mens soccer in elite 8

With a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over Swarthmore on Saturday, the Connecticut College men’s soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III championship tournament. The historic season ended with a 3-1 loss to Tufts in the Elite 8 round on Sunday.

With a 13-4-3 record, including three NCAA victories, the Camels recorded the best season in program history and had one of the most successful postseason runs by any Connecticut College team. The team became the fourth to advance to the “Sweet 16” round of the NCAA tournament and the third to make it as far as the “Elite 8” in an NCAA Tournament. The 1998 women’s soccer team and the 1998-99 men’s basketball program previously advanced to the national quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

The men’s soccer program also became the first in College history to advance to three straight NCAA Tournaments.

Head coach Reuben Burk attributed the team’s success to his players buying into the team culture and remaining coachable throughout the season.

“This season is the culmination of a longstanding commitment to continuously get better,” Burk said. “This team doesn’t take shortcuts and doesn’t make excuses; instead they work to get better everyday and rally around one another.”

Earlier this month, four members of the team garnered All-NESCAC postseason laurels. Augie Djerdjaj ’22, Liam Donelan ’21 and AJ Marcucci ’21 were named to the All-NESCAC first team, while Matt Butera ’20 was named to the second team. In addition, Luke Stoneback ’22 was named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) District II Academic All-American. He is now eligible for Academic All-America accolades, which will be announced Dec. 3.

The best team in Connecticut College men’s soccer history graduates five seniors this spring and is set to return more than 25 letterwinners next season.

For full game recaps, visit camelathletics.com.