in Carter Kladstrup and Josh Morelli, leaving protection of the goal line up to three sophomores. Sam Robertson and Ben Sandoval both had the fortune of receiving tutelage from the two seniors as the backups a year ago. The third goalkeeper of the group is transfer Ian Burgos, who joins the Knights from SUNY Cortland for his second campaign.



 
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Players Mentioned

Josh Baraka

#11 Josh Baraka

Mid/For
6' 0"
Sophomore
Morgan Burke

#5 Morgan Burke

Def
6' 4"
Sophomore
Brody Frankowski

#10 Brody Frankowski

Mid
5' 11"
Sophomore
Felix Freed

#2 Felix Freed

Def
5' 9"
Sophomore
Parker Gamble

#3 Parker Gamble

Def
5' 8"
Junior
Dylan Jasey

#18 Dylan Jasey

Mid
5' 7"
Senior
Jay Jezioro

#27 Jay Jezioro

Mid
6' 1"
Junior
Carter Kladstrup

#13 Carter Kladstrup

GK
6' 2"
Senior
Daniel Medina

#16 Daniel Medina

Mid
5' 6"
Senior
Josh Morelli

#1 Josh Morelli

GK
5' 11"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Josh Baraka

#11 Josh Baraka

6' 0"
Sophomore
Mid/For
Morgan Burke

#5 Morgan Burke

6' 4"
Sophomore
Def
Brody Frankowski

#10 Brody Frankowski

5' 11"
Sophomore
Mid
Felix Freed

#2 Felix Freed

5' 9"
Sophomore
Def
Parker Gamble

#3 Parker Gamble

5' 8"
Junior
Def
Dylan Jasey

#18 Dylan Jasey

5' 7"
Senior
Mid
Jay Jezioro

#27 Jay Jezioro

6' 1"
Junior
Mid
Carter Kladstrup

#13 Carter Kladstrup

6' 2"
Senior
GK
Daniel Medina

#16 Daniel Medina

5' 6"
Senior
Mid
Josh Morelli

#1 Josh Morelli

5' 11"
Senior
GK